On May 22, 1980, a Japanese company called Namco Bandai released a game in Japan called Puck-Man. The title was rejected in the United States because some worried that the “P” would chip off the cabinet and look like an “F.”
Regardless, a global phenomenon was born that day. And on Saturday, Pac-Man celebrates its 30th anniversary. And unlike so many of the hit games that have come and gone since then, the little yellow disc with the missing pie-slice for a mouth has become a legend in the video games industry, as well as an inspiration for many of the best-known designers in the field.
Pac-Man may be the most influential video game of all time. The Guinness Book of World Records named Pac-Man as the best-known video game character on Earth, beating out Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog. Guinness also lists Pac-Man as the most successful coin-operated game ever.
There are popular iPhone and iPad versions of the game, many bars still feature the arcade machines.
