Title: 1980 - Pac-Man Released

 

About: Japanese arcade game manufacturer Namco introduces the world to Pac-Man.

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The classic and enormously popular Pac-Man video game came out in Japan on May 21, 1980, and by October of that year it was released in the United States. The yellow, orb-shaped Pac-Man character, who travels around a maze trying to eat dots and avoid four hunting ghosts, quickly became an icon of the 1980s. 

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The game was conceived as an antidote to the overwhelming number of games with violent themes. Instead, Pac-Man was motivated by food and eating, chewing its way to victory (in Japanese slang, paku paku describes the snapping of a mouth open and shut).

 

The game was made challenging by a group of four 'ghosts' on each level that tried to catch and consume Pac-Man. The roles of predator and prey were temporarily reversed when Pac-Man ate special 'power pills' placed in the maze.

 

The non-violent and goofy nature of Pac-Man quickly turned it into an international sensation, with more than 100,000 consoles sold in the US alone, easily making it the most successful arcade game in history. 

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Decade: 1980s

Year: 1980

Region: Asia

Country: Japan

Discovery: Invention

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Type: Historical Event

Impact: 1

Artist: Vlad Nikulin

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Group: Genesis

Number: 80/100

Price: 0.1 ETH

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