パックマン - Pac-Man in Japanese: Concepts Behind Development to Global Icon

In 1980, Namco, now known as Bandai Namco Entertainment, released Pac-Man, a game that would change the gaming landscape forever. This best selling Arcade game of all time has had a lasting impact on the Gaming Industry, to Global Popular Culture. For over 40 years all generations have loved moving our yellow hero around a maze avoiding ghosts. But how did it all begin? And what the heck does Pac-Man mean in Japanese?

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Pac-Man in Japanese

So what does Pac-Man mean in Japanese? Well, Pac-Man got its name from the sound it makes when munching – パクパク ( paku-paku ) in Japanese like the noise of someone chomping on food.

The game’s creator, Toru Iwatani, one of Namco’s developers, wanted to attract women to the male-dominated arcade scene. So he envisioned a game that would break away from the usual violent and aggressive themes that were dominant in arcades. So instead of some tank, or guns Iwatani inspiration came from the idea of a cute character eating, resembling a slice taken from a round pizza.

The meaning of パクパク more specifically refers to the movement of the mouth. it refers to opening wide and closing ones mouth repeatedly. In reference to food, it has the image of eating-and-eating vigorously or even quickly non-stop.

This sort of word in Japanese translates to 擬態語 (gitaigo) or onomatopoia, sound symbolism. It goes beyond that of English. Japanese sound words like these represent more than just sound, but movement, psychological states, visual stimulus, and other sensory information. The p sound in Japanese sound symbolism can represent a sense if suddenness, or crispness. Then the k has a sense of hardness, sharpness or suddenness. Also, the difference between the open vowel a then going down to the closed vowel u also has a feeling of opening and closing.

How to Play Pac-Man

In Pac-Man, you take charge of the titular character, moving him around a maze (迷路, meiro) to gobble up small balls or pellets. These pellets, originally known as エサ (esa) which means bait, lure, or just food for animals or living creatures specifically. Later on they started calling them cookies (クッキー).

However, Pac-man is not alone! You need to watch out for four monsters or Ghosts, each with its own chasing style. If they catch you, it’s game over, so be cautious! Eating flashing power-ups Pac-Man, turning the monsters blue and making them run away – a chance to turn the tables. Collecting fruit targets (フルーツターゲット) adds bonus points to your score, ranging from 100 to 500. Regular ball rewards 10 points, resembling tasty cookies. There are also warp tunnels on each side of the maze, allowing Pac-Man to escape to the other side. But be careful – every hit costs Pac-Man one life, and the game ends when lives run out! Keep munching and dodging to achieve the highest score!

What are the Ghosts in Japanese Called?

The four Ghosts (ゴースト, gōsuto) or Monsters (モンスター, monsutā), all have their own little quirks.

In the beginning of a round they are all in their nest (モンスターの巣, monsutā no su) waiting for Pac-Man to show up. Then they head to their individual territories (縄張り) where they all have special movement patterns (追跡パターン, tsuiseki patān).

Blinky – アカベイ

Blinky goes by アカベイ in Japanese. Explaining his name requires looking at it from a few perspectives.

Akabei comes from 赤兵衛 in Japanese Kanji.

赤　ー　(aka, Red)
兵衛　ー　(bē, an old suffix used at the end of Male’s names)

Also, in Japan ghosts or お化け (obake) have different behaviors or tropes that people recognize them for. One is あかんべえ (akanbē) which is where someone sticks their tough out and pulls down their lower eyelid as a taunt. Since the word あかんべえ and アカベイ are so close, it is very possible that the name took inspiration from it.

Next, Blinky’s or Akabei’s movement pattern is 追いかけ (oikake). This means to pursue, chase, or follow in Japanese. Very fitting as Blinky tirelessly chases after Pac-Man, sticking closely to his every move determined to catch our yellow, cookie-eating hero.

Pinky – ピンキー

ピンキー (Pinky) the pink ghost is located in the upper-left corner of the screen. Recognized as the cerebral type, Speedy Pinky employs a strategic approach. Rather than directly pursuing Pac-Man, this ghost aims for a spot slightly ahead of Pac-Man’s current position. Then the ghost anticipates where Pac-Man is going and intercepts his movements.

With a focus on forward-thinking tactics, this movement pattern translates to 待ち伏せ (machibuse). In English this would translate to lurking or ambushing.

