10 Pac-Man arcade game curiosities

Pac-Man arcade game is one of the most iconic video games in history, and its impact on gaming culture cannot be understated. The game's popularity reached an all-time high in the 1980s, and it has continued to capture the hearts of gaming enthusiasts even to this day. 

In this article, we will explore 10 interesting facts about this classic arcade game!

1. The Pac-man arcade game

Pac-Man is one of the most popular arcade games ever, and for good reason. In 1980, Namco created and released the game in Japan. It quickly gained popularity and was soon launched in the United States, where it became a sensation in video game arcades. 

The game is simple: eat all the dots in each stage before they escape out of their maze or reach the top-left corner. Each Level has different patterns that will keep you on your toes as you try to navigate around them!

1. The origin of Pac-Man's name

Toru Iwatani, the creator, was inspired by the shape of a pizza missing a slice… and that's the main reason for its name! In Japanese, paku-paku means "to eat / to crunch." It's also an onomatopoeia. In this case, it refers to the sound made when you eat something crunchy or juicy.

Pac-Man was named after this word because Namco thought it sounded like "pac" (short for Pac-Man). So we have two meanings for this same sound: Being eaten and being crunchy!

1. Pac-Man isn’t Namco’s first project

Before Pac-Man came along, Namco made several games with their own characters. These include:

• Galaga (1981), a fixed shooter arcade video game where the main goal is to destroy aliens.

• Dig Dug (1982),  a game set to be a maze where the player controls Dig Dug to defeat all enemies per level.

• Pole Position (1982), an arcade racing simulation video game.

1. Created with everyone in mind

When Iwatani started drafting this project back in the 70s, he noticed the arcades were filled with violent games that mostly drew attention from boys..

He thought the scene was rather gloomy, so he decided to create a cute and non-threatening game that could appeal to a wider audience to make arcades into livelier places. Places that girls, couples, and families could enjoy visiting, and thus, Pac-Man was born.

1. Pac-Man has a perfect score

Pac-Man has a high score list for every level that you can reach and 

Jake Goldberg achieved a perfect score in Pac-Man by completing all 256 levels and accumulating 3,333,360 points. It took Goldberg a total of 4 hours and 12 minutes to complete the game!

According to Twin Galaxies, the organization responsible for maintaining video game records, only 11 individuals worldwide have accomplished this.

1. it’s one of the first multiplayer arcade games

In addition to the single-player mode, Pac-Man can also be played with multiple players, making it one of the earliest multiplayer arcade games

The Pac-Man multiplayer arcade game is one of the most popular games in the world. It's been around since 1981, millions of people around the globe have played it.

You can play this here at Gamestate, online with friends or family members on Facebook or other social media platforms; there are also versions available for mobile devices such as iOS and Android phones/tablets.

1. Pac-man cheat codes

The book called "Pac-Man: The Ultimate Arcade Book", which was published in 1982, contained the codes for the original arcade game.

 

Here, we present you some of them:

• “Up, up, down, left, right”. This code allowed players to get around certain walls that were otherwise impenetrable.

• "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A" gives the player 30 extra lives.

• On the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man, you could get through a wall by pressing up while mashing buttons and then releasing it after reaching your destination without hitting anything on your way back down

• On the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Pac-Man, if you hold both joysticks forward at once while moving left or right with one stick only then it will help keep things steady while navigating tricky passages

1. The Pac-Man strategy

When you're playing the Pac-Man arcade game, avoid eating power pills, because they will slow down your movement speed and often result in a trap door opening beneath you.

If there's only one fruit left on the board, it's usually best to eat that last little bit of food rather than risk losing it by being attacked by another player or falling into an enemy trap door.

In addition to everything else, players need to avoid running into each other while moving around Pac-Man's maze-like world--so watch where you step!

1. It has the most famous sound effects

Pac-Man sound effects are the most famous of all arcade game sound effects. The Pac-Man arcade game features several iconic sounds, including the "BINGO!" and "BEEP" sounds when you get an item or eat a power pellet.

There are many different sounds used for various events in the game:

• The chomping sound is made by pressing down on your joystick after eating enough dots to fill up a life counter (or being hit by one). This causes the round to end and you get points based on how much time has passed since then.

• When playing as Ms. Pac-Man, she will say things like "Hi there!" or "Oh no! Not again!" whenever she eats an item or hits another character with something called "fang"

1. It had its own shows!

The 80’s show followed the adventures of Pac-Man and his family in a place called “Pac-Land”. The main storyline focused on the ongoing battle between the Pac family and their enemies, the Ghost Monsters, who worked for the villainous Mezmaron.

In the 2010s version, the action takes place on the planet “Pac-world”, which has a Netherworld filled with ghosts. Pac-Man attends a boarding school along with his friends Spiral and Cylindria.

There, Pac-Man accidentally breaks the seal that locked up the Netherworld, and ghosts start to threaten the citizens of Pac-World. To help him on his quest of restoring the planet, Pac-Man is joined by four friendly ghosts, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. They surrendered and vowed to help our mc in exchange for being restored to the living world.

A legendary video game

I think it's safe to say that Pac-Man became one of the most iconic video game characters ever made. The arcade game is a classic because it offers so many different kinds of challenges and fun features for players of all skill levels.

Luckily for you and me, we have it here at Gamestate Arcade! If you want to play something similar today, come visit us in your closest location, we’ll be waiting for you.