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Sometimes adults will make statements that start with "kids today don't understand" Oftentimes these statements lament some aspect of history that is lost on the younger generation, which causes them to be unappreciative of how things are in the present. Of course, the origin and progression of video games is hardly the stuff of history's turning points, but it does have some societal significance in terms of the development ad progression of modern entertainment. It is hard to know how much society has been affected by video games. Despite their popularity some still wonder if they are having a negative impact on today's youth. Still, they have provided a great deal of fun for many people over the years and they had to start somewhere. Therefore, here is a brief look at why Pac Man is arguably the most popular video game of all time.

LONG AGO IN A DIFFERENT TIME

Adults who want to get an strong eye roll from their children can start with, "I remember the days BEFORE video games". But, it certainly is true that video games are still relatively new when put in the context of history. Prior to the popularity and widespread ownership of video systems, there were "arcade" games. Pac Man was probably one of the first games to really take off in popularity. Prior to Pac Man there were games like Pong and Space Invaders, but Pac Man was somehow different. Pac Man almost had a "personality". For some reason eating dots and being chased by the ghosts (Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde) was compelling entertainment. Despite the relative simplicity of the game, there was a complexity in terms of patterns and strategy. This caused Pac Man to quickly become popular and video arcades became a regular hangout of young people.

MERCHANDISING!

The other thing that helped Pac Man was the merchandising machine that so often helps movies, TV shows, and products. As the game became popular, the public started consuming other things such as breakfast cereal, lunch boxes, board games, toys, and even a cartoon series. In 1982, the song "Pac Man Fever" hit the charts and was an instant success. Later, Pac Man would spawn other video game sequels and many other games would be created based on the constructs of Pac Man.

Overall, many of today's video games can thank Pac Man for their success of today. It is difficult to isolate why certain things are popular, but it is clear that Pac Man was one of the key founding members of today's video game movement.

Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
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