Pac-Man invented gaming

In the semifinals against Novak Djokovic, Federer was up 15-30 in the final game of the third set, hoping to break Novak to cruise to a three-set win and a spot in a Grand Slam final for the 17th time in the last 18 majors. Novak hit a drop shot, Federer ran in, and after getting it back over the net, Djokovic went for the lob. Federer ran it down, hitting a between the legs winner he called his best shot ever.And if you’re still not convinced, consider this. Locked doors are a staple feature of any survival horror. Guess what? Pac-Man has a locked door. Locked doors simply weren’t a convention in 1980. It’s no accident. Pac-Man is quite clearly the bedrock of the entire survival horror genre. You can’t ignore the evidence.

Pac-Man was a casual game before ‘casual’ became a dirty word that made gamers convulse with sick in their mouthsPac-Man ticks all the casual game boxes as they are defined today. It’s simple to understand. It’s simple to play. It can be engaged in short bursts. It’s even perfect for mobile phones. And mobile phones were huge, screenless machines in 1980. It also broke with convention by not being about space, driving, sport or shooting, which made it infinitely more attractive to females.

The cute little ghosties were given names making them more relatable, which further appealed to the delicate sensibilities of 80s women. Better still, one of the ghosts – Pinky- was actually pink. Ladies like pink. And, despite being Pac-Man, Pac-Man was neither a masculine or macho character. He was naked, but had no discernible physical or behavioural characteristics that made him a man. Like a penis or beard or an irrational animalistic urge to punch other Pac-Men in the face after drinking 10 cans of cheap fizzy alcohol. Conversely, Pac-Man was also a brutally hardcore game and only the manliest of men could ever boast of reaching level 256.

A side mission or side quest is a voluntary objective contained within the wider parameters of a game. Completion of a side quest is entirely dependant on the player’s prerogative. However, if a player does successfully complete a side quest it usually bestows their endeavour with a favourable reward of some kind.In Pac-Man, a player could choose to divert from the main objective of munching dots and collect the fruit that intermittently appeared for a brief period of time in the maze. The player was not obliged to collect the fruit, but were awarded additional points if they successfully completed this optional task. It’s definitely a bloody side quest.