Tribute to Pac-Man, the Ultimate Maze Game

How does Pac-Man, the classic video game end up on a website about mazes ? Well Pac-Man takes place in a maze. It is considered one of the first maze chase games - a genre it popularized that quickly expanded to over 100 games.

12 reasons why Pac-Man was iconic:

1. It created the first recognizable video game character

   Before Pac-Man you drove a tank, car, spaceship, plane or paddle. There were not characters that you cared about, only things you used.

2. It was embraced by female gamers

   Before Pac-Man most games were war, strategy, and racing and were mostly played by males. When Pac-Man was introduced 60% of the players were female.

3. It popularized the chase maze genre of video games

   Pac-Man wasn’t the first maze chase game, but it’s popularity made the playing style popular and quickly led to copycat games.

4. It was an original hunter becomes the hunted game

   The tension of being chased by ghosts quickly flips to hunting ghosts when you eat that power pellet. Great gaming.

5. It crossed over into popular culture and became collectible

   With an animated TV Show (IMDB), a hit song, lunchboxes, toys, and cereal to name a few things. In fact there were so many items and it became so popular in pop culture that it has made Pac-Man products highly collectible. I found this book that highlights them (and it is from 2002, imagine how many more items there are now): Pac-Man Collectibles by Deborah Palicia

6. The ghosts in Pac-Man are the first example of AI in a video game

   Each of the four ghosts have different and consistent AI behaviors. Blinky, the red ghost is always chasing you and speeds up once you’ve eaten so many dots in each level. Pinky (pink), tends to move counterclockwise around blocks and looks to ambush you. Inky (blue) moves sporadically. Clyde (orange), rarely approaches you.

7. Ms. Pac-Man was the (almost) original girl power

   Ms. Pac-Man was the 2nd playable female video game character when she debuted in Feb 1982 (Lady Bug’s debut was Oct 1981). But, she was definitely the most famous.

8. Ms. Pac-Man was one of the first video game sequels

   And like The Empire Strikes Back, it was better than the original. It also featured 4 different mazes vs. one maze for Pac-Man.

9. It is rooted in simplicity, like many early great games.

   Eat all the dots. Avoid the ghosts. With that anyone is up to speed and can quickly play the game.

10. It created the cut scene/intermission in a game.

    As the first game to feature cut scenes, it helped make Pac-Man a relatable character and gave life to him and his family, including Ms. Pac-Man.

11. It was the first game to inspire a guidebook:

    Mastering Pac-Man by Ken Uston. Learn the Pac-Man patterns and you can play for a long time !!!!

12. It helped standardize that each level was more difficult than the last

Do you remember this song ?

Fun facts I learned when researching Pac-Man:

• Atari manufactured 12 million video game cartridges for the Atari 2600 system despite not having sold that many systems to play them on yet. They eventually sold only 7 of the 12 million cartridges. So 5 million Pac-Man games needed to be destroyed. That number is more than the infamous ET game debacle !

• Pac-Man was originally called Puck Man in Japan (because he looks like a puck), but when it came to the US they changed the name fearing vandalism to the game. I found the Miss Puckman game below on a trip to The Netherlands !

Miss Puckman Arcade

• Pac-Man is considered the highest grossing arcade game in history @ $2.5 Billion dollars in quarters (and that number is climbing and probably out of date as we speak) ! Maybe most impressive is $1 billion of that was spent in the first year alone.

• The first perfect game was completed in 1999 by Billy MItchell, exposing the screen bug on screen #256 (called the kill screen) and the highest possible score of 3,333,360.

• Pac-Man’s design inspiration came from a pizza missing a slice.

• Pac-Man’s name was inspired by the Japanese onomatopoeia (a word that sounds like what it is describing) for “munch” and “chomp”, Paku-Paku

• There is a secret hiding spot in the maze where the ghosts cannot find you if they aren’t looking at you. Do you know where it is ?

BONUS CONTENT FROM THIS SITE:

This is a site dedicated to mazes so of course I made a maze of Pac-Man many years ago, using Excel of all things. The goal is to reach the cherry. The download is below ! I made this before I understood how designing mazes worked (I’m still learning) so it has long dead ends.

I also started a comic strip on the site that deals with all things maze and labyrinth related. A new comic comes out every Wednesday until I run out of ideas… Here is a future comic, previously unpublished, that you get to see early that I think any Pac-Man afficionado would appreciate.

Similar posts you may like:

• THE 5 BEST ONLINE MAZE GAMES FROM CRAZY GAMES

• THE 12 MOST IMPORTANT RETRO MAZE VIDEO GAMES TO LOSE A DAY WITH

Weekly Hard Maze #7

Each Saturday I post a new hard maze with all of them sitting in the Hard Maze Archive. I will try to post a variety of maze types to keep things interesting.

Weekly Hard Maze #7 - Mega Grid Maze

This is a maze I made from scratch and it is a large Grid Maze. Solution will be in the archive. Download is below.

If you solved that maze quickly and want to try some of my archival hard mazes, these posts should do the trick:

• 6 difficult maze puzzles to challenge adults

• The 5 Hardest Mazes on this Website - Part 1

One Maze - Many designs - experiment #6

This is a continuation of of maze design experiments. Read about it in post #1, One Maze - Many designs, then The first 5 experiments and so on, or just enjoy the ride.

The original maze:

I used Google Photos Remix for these 5 options to redesign it. I had it on my phone, and right now it appears to be gone so I named each on my own.

• The first is Gatsby like with an elaborate background. If you don’t get lost in the background this remained a maze !

• The second is my favorite. It made the maze into an ink on school paper. The start is blocked off a bit but could be easily fixed.

• The third is themed like a watercolor painting. I would need to add the words START and GOAL to make this a maze since the openings are now closed.

• The fourth is a fun background. You get a nature scene sprinkled with foxes playing on the maze walls. Unfortunately the exit is blocked off.

• The fifth makes the mazes into a black and silver cuff link. Very cool looking. I just wish that the entrance was the correct width.

This AI based remix did not allow changes to the prompts but some of these I would adjust on my own of filter through Google Gemini to see if it could fix it. I think this is a fun and inventive week !

google photos remix - elaborate

google photos remix - school paper

google photos remix - watercolor

google photos remix - background

google photos remix - cufflinks

A Comparison of Possible 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth Constructions

Previously we looked at how to digitally make a 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth. Then I compared the 11 circuit labyrinths in circular, classic and square constructions. All of those findings also relate to 9 circuits. Today I will look at a few possible constructions of a 9 circuit circular labyrinth.

Before we get into the details here are some definitions that will help us along the way:

turnback: the point in a labyrinth where you change directions

circuits: essentially how many layers a labyrinth has

Let’s start with speaking about a classical labyrinth, which has a standard construction that is used. Learning how to draw that construction is standard across any source you might find and it always starts with a seed pattern. But, for a circular labyrinth there is no standard construction. If it is circular and the path moves from the outer edge to an internal goal in one continuous path, you have made a labyrinth. So when drawing one, you can get creative !! Let’s look at what some circular labyrinth variations might look like.

Single Turn 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

• Let’s start by looking at what a single turnback 9 circuit labyrinth would look like. Walking this would consist of long pathways, each getting shorter on your way to the center. You continually walk around the outer pathway until you have completed the circle then move in one layer. Visually, not much going on. I rarely see this version drawn or made.

Single turn 9 circuit labyrinth

2 Section 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

• And now a version with 2 turnback’s, essentially breaking the labyrinth into sides. Walking this is more interesting with long walks getting shorter until you switch sides, then getting longer with a final long walk to the center. Notice that you switch sides at the halfway point as you walk around the center goal.

2 sectioned 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

3 Section 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

• Now a standard 9 circuit broken into 3 sections. This could also have the entrance and final stretch pathways centered at the goal. My example only shows the final stretch to the goal centered. A little bit of mathematics - this is the only version where the initial pathway enters all the way into the maze. This would be the case for any odd numbered section circular labyrinth (like a 5 or 7 section - neither example is shown - try it !). You switch sections in this labyrinth in alternating places, outside wall, next to the center, outside wall etc.

3 sectioned 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

4 Section 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

• And now the labyrinth broken into quadrants. Notice how the crossover point between the sides of the labyrinth is on the outside (a variation to my how-to) and each section you move into alternates the location (inside, outside, inside, etc.). This is the more standard construction. But that side switch can take place in multiple layers if you want. This is the cleanest look IMO.

4 sectioned 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

8 Section 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

• Here we have an 8 section labyrinth. Things are getting crowded but there is still nice symmetry. If you had to walk this I think you would find it difficult to be relaxed since you are making turns frequently. Once again we see the pattern - each time we switch sections, the location alternates between the outer wall and inner wall next to the goal.

8 sectioned 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

12 Section 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

• And finally the final labyrinth construction I made, a 12 sectioned version. This version would make me dizzy if I tried to walk it. Luckily I only drew it. Obviously you could continue to make labyrinths with more sections but they will continue to lose what makes them great - their meditative power.

12 sectioned 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

4 Section 9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth

• Now let’s go back and look at the 4 quadrant variant I taught how to make previously. It is a variant because the outer paths turn only once while the inner paths turn 4 times. This variation or other layer turnbacks are possible on any circular labyrinth. Feel free to play around and make new designs as you create your own labyrinths. Again there is no standard, but I personally prefer a more consistent look.

9 Circuit Circular Labyrinth variant

Every single construction you saw today was a 9 circuit circular labyrinth. Here is a look at the 6 main versions together. Which version do you prefer ? I like the 4 section, most likely because it is the most popular version and I am used to seeing it. I also believe this would be the most meditative version to walk in the real world.

As you make your own circular labyrinth realize that you can experiment and make some interesting variations. Good luck and happy labyrinth making !!

If you prefer making a different labyrinth, I have a section of step by step labyrinth making instructions.

Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.