by Matthew Adams

Created on: August 06, 2008   Last Updated: December 01, 2009

The game of Pac Man has delighted generations of gamers. Certainly it is one of the most popular games in history, if not the most popular. Only the likes of Tetris and Mario rival it is this respect. Exactly what is behind the phenomenon?

In the 1980s, upon its release in Japan, Pac Man did not actually go down a storm. However, it was in the US that the game really jumped to fame, when it was released to the American gaming public. At the time it was Space Invaders that was the most popular, so Pac Man had to offer something special.

Indeed, the American public loved it. Why was this? Perhaps because Pac Man offered something very original from the formula of the time. Space-Invaders was a top-down shooter shooting at what enters the screen. With Pac Man you could see everything on the screen, and had to avoid, not shoot the ghosts.

Navigating the maze gave greater freedom to players and this, combined with its simplicity and easy game controls, made for a winner. The scoring system allowed for players to pick up points not just for their progress in the game, but also for the number of fruits collected.

As such, you could always push yourself through the levels and higher scores. Like Tetris in many respects, the scoring system is one factor that keeps the players coming back.

In addition to the arcade version, home versions have been ported and reported to a variety of platforms. Again, a little like Tetris in this respect, it has ensured a mass-audience on the home formats. From family friendly machines like the Atari 2600 to the NES, Pac Man has become the 'family game' for entertainment.

On such popular platforms, Pac Man has given rise to a culture all of its own. A cartoon series was created for it in the 1980s, and musicals have been created based on its theme music. This culture has further enhanced its fan base, from which the game thrives.

It is not an especially flash game for graphics, but Pac Man always lives up to game-play over graphics. In a time when games are becoming graphically sophisticated, complex, and even violent - Pac Man offers an alternative.

New Pac Man games are being released, which are colorful, with some fancy effects but nothing 'groundbreaking' visually. On the Xbox, as well as Nintendo DS formats, the game continues to be enjoyed by gamers to this day. While the original format is tweaked and new features added, the basis of the original game remains the same.

Somewhat like Tetris, Pac Man seems to have universal appeal. A simple game, that can be ported and reported, it is just plain fun to play. At the end of the day, this is the reason for its enduring appeal.

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