If you’ve played video games of any kind, then no introduction is needed to this legendary game. But if you are new to computers you may not be aware that you are now able to play Pacman online.

In many people’s memories of gaming, the game stands out as having always been there and always been fun. It was one of the first video games to gain world fame. It was developed in Japan for use in gaming arcades, but before long, it had been distributed worldwide and became synonymous with video gaming. There’s hardly a seasoned gamer out there who hasn’t spent several hours with Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. Now that you can play your favourite old school game online some of you may soon find yourself taking a trip down memory lane. You can play this iconic game anywhere with games being so common on the most popular personal devices today.

Just when you thought those visions would finally disappear, the game is back – strong, resurgent and online. If you thought it was everywhere back in the 80′s, well, now it comes to you on your computer, smartphone and iPad, so it will never go away. Scary. Pacman is going to be the life of the party again.

The characters were the first with actual names and with whom people could identify (as opposed to the space ships and aliens of the other games). The name of the game comes from the Japanese words that describe the sound of chomping – paku paku. The game is in the 2005 Guinness record book for being the most widely used arcade game.

Not many people know this one, but it was initially known as Puck Man. The spelling had to be changed because if the P in Puck chipped, it would mean something else completely. Pacman strayed into board rooms too. It happened at the same time when bids for takeovers in the commercial world were hot. A company that was about to be acquired and then turns around and takes over the threatening company is said to have used “Pacman defence”.

The game’s original name, Puck Man, had to be changed because it too closely resembled a name not associated with video games. The yellow man’s ability to regain power after eating a cookie coined an actual tactic used by companies to thwart a hostile takeover – it was called the “Pacman defence”. It is also notable that the game had a charm and cuteness that the other video games didn’t. In fact, it was the only arcade game that featured cute characters rather than aliens and weapons of mass destruction. It’s probably been a while, maybe even years, but why not try and beat your high score today.

Discover more about Pacman Online and Tetris. This article, Fun Pacman Facts has free reprint rights.

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