Inky – アオスケ

Meet アオスケ or Inky. He takes his position in the lower-right corner of the Pac-Man maze. This ghost has a whimsical behavior. Inky’s movements center around keeping the shortest distance between Pac-Man and Blinky. He tries to stay somewhere between them which cause unpredictable, unexpected changes in direction.

Because of his movement, Bashful Inky is the 気まぐれ (kimagure) ghost. This word means erratic, volitile, or fickle. Which of course perfectly describes his movements.

As for Inky’s name, it is アオスケ (aosuke). Like Akabei, Aosuke has a very similar naming pattern.

Aosuke in Kanji is 青介、青亮、青佐 or some other possibility.

青　ー　(ao, Blue)
介　ー　(suke, A suffix used at the end of Male’s names)

So you see, just like Akabei, our Monster friend has a name based off of his color.

Clyde – グズタ

Finally, グズタ (Guzuta) or Clyde in English, situated in the lower-left corner. Clyde follows its own whims without a specific strategy to chasing Pac-Man. When positioned far from Pac-Man, Pokey Clyde may pursuit, but as the player draws near, he may run away.

This style of maneuvering they called, おとぼけ (otoboke) in the game. Which means to be ignorant of, or pretend not to know something.

Now, breaking down グズタ we see a similar pattern in naming. た (ta) is also a sound that many male Japanese names may end in. Guzu on the other hand does not represent a color! The only Ghost that does not! Instead this is from the Japanese word 愚図 (guzu) which means to be slow, dense, indecisive, or a laggard.

Blue Ghosts – イジケモンスター

All of our monsters will turn into the blue ghosts when Pac-Man eats one of the Power Cookies (パワークッキー). In Japanese they take the name イジケモンスター (ijike-monsutā). The name comes from the verb, いじける (ijikeru) meaning to be timid, or to cower. Obviously this is because they flee from Pac-Man instead of fighting.

Name of basic items

We went over a few words in Japanese to get accustom to Pac-Man in Japanese. So, here is a summary of these terms. They cover various aspects of the Pac-Man game, including gameplay elements, scoring, and features specific to the Pac-Man series.

迷路 (Meiro): Maze
コントロール (Kontorōru): Control
モンスター (Monsutā): Monster
エサ (Esa) → クッキー (Kukkī): Pellet → Cookie
パワーエサ (Pawā Esa) → パワークッキー (Pawā Kukkī): Power Pellet → Power Cookie
フルーツターゲット (Furūtsu Tāgetto): Fruit Target
ボーナス得点 (Bōnasu Tokuten): Bonus Points
点 (Ten): Point
やっつける (Yattsukeru): Defeat
モンスターの巣 (Monsutā no Su): Monster’s Nest
ワープトンネル (Wāpu Tonneru): Warp Tunnel
高得点 (Kō Tokuten): High Score
縄張り (Nawabari): Territory
追跡 (Tsuiseki): Pursuit

History of Pac-Man and influence on the gaming world and culture

Pac-Man Release and Development

The history of Pac-Man does not start with the game itself. Prior to Pac-man there were other games very similar in design. Pac-man belongs to a genre of games called Dot-Eat games or in Japanese ドットイートゲーム (dotto īto gēmu). This genre, characterized by navigating mazes, avoiding enemies, and consuming dots or targets, traces its roots Head On (ヘッドオン). Sega/Gremlin developed this game in 1979 and even a sequal Head On Part II. There were also many other games release around this time in Japan such as, レッドタンク(reddotanku, red tank), ドットり君(dottori-kun), スペースチェイサー (supēsu cheisā, space chaser), and several others.

Not long after these games, Pac-man came out in 1980 and would surpass all predecessors to become the best-selling arcade game of all time.

After a year of development, by Toru Iwatani and team of five members, it was time to introduce the world to Pac-Man. on May 22, somewhere in Shibuya, Tokyo the developers performed a location test on the game. Following that the game came out officially at Shinjuku ALTA (新宿アルタ) which is an iconic fashion building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. When the machines came to 新宿アルタ on June 29th of 1980, there was no prior announcements as was common during that time period. Because of that many gathered to see the unexpected sight. Then in July Pac-Man officially released to the world, changing the gaming world forever.

Later that year in October Pac-man expanded into the United States selling more than 100,000 machines the first year.

