Pac-Man Board Game (1982): A Look Back at a Gaming Icon

Released in 1982, the Pac-Man board game was an adaptation of the popular arcade game of the same name. Developed and published by Atari, Inc., this maze video game was a commercial success, despite receiving criticism from critics for its poor graphics and sound.

The goal of the game is to earn a high score by having Pac-Man eat various items such as video wafers, power pills, vitamins, and ghosts. Players use a joystick to control Pac-Man, navigating him through a maze filled with consumable dashes called video wafers, while avoiding four multi-colored ghosts.

The game has been considered one of the worst video games ever made, and one of the worst arcade game ports released on the Atari 2600 system. Despite its poor reception, Pac-Man remains the best-selling Atari 2600 game of all time, with over 8 million copies sold.

The development of Pac-Man took six months to complete, programmed by Tod Frye. The game was released under official license by Namco, and an adaptation of the 1980 hit arcade game of the same name.

In the game, once a ghost is eaten, it is reduced to a pair of eyes that return to the center of the maze to be restored. Eating flashing wafers at the corners of the screen causes the ghosts to temporarily turn blue and flee, allowing Pac-Man to eat them for bonus points.

The player controls the title character, who attempts to consume all of the wafers in a maze while avoiding four ghosts that pursue him. Despite its flaws, Pac-Man remains an iconic game that has stood the test of time, and its impact on the gaming industry is still felt today.

Overall, the Pac-Man board game (1982) may not have been well-received by critics, but it remains a significant milestone in the history of video games. Its commercial success and enduring popularity are a testament to the enduring appeal of Pac-Man, one of the most recognizable characters in gaming history.

Pac man board game 1982