Pac- man was created by Toru Itwani and licensed by Namco. The first Pac-Man game was released on 22 May 1980. The original game was based on an old Japanese folk tale.

The goal of the Pac-Man game was initially to run through a maze while "eating" dots and avoiding ghosts along the way.

What is Pac Man Syndrome?


Pac Man was a huge success and created its own cult.

At the time, Pac Man was a refreshing alternative to "Space Invaders" and "Asteroids". It soon became the bestseller of all games.

The game

The player manoeuvres the protagonist through a maze and eats as many dots as possible. When all the dots have been eaten, you go to the next level.

There are four ghosts that wander through the maze trying to catch Pac Man, the protagonist controlled by the player. If a ghost touches Pac Man, he loses a life.

The game ends when all lives are used up.

Despite the apparent randomness with which the ghosts move, there is a planned behaviour behind it. The regularity allows advanced players to recognise patterns of movement and anticipate the direction of the ghosts. This allows players to learn to complete levels of increasing difficulty without ever being caught by the ghosts.

The simplicity of the game allows the player to progress quickly, giving them an adrenaline rush when their Pac Man narrowly escapes the ghost. This constant adrenaline rush causes the game to develop into an obsession, the "Pac Man Syndrome".

Pac Man is unofficially the most played game of all time.