Happy Birthday, Pac-man!
A lot has happened in the past 30 years, but it doesnt seem like that long ago that
I was plopping quarters into a machine at the roller rink to guide the little yellow man who is all head, chomping my way through a maze filled with dots all the while steering clear of four colored ghosts, whose weakness it seems is when I eat the power pill that can be found in the four corners.
The time of my life when Pac-Man made his debut was filled with excitement and a little chaos, being a military brat and re-locating to a foreign country, and the one thing that tied me to home was the Pac-Man video game in the commissary cafeteria.
When Atari hit the market, home video game systems became affordable and popular, and Pac-Man was the game to play. I remember competitive evenings with my father, out-scoring each other at every opportunity, watching, learning, and gaining new skills. I remember hearing the term Atari Thumb when my father complained to his doctor about sore hands (interestingly enough, not so long after that he was diagnosed with Nintendo Thumbs. I love my father.).
I think almost everybody from my generation (that would be Generation X) has some kind of memory about Pac-Man. This weekend marks the 30-year anniversary of the yellow fellow, and Google is joining in the revelry by having a free version of the classic on their homepage, which you can access through HughesNet high speed Internet.
Here are some interesting things you may or may not know about Pac-Man:
Pac-Mans original name was Puck-Man. Due to the other word that I would never say in public that rhymes with Puck, the creators changed the name to what we know today.
In 2005, the Guinness World Records named Pac-Man the most successful coin-operated game
In 2010, Guinness named Pac-Man himself as the most recognizable video game character of all time, with 94 percent consumer recognition.
Pac-Man can boast to over 400 licensed products, ranging from toys to cereal.
No. 9 on the pop charts in 1982 was a song titled Pac-Man Fever by Buckner & Garcia.
When Pac-Man eats a ghost, the eyes never go straight back to the ghost box. Instead, they take a scenic route around the maze.
Ms. Pac-Man is not an official release from the creators of Pac-Man.
The intended Pac-Man sequel was Super Pac-Man, where the characters diet included cake and burgers (dots get so boring).
Each ghost has a real name and a nick name. Shadow is Blinky, Speedy is Pinky, Bashful is Inky, and Pokey is Clyde.
Go take a trip down memory lane. Play Pac-Man on Google, challenge your friends, and get the high score!
by: Hugo Grosz
Is There A Personal Trainer For You Uncluttering Your Workspace Get Your Husband Back – Killer Advice That Will Put You on the Fast Track How To Choose An Eyeglasses Frame To Suit Your Face Categorization of Airsoft guns based on the power driving them Can I Wash My Dorm Bedding? Setting Up The Next Shot How to Detox For THC The best way to Transform Your High pitched Squeaky Voice into a Deep Great voice tone Rehab Center For Alcohol Abusers Hit the Right Note with the Capital How Effective Is Pepper Spray? Boca Raton Orthodontist