Pac-Man

Pac-Man, originally known as Puck Man in Japan, is an arcade labyrinth action video game that Namco created and launched in 1980. As part of its license arrangement with Namco America, Midway Manufacturing distributed the game in North America. Pac-Man, whom the player controls, has to consume every dot inside a maze while avoiding four different colored ghosts. Pac-Man may gain additional points by eating "Power Pellets", which are big flashing dots that briefly make ghosts blue.

Early in 1979, a nine-person team under the direction of Toru Iwatani started working on the game. Because the majority of video games at the time featured themes of war or sports, Iwatani intended to make a game that could appeal to both men and women. Iwatani has said that although the picture of a pizza with a piece cut off served as the idea for the Pac-Man design, he also completed the Japanese symbol for mouth, kuchi. To appeal to younger players, the in-game characters were developed to be charming and bright. A hit single by Buckner & Garcia and several sequels, merchandise, and two television series followed Pac-Man's widespread critical and commercial success. Currently, Bandai Namco Entertainment's mascot and signature icon is the Pac-Man character. With combined sales of 43 million units and more than $14 billion in revenue (as of 2016), the game continues to rank among the highest-grossing and best-selling titles. It has a lasting impact on pop culture and the business world, and is frequently cited as one of the best video games of all time.