30 Years Later, Pac-Man's Influence Endures

Today's teenage gamers probably aren't big on Pac-Man, but they might want to give thanks tomorrow as the arcade icon turns 30, writes Daniel Terdiman for CNET. It just may be the most influential video game of all time. Yeah, titles like Pong came first, but Pac-Man, with its deceptive simplicity, was the first to cross over beyond the world of nerdy teens into mainstream popularity.

"Unlike so many of the hit games that have come and gone since then, the little yellow disc with the missing pie-slice for a mouth has become a legend in the video games industry, as well as an inspiration for many of the best-known designers in the field," writes Terdiman. Google's tribute to the over-the-hill icon went live this morning, the company blog notes; click here to check it out.
(More Pac-Man stories.)