Pacman Fever Hits North America With A Vengeance
In the early 1970′s, it was cool to hang out at the arcade playing pinball. As more and more games were introduced, arcades became more and more crowded with hoards of teenagers lining up to play the newest and latest in video arcade game technology, a game that would take North America by storm: Pac-Man.
Pac-Man was developed by Namco, and released in the US by Midway. In its first year, more than 100,000 Pac-Man machines were sold in North America alone. This is a game that is considered to be one of the landmark video games, and Pac-Man holds the Guinness record of being the most recognizable character in video games. In 2005, Guinness named Pac-Man as the “Most Successful Coin-Operated game”.
The Pop-Culture Icon of The 80′s
Pac-Man wasn’t just a game to be played in arcades. A whole mess of products (hundreds, actually) were launched from a game that would forever be known to be one of the biggest pop-culture icons of the 80′s, from tee-shirt to posters to suspenders to toys and much, much more. Of course, a home-version of the game was created, as well as hand-held versions.
Pac-Man became an overnight sensation, so popular that it even beat the top selling arcade ever at the time, Asteroids. Pac-Man was a refreshing change from the majority of video games at the time that mainly involved shooting, such as Asteroids and other space-themed games. Instead of shooting at things, players moved a smiley-faced character through a maze, eating up Pac Dots along the way. The challenge was to avoid the ghosts, which would chase Pac-Man. The player could make Pac-Man eat the ghosts by munching on a Power Pellet.
Not only was Pac-Man a popular arcade game that launched an entire product line, the title character also became a Saturday morning cartoon, and shows up in over 30 game spin-offs (all officially licensed, of course). And, the ever popular Ms. Pac-Man was also created. The “Pac-Man defense” is a legal term used to define a company buying the buyer of a company that is involved in a hostile take-over of the first company.
Pac-Man even became well-known in the business world. The
Video Game Sparks A Top 10 Hit Song!
“I got a pocket full of quarters, and I’m headed to the arcade. I don’t have a lot of money, but I’m bringing everything I made. I’ve got a callus on my finger, and my shoulder’s hurting too. I’m gonna eat them all up, just as soon as they turn blue. ‘Cause I’ve got Pac-Man fever.”
Anyone who was a Pac-Man player in the 80′s remembers these lyrics from the Buckner & Garcia Top 10 hit. From the 1982 album “Pac-Man Fever”, which was entirely devoted to arcade games, the song of the same name was the first track. How popular can a video game be that it spawns someone to write a song about it? And then, it becomes a hit too!
The fact that this song was even written proves that Pac-Man was an extremely popular cultural icon of the time. “Pac-Man Fever” included sound effects from the actual game, and in the original recording, these effects came from someone playing the game at a deli. In fact, you can even faintly hear the sound of someone dropping a sandwich.
The Future of Pac-Man
Pac-Man may have been an 80′s phenomenon, but the familiar yellow smiley face is still recognized by millions of people worldwide. Today, there are home versions of the game for the latest gaming systems, and players can also find plenty of websites where they can play their favourite game online. Bucker & Garcia were asked to re-record their hit song, “Pac-Man Fever”, in 1998, and in 1999, a newly recorded version of the album was released by the songwriting duo, with K-Tel re-releasing it in 2002.
Pac-Man is so popular today that in 2007, the first-ever Pac-Man World Championship was held, with competitors from eight countries playing. There are still spin-off games being created with the Pac-Man character, and it looks like it’s going to be a very long time before the ghosts ever get him.
About the Author:
Howard Symington is the owner and managing director of Southern Star Amusements and Vending. Australia’s leading Amusement, Arcade, Pinball, Redemption and Vending Machine Hire, Rental and Sales Company. For all your Pinball, Arcade and Amusement Machine Sales, Rentals and Coin Share Programs for your Pub, Hotel, Club, Company or Venue requirements visit Southern Star Amusements
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