Pac-Man’s journey to the Modern day

Between 1981 and 1987, estimates say nearly 300,000 cabinets sold worldwide, solidifying its status as a global gaming phenomenon. Pac-Man was so popular that adaptations followed like Ms. Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, and even TV cartoons! The basic concept was the same in these games but added new features. For example, in Super Pac-Man when eating the スーパークッキー (super cookie) Pac-Man became a giant Pac-Man. Or in the 1983 release of Pac & Pal, Pac-man gets a new friend to help, Miru (ミル).

As technology advanced and bigger games became available, new Pac-Man releases also came out. Pac-Land became the first side-scrolling action game in the series. Here, Pac-Man is on a quest to deliver a lost fairy to Fairyland. Pac-Man jumps and dodges familiar ghosts or monsters and numerous obstacles.

Pac-Man However would not continue down this side-scrolling adventure game round. in 1987 our yellow friend returns to its roots as a new dot eat style game. This brought Pac-man back to eating cookies while running away from the ghosts in the maze.
However now the characters and the maze are in three-dimensionally. Pac-Man can now jump over the heads of ghosts, adding a new dimension along with a variety of ghosts and stages.

Through the years more unique style games like Hello Pac-Man, and the Tetris style, Pac-Panic continued to release. Along with a few more until we get to the 20th Anniversary release of Pac-man world in 1999. This is the first 3D action game in the series, released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the birth of Pac-Man. The three-dimensional Pac-Man must rescue his kidnapped friends through unique stages such as a pirate ship, ancient ruins, and outer space. The game features a variety of new actions such as jumping, bouncing, trampolining, speed-rolling, and hip-attacking. Then through out the years we keep getting more games.

Pac-Man 30th Anniversary to Today

For 40 Years Pac-man has been available in many forms, game styles, and on many systems. From the Arcade machines to counsels like the Nintendo Entertainment system, and beyond to Smart phones and internet website Pac-Man has been everywhere! Produced not only in house by Namico but also third-party collaborations and unofficial game releases by Pac-Man enthusiasts. So, where can I play Pac-Man now?

Pac-Man 30th Anniversary

In 2010, Google created an interactive and playable doodle that brought the classic game to life right on the search engine’s homepage. This was to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the game.

Google transformed its logo into a fully functional Pac-Man game. This special doodle had all the same features as the original but instead Pac-Man now was able to go around the word GOOGLE.

Then again in 2015, as an April Fools’ Day prank, Google transformed Google Maps into Pac-Man! It allowed users to play the classic arcade game Pac-Man on real-world streets using Google Maps. Unfortunately, unlike the Google Doodle for the 30th anniversary this is no longer accessible.

Where can you Play Pac-man Now?

You can Enjoy Pac-Man for free on Smart Phones now! The original game now has new features such as Maze Mode and global tournaments, new mazes, unlock achievements, and challenge friends and players worldwide. You can download from the App Store and Google Play.

You can also play Pac-Man 256, or Pac-Man Party Royale which are both new twists on Pac-Man.

In addition many other Pac-Man games like PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2 are available on console systems like Playstation, and then others on Nintendo and even Xbox. There are no shortages of ways to play Pac-Man today. But, that does not stop fans from making their own versions.

Other Unofficial Online Remakes

Pac-Xon and The World’s Biggest Pac-Man are online games that put a creative spin on the classic Pac-Man gameplay, offering unique and engaging experiences for players.

Pac-Xon

This game, Pac-Xon combines elements of Pac-Man and the classic game Xonix in a novel way. The objective is to fill empty space on the screen by creating walls. While doing so, players must avoid ghosts that are trying to catch them.

You play as Pac-Man but instead of navigating through mazes, the player moves along the borders, creating walls that enclose space. Once a certain percentage of the screen becomes filled, the level is complete. Just like in the original Ghosts move around the walls you create and you must avoid them.

The World’s Biggest Pac-Man

This game takes the classic Pac-Man concept and expands it on a massive scale. Instead of a single maze, players can navigate through a collection of interconnected mazes, creating an ever-expanding and customizable Pac-Man experience.

Players can choose from a variety of user-created mazes or create their own. The objective remains the same: eat pellets or cookies, avoid ghosts, and clear the maze.

Players from around the world contribute to the creation of new mazes. This has really made Pac-Man an interconnected, global and community driven phenomena! I played tis a bit and love how you can seamlessly transition from one maze to another, creating a vast and ever-expanding Pac-Man world.

パックマン – Pac-Man in Japanese: Concepts Behind Development to Global Icon