Editing Pac-Man (section)

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| Allgame = {{Rating|5|5}} (Arcade)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Alan Weiss |first1=Brett |title=Pac-Man [Namco Arcade] |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=428 |website=[[Allgame]] |publisher=Allmedia |access-date=2 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114094356/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=428 |archive-date=14 November 2014 |date=1998}}</ref><br /> {{rating|4|5}} (NES)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Alan Weiss |first1=Brett |title=Pac-Man [Tengen Unlicensed] |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15048&tab=review |website=[[Allgame]] |publisher=Allmedia |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114201129/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15048&tab=review |archive-date=14 November 2014 |date=1998}}</ref>
| CVG = 9/10 (Atari 400/800)<ref name="CVG">{{cite news |title=Atari - Pac-Man |url=https://archive.org/stream/computer-video-games-magazine-017/CVG017_Mar_1983#page/n106/mode/1up |access-date=1 February 2020 |agency=[[Computer & Video Games]] |issue=17 |date=March 1983 |page=7}}</ref>
| EuroG = 10/10 (Virtual Console)<ref name="EuroG Review">{{cite web |last1=Pickering |first1=Chris |title=Pac-Man |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/pac-man-review |website=[[Eurogamer]] |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008105126/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/pac-man-review |archive-date=8 October 2019 |date=31 October 2007}}</ref>
| IGN = 7/10 (Neo Geo Pocket)<ref name="IGN NGPC">{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=Pac-Man - Neo Geo Pocket Color |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/09/04/pac-man-2 |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201220951/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/09/04/pac-man-2 |archive-date=1 February 2020 |date=3 September 1999}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''Computer Games''
| rev1Score = Classic (computers)<ref name="CG1985">{{cite magazine |title=1985 Software Buyer's Guide |magazine=Computer Games |date=February 1985 |volume=3 |issue=5 |publisher=Carnegie Publications |location=United States |pages=11–8, 51–8 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_5_1985-02_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n13/mode/2up}}</ref> <br /> Positive (IBM PC)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Conversion Capsules: Hit Games in New Formats |magazine=Computer Games |date=December 1984 |volume=3 |issue=4 |publisher=Carnegie Publications |location=United States |pages=62–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_4_1984-12_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n61/mode/2up}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Mean Machines]]''
| rev2Score = 80% (Game Boy)<ref name="MMachines">{{cite news |author1=Matt |author2=Julian |title=Pac-Man review - Nintendo Gameboy |url=http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/78/pacman.php |access-date=1 February 2020 |agency=[[Mean Machines]] |issue=4 |date=January 1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724014141/http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/78/pacman.php |archive-date=24 July 2019}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''Popular Computing Weekly''
| rev3Score = {{rating|4|5}} (VIC-20)<ref name="PCW">{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=David |title=Power Pills |url=https://archive.org/stream/popular-computing-weekly-1984-07-05/PopularComputing_Weekly_Issue_1984-07-05#page/n19/mode/1up |access-date=1 February 2020 |agency=Popular Computing Weekly |date=5 July 1984 |page=29}}</ref>
| award1Pub = [[Electronic Games#1982 Arcade Awards (1981)|Arcade Awards (1981)]]
| award1 = Best Commercial Arcade Game<ref name="AA81"/>
| award2Pub = [[Video Software Dealers Association]] (VSDA)
| award2 = Best Videogame<ref name="VSDA"/>
| award3Pub = [[Dixons Retail|Dixons]] (2001)
| award3 = Greatest Video Game<ref name="Dixons"/>
| award4Pub = ''[[Killer List of Videogames]]''
| award4 = Most Popular Game<ref name="Top100"/>
}}

Upon its North American debut at AMOA 1980, the game initially received a mild response. ''[[Play Meter]]'' magazine previewed the game and called it "a cute game which appears to grow on players, something which cute games are not prone to do," saying that there's "more to the game than at first appears" but criticized the sound as a drawback, saying it is "good for awhile, then becomes annoying." Upon release, the game exceeded expectations with wide critical and commercial success.<ref name="PM94"/>

===Commercial performance===
