Yesterday was Pac-Man’s 40th birthday. Born on May 22, 1980, PAC-MAN immediately rose to meteoric popularity, first in video game arcades, then through an array of branding and entertainment appearances. With a brand recognition rate of 90% around the world, PAC-MAN’s image is one of the most recognized on the planet and is as strong as ever as he enters his 40th year of entertaining fans of all ages.
Pac-Man (or Puck Man in Japan) is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the USA by Midway, first released in Japan in 1979. Immensely popular from its first release through today, Pac-Man is universally considered as one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games.
The game is played by eating all the fruits on the stage, while avoiding the ghosts. In 1983 the game introduces a new character, “Mil.” The playful Mil moves around the screen to move the fruits away from Pac-Man. The game is unique in that it doesn’t have any Power Pellets. In turn, Pac-Man can retaliate by eating special powerup items such as the Boss Galaxian and Rally X icons.
