by R.A. Scott

Created on: August 02, 2008

Pac Man was the game that brought gaming to a wider, almost family, audience to gaming. At one time, games could only be played in arcades. Where I come from these arcades were dark and dangerous places. They were definitely no place for families due to the drugs and violence that were commonplace. If you could deal with the drugs and weren't afraid of the violence you could have a wonderful time playing Pac Man.

Let's be clear, I did not go and play Pac Man because I was a real tough guy or anything I went not alone but with a group of friends; there is indeed safety in numbers.

The reason Pac Man is the greatest game of all time is its' simplicity of game play. The game controls and basic concept could easily be picked up in a matter of minutes. Of course it took much, much longer and many, many quarters in order to become proficient at Pac Man.

The reason it became so popular is that Pac Man cabinets began showing up in the most unusual places. They began appearing in some movie theatre lobbies, pizza parlors,independent burger joints and other places where mom, dad and the kids could play.

It wasn't long before Midway, the American distributor of Pac Man formerly Puck Man in Japan (the name was changed because executives were nervous about what American youth might end up doing to the cabinets once they saw the word Puck), began introducing table versions of the game. These table versions allowed the game to become more social interactions. These tables had controllers on both sides of the table so friends could take turns playing while having a coffee or a slice of pizza.

Table versions of the game were relatively small and even with chairs they could be placed almost anywhere. Also the tables were not as gaudy as the stand up cabinets and the volume could be turned off easily by the owner. This was a great thing for smaller establishments where the noise could be incredible. Now if only the players had volume controls.

The reasons Pac Man has become the most popular game ever are many. Factors include allowing the game to find its' way in front of families, no longer did you have to venture into an arcade. Families are always good for making something more popular especially at that time, the early 1980s'. The game attracted many types of people because it was so simple to learn and was difficult to master.

Since the Pac Man has been ported to every gaming platform under the sun and people continue to make their own games or their own versions of the game. Pac Man has shown up is many other games over the past couple of decades and he has even been in TV shows.

Pac Man is a classic game that will continue to maintain its popularity for many years to come.

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