When it was first released in Japan, ''Pac-Man'' was initially only a modest success; Namco's own ''[[Galaxian]]'' (1979) had quickly outdone the game in popularity because its predominately male player base was familiar with its shooting gameplay as opposed to ''Pac-Man''{{'}}s cute characters and maze-chase theme.<ref name="Dossier"/> ''Pac-Man'' eventually became very successful in Japan,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lammers |first1=Susan M. |title=Programmers at Work: Interviews |date=1986 |publisher=[[Microsoft Press]] |isbn=978-0-914845-71-3 |pages=262–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/programmersatwor00lamm_0/page/262/mode/2up |url-access=registration|ref=CITEREFLammers1986b}}</ref> where it went on to be Japan's highest-grossing [[1980 in video games|arcade game of 1980]] according to the annual ''{{ill|Game Machine|ja|ゲームマシン|vertical-align=sup}}'' charts,<ref name="GM159">{{cite magazine|title=ベストスリー 本紙調査 (調査対象1980年) 〜 アーケードゲーム機|trans-title=Best Three Book Survey (Survey Target 1980) ~ Arcade Game Machines|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=159|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=15 February 1981|page=2|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19810215p.pdf#page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201000303/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19810215p.pdf|archive-date=1 February 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> dethroning ''[[Space Invaders]]'' (1978) which had topped the annual charts for two years in a row and leading to a shift in the Japanese market away from space shooters towards action games featuring comical characters.<ref>{{cite magazine|title="Pole Position" No. 1 Video Game: ''Game Machine''{{'}}s "The Year's Best Three AM Machines" Survey Results|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=207|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=1 March 1983|page=30|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830301p.pdf#page=16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131232040/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830301p.pdf|archive-date=31 January 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Pac-Man'' was Japan's fourth highest-grossing arcade game of 1981.<ref>{{cite magazine|title="Donkey Kong" No.1 Of '81 — ''Game Machine's Survey Of "The Year's Best Three AM Machines"'' —|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=182|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=15 February 1982|page=30|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19820215p.pdf#page=16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131232143/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19820215p.pdf|archive-date=31 January 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

In North America, Midway had limited expectations prior to release, initially manufacturing 5,000 units for the US, before it caught on upon release there.<ref name="Cash-Box"/> Some arcades purchased entire rows of ''Pac-Man'' cabinets.<ref name="Ultimate History"/> It became a nationwide success. Upon release in 1980, it was earning about {{US$|8.1|long=no}}&nbsp;million per week in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arcade games a bigger draw than the movies |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5P0hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0KQFAAAAIBAJ&dq=arcade%20game&pg=922%2C2509334 |access-date=6 March 2022 |work=[[The Montreal Gazette]] |date=July 27, 1981}}</ref> Within one year, more than 100,000 arcade units had been sold which grossed more than {{US$|1|long=no}}&nbsp;billion in [[Quarter (United States coin)|quarters]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Vintage games: an insider look at the history of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the most influential games of all time |author1=Bill Loguidice |author2=Matt Barton |name-list-style=amp |publisher=[[Focal Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-240-81146-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_bFdsP9L7oC |access-date=April 23, 2011 |page=181 |quote=The machines were well worth the investment; in total, they raked in over a billion dollars worth of quarters in the first year alone. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514120916/http://books.google.com/books?id=M_bFdsP9L7oC |archive-date=May 14, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Wolf-73">{{Cite book |title=The video game explosion: a history from PONG to PlayStation and beyond |author=Mark J. P. Wolf |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-313-33868-7 |page=73 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA73 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |quote=It would go on to become arguably the most famous video game of all time, with the arcade game alone taking in more than a billion dollars. One study estimated that it had been played more than 10&nbsp;billion times during the twentieth century. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418024806/https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA73 |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref> It overtook [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]]'s ''[[Asteroids (video game)|Asteroids]]'' (1979) as the best-selling arcade game in the country,<ref>{{Cite book |title=The medium of the video game |author=Mark J. P. Wolf |publisher=[[University of Texas Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=0-292-79150-X |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lKZriBxbcwQC&pg=PA44 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418062304/https://books.google.com/books?id=lKZriBxbcwQC&pg=PA44 |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref> and surpassed the film ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977) with more than {{US$|1|long=no}}&nbsp;billion in revenue.