Pac Man turns 37, setting the course for video games to come



Keep clicking to see what was the most popular video game the year you were born. “Pac-Man” debuted in May 1980 in Japan, making its way to America by October of that same year.

Keep clicking to see what was the most popular video game the year you were born. “Pac-Man” debuted in May 1980 in Japan, making its way to America by October of that same year. Photo: Associated Press /File Photo Photo: Associated Press /File Photo Image 1 of / 65 Caption Close Pac Man turns 37, setting the course for video games to come 1 / 65 Back to Gallery

It's been nearly 40 years since Pac-Man debuted in Japan and changed the face of video games.

Namco launched the game in 1980 and over the next seven years, sold 293,822 of their machines seen across the world in arcades, according to one archived website.

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An archived Wired article about the famous hungry dot received a "lukewarm" reception when it hit in May of 1980 but was an instant hit when it debuted in America.

Wired notes the game "quickly left every existing arcade game in its wake. Versions were made to accommodate virtually every platform out there and spinoffs of the game itself, such as Ms. Pac-Man, were marketed to feed off the popularity of the original."

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The game was designed by engineer Toru Iwatani, who worked for Namco for nearly 30 years. Iwatani, 62, left the company in 2006 to teach future game designers his craft.

If you've somehow managed to avoid video games, pop culture and everything fun in life and never played Pac-Man, Google has a version you can play for free.

Click through the slideshow above to see which video game was the most popular game the year you were born.