Released by the Japanese company Namco on 22nd May 1980, Pac-Man was the centre piece on many a Friday lunchtime session during the 1980's. It was infuriating, like all arcade games, to play and yet the joy to be had when you achieved a perfect score was beyond reason.
Until Pac-Man popped it's little head, or heads, around the door in your local the only visual entertainment was provided by the busty barmaid or Space Invaders (or Asteroids if you got lucky). Friday lunchtime down the Duke meant a pint or two of real ale, cheeseburger in a crusty roll and the office Pac-Man shootouts.
Actually, one the subject of barmaids, I remember one post football drinking session where the barmaid leaned do far forward you could see down her top to her belly button. My mate Sean said, "'scuse me love, do you mind not doing that, for one it's like watching two Jersey Royals slug it out under a tarpaulin and secondly you're putting me off my pint."
It says something for the games enduring popularity that it's possible to play the game on Playstation, i-phones and i-pods and the fact that the game has continued in production in one form or another for three decades.
Pac-Man we salute you for those hours of fun when we could have been playing darts or pool or Donkey Kong.
2 comments:
yeaaah! Space Invader too...not too keen on Asteroids. The barman at the Northwood Hills (my local...and of Elton John fame) turned the speed up as me and a mate (Alex) would always 'clock' the machine...clearly this was after months of practice! Ms Pac man at college...ahh, those were the days. Barmaids too. :-)
P.S. by the way...beat you 2 hours! Europe is an hour ahead! :-)
blimey...Thierry Henry to West Ham?...could be...nah...that would be almost as crazy as Blackpool in the Premier League.
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