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Electronic and Computer Games: The History of an Interactive Medium |journal=[[Screen (journal)|Screen]] |year=1988 |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=52–73 [53] |doi=10.1093/screen/29.2.52 |quote=Revenue from the game Pac-Man alone was estimated to exceed that from the cinema box-office success Star Wars. |last1=Haddon |first1=L. | issn = 0036-9543}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=261 |title=Game of the Week: ''Pac-Man'' |author=Kevin "Fragmaster" Bowen |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |year=2001 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001232751/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=261 |archive-date=October 1, 2011}}</ref> ''Pac-Man'' was the United States' highest-grossing [[1981 in video games|arcade game of 1981]],<ref name="C18">{{cite magazine |title=1981 Jukebox/Games Route Survey |magazine=[[Cash Box]] |date=31 October 1981 |page=C-18 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox43unse_22/page/n75 |publisher=Cash Box Pub. Co.}}</ref><ref name="C91">{{cite magazine |title=Authoritative Industry Sources Acclaim: Pac-Man Top Video Game of the Year |magazine=[[Cash Box]] |date=26 December 1981 |page=91 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox43unse_30/page/91 |publisher=Cash Box Pub. Co.}}</ref> and second highest [[1982 in video games|game of 1982]].<ref name="cashbox">{{cite magazine |title=1982 Jukebox / Games Route Survey |magazine=[[Cash Box]] |date=20 November 1982 |page=53 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_23/page/53 |publisher=Cash Box Pub. Co.}}</ref> By 1982, it was estimated to have had 30&nbsp;million active players across the United States;<ref>{{cite journal |title=Men's wear, Volume 185 |journal=Men's Wear |year=1982 |volume=185 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=59ZOAAAAYAAJ&q=donkey+kong+arcade+revenue |access-date=February 28, 2012 |publisher=[[Fairchild Publications]]}}</ref> ''Pac-Man'' was so compelling that a player in San Francisco reportedly shot someone for interrupting him during play.<ref name="wise19820412">{{Cite magazine |last=Wise |first=Deborah |date=1982-04-12 |title=Video arcades rival Broadway theater and girlie shows in NY |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3 |magazine=InfoWorld |page=15}}</ref> The game's success was partly driven by its popularity among female audiences, becoming "the first commercial videogame to involve large numbers of women as players" according to Midway's Stan Jarocki, with ''Pac-Man'' being the favorite coin-op game among [[female gamers]] through 1982.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Worley |first=Joyce |title=Move Over Guys, Here Come the Gals... Women Join the Arcade Revolution |magazine=[[Electronic Games]] |date=May 1982 |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=30–2 |url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Games_Volume_01_Number_03_1982-05_Reese_Communications_US/page/n29/mode/2up}}</ref> Among the nine arcade games covered by ''How to Win Video Games'' (1982), ''Pac-Man'' was the only one with females accounting for a majority of players.<ref name="howtowin">{{Cite book |title=How to Win Video Games |publisher=Pocket Books |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-671-45841-6 |pages=82–90 | url=https://archive.org/stream/book_how_to_win_video_games#page/n81/mode/2up}}</ref>
[[File:TOMY LSI PACMAN handheld electronic game.jpg|thumb|Portable version ([[Handheld electronic game]]) by Japanese company [[Tomy]]]]
The number of arcade units sold had tripled to 400,000 by 1982, receiving an estimated total of between seven billion coins<ref name="kao45">{{cite book|first=Kao|last=John|date=1989|title=The Industry |url=https://archive.org/details/entrepreneurship0000kaoj/page/44/mode/2up|publisher=Englewood Cliffs|page=45|accessdate=April 1, 2023}}</ref> and {{US$|6|long=no}}&nbsp;billion.<ref name="John1999">{{cite book |title=Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader |date=September 1999 |publisher=[[Portable Press]] |isbn=978-1-879682-74-0 |page=373 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OdxLduEdxmcC |quote=In 1982 alone, Americans pumped $6&nbsp;billion in quarters into Pac-Man's mouth—more than they spent in Las Vegas casinos and movie theatres combined.}}</ref><ref name="John2012">{{cite book |title=Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader |date=November 2012 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-60710-670-8 |page=348 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QClZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT348 |quote=In 1982 alone, Americans pumped $6&nbsp;billion in quarters into Pac-Man's mouth—more than they spent in Las Vegas casinos and movie theatres combined.}}</ref><ref name="Stern">{{cite book |last1=Stern |first1=Jane |last2=Stern |first2=Michael |title=Jane & Michael Stern's Encyclopedia of Pop Culture: An A to Z Guide of Who's who and What's What, from Aerobics and Bubble Gum to Valley of the Dolls and Moon Unit Zappa |date=1992 |publisher=[[Harper Perennial]] |isbn=978-0-06-055343-2 |page=373 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7AAi0VbjGU8C |quote="I think we have the Mickey Mouse of the 1980s," said one Pac-Man executive when it was noted that Americans were spending about $6&nbsp;billion per year on the game and its spinoffs}}</ref> In a 1983 interview, Nakamura said that though he did expect ''Pac-Man'' to be successful, "I never thought it would be this big."<ref name="nytimes nakamura" /> ''Pac-Man'' is the best-selling arcade game of all time, with total estimated earnings ranging from {{nowrap|10 billion}} coins<ref name="Wolf-73"/><ref name="CNN-Morris"/> and $3.5&nbsp;billion ($7.7&nbsp;billion adjusted for inflation)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/top-10-biggest-grossing-arcade-games-of-all-time |title=Top 10 Highest-Grossing Arcade Games of All Time |date=January 1, 2016 |work=[[USgamer]] |access-date=January 3, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111065518/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/top-10-biggest-grossing-arcade-games-of-all-time |archive-date=January 11, 2016}}</ref> to {{US$|6|long=no}}&nbsp;billion<ref name="John1999"/><ref name="John2012"/><ref name="Stern"/> ({{US$|{{Inflation|US|6|1982}}|long=no}}&nbsp;billion adjusted for inflation) in arcades. ''Pac-Man'' and ''[[Ms. Pac-Man]]'' also topped the US ''RePlay'' [[Arcade cabinet#Cocktail cabinets|cocktail arcade cabinet]] charts for 23 months, from [[1982 in video games|February 1982]]<ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=February–December 1982}}</ref> through [[1983 in video games|1983]]<ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=January–December 1983}}</ref> up until [[1984 in video games|February 1984]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=January–February 1984}}</ref>

The Atari 2600 version of the game sold over {{nowrap|8 million}} copies,{{efn|name=PacMan|7,271,844 in 1982. 684,569 in 1983.<ref name="Atari">{{cite book |title=Cartridge Sales Since 1980 |publisher=[[Atari Corp.]]}} Via {{cite episode |title=The Agony & The Ecstasy |series=Once Upon Atari |date=August 10, 2003 |number=4 |minutes=23 |publisher=Scott West Productions}}</ref> {{formatnum:{{#expr:21279+15784}}|}} in 1986. 61,685 in 1987. 3,885 in 1988. 34,374 in 1989. 2,166 in 1990.<ref name="Vendel">{{Cite web|last=Vendel|first=Curt|date=May 28, 2009|title=Site News|url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206090952/http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|archive-date=2010-12-06|access-date=2021-11-27|website=Atari Museum}}</ref>}} making it the [[List of best-selling Atari 2600 video games|console's best-selling title]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://retro.ign.com/articles/903/903024p1.html| title = Top 10 Best-Selling Atari 2600 Games| first = Levi| last = Buchanan| date = August 26, 2008| publisher=[[IGN]]| access-date =July 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028231456/http://retro.ign.com/articles/903/903024p1.html |archive-date=28 October 2008}}</ref> In addition, [[Coleco]]'s tabletop mini-arcade unit sold over {{nowrap|1.5 million}} units in 1982,<ref>{{cite journal|title=Coleco Mini-Arcades Go Gold|journal=Arcade Express|date=August 15, 1982|volume=1|issue=1|url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n1.pdf|access-date=3 February 2012|page=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914135153/http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n1.pdf|archive-date=14 September 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=More Mini-Arcades Coming From Coleco|work=Arcade Express|date=January 30, 1983|volume=1|issue=13|page=2|url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n13.pdf#page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114124852/http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n13.pdf|archive-date=November 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> the ''Pac-Man'' [[Nelsonic Game Watch]] sold more than 500,000 units the same year,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Shea |first1=Tom |title=Shrinking Pac-Man leads game-wristwatch market |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |date=20 December 1982 |volume=4 |issue=50 |pages=44–5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FTAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44 |publisher=[[InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.]] |issn=0199-6649}}</ref> the [[Family Computer]] (Famicom) version and its 2004 [[Game Boy Advance]] re-release sold a combined 598,000 copies in Japan,<ref>{{cite web |title=Game Search (based on Famitsu data) |url=https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search |website=Game Data Library |access-date=16 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424035430/https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search |archive-date=24 April 2019 |date=1 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Namco (Japan sales, 2000-2006)|url=http://garaph.info/gamesearch.php?publisher=Namco&opt=0|publisher=Garaph (based on [[Famitsu]] data)|access-date=17 March 2012|date=2005-07-28}}</ref> the [[Atari 5200]] version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:29716+5223+72}}|}} cartridges between 1986 and 1988,<ref name="Vendel"/> the [[Atari 8-bit computers|Atari 8-bit computer]] version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:24973+9214+7992+84+96}}|}} copies in 1986 and 1990,<ref name="Vendel"/> Thunder Mountain's 1986 budget release for home computers received a Diamond certification from the [[Software Publishers Association]] in 1989 for selling over 500,000 copies,<ref name="megahits">{{cite journal | author=Worley, Joyce | title=Mega Hits: The Best of the Best | journal=[[Video Games & Computer Entertainment]] | issue=11 | date=December 1989 | url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Computer_Entertainment_Issue_11_December_1989 | pages=130–132, 137, 138 }}</ref> and mobile phone ports have sold over {{nowrap|30 million}} paid downloads {{as of|2010|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Namco Networks' PAC-MAN Franchise Surpasses 30&nbsp;Million Paid Transactions in the United States on Brew |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100630005033/en/Namco-Networks%E2%80%99-PAC-MAN-Franchise-Surpasses-30-Million |website=[[Business Wire]] |publisher=[[Berkshire Hathaway]] |access-date=8 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629204316/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100630005033/en/Namco-Networks%E2%80%99-PAC-MAN-Franchise-Surpasses-30-Million |archive-date=29 June 2017 |date=30 June 2010}}</ref> ''II Computing'' also listed the [[Atarisoft]] port tenth on the magazine's list of top [[Apple II]] games as of late 1985, based on sales and market-share data.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/stream/II_Computing_Vol_1_No_1_Oct_Nov_85_Premiere#page/n51/mode/2up |title=Top Software: A List of Favorites |journal=II Computing |date=Oct–Nov 1985 |access-date=January 28, 2015 |last1=Ciraolo |first1=Michael |page=51 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313041801/https://archive.org/stream/II_Computing_Vol_1_No_1_Oct_Nov_85_Premiere |archive-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> {{As of|2016}}, all versions of ''Pac-Man'' are estimated to have grossed a total of more than {{US$|12|long=no}}&nbsp;billion in revenue.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leack |first1=Jonathan |title=World of Warcraft Leads Industry With Nearly $10&nbsp;Billion In Revenue |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/features/13510-world-of-warcraft-leads-industry-with-nearly-10-billion-in-revenue |access-date=27 February 2021 |work=[[GameRevolution]] |date=26 January 2017}}</ref>

===Accolades===
''Pac-Man'' was awarded "Best Commercial Arcade Game" at the [[Electronic Games#1982 Arcade Awards (1981)|1982 Arcade Awards]].<ref name="AA81">"1981 Arcade Awards" – ''Electronic Games'' March 1982, pages 46–49.</ref> ''Pac-Man'' also won the [[Video Software Dealers Association]]'s VSDA Award for Best Videogame.<ref name="VSDA">{{cite magazine|title=Pac-Man Scores!|magazine=[[Electronic Games]]|date=January 1983|volume=1|issue=11|url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGames/Electronic%20Games%20Issue%2011%20%28January%201983%29/page/n12|page=12}}</ref> In 2001, ''Pac-Man'' was voted the greatest video game of all time by a [[Dixons Retail|Dixons]] poll in the UK.<ref name="Dixons">{{cite news |title=Pac Man 'greatest video game' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/new_media/1653809.stm |access-date=March 13, 2012 |date=November 13, 2001 |agency=[[BBC News]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218040931/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/new_media/1653809.stm |archive-date=December 18, 2006}}</ref> The ''[[Killer List of Videogames]]'' listed ''Pac-Man'' as the most popular game of all time.<ref name="Top100">{{cite web |title=The Top Coin-Operated Videogames of All Time |url=https://www.arcade-museum.com/TOP100.php |website=[[Killer List of Videogames]] |publisher=The International Arcade Museum |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref> The list aggregator site Playthatgame currently ranks Pac-Man as the #53rd top game of all-time & game of the year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jeroen te Strake |first1=Peter Searle |title=Thebiglist |url=http://playthatgame.co.uk/?action=mainlist |website=Playthatgame.co.uk |access-date=Jan 5, 2020}}</ref>

===Impact===
[[File:Carrers guarnits Gràcia 2012 - Plaça Rovira, Recreatius Rovira 02.JPG|thumb|''Pac-Man'' characters as street decorations in [[Barcelona]], Spain]]
''Pac-Man'' is considered by many to be one of the most influential video games of all time.<ref name="1up_influential" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Jeffrey L. |at=1. Pac-Man (1980) |url=https://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l%253D251652%2526a%253D251651%2526po%253D10,00.asp?p=n |title=The 10 Most Influential Video Games of All Time |work=[[PC Magazine]] |access-date=April 19, 2012 |date=June 11, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411203009/http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0%2C3253%2Cl%3D251652%26a%3D251651%26po%3D10%2C00.asp?p=n |archive-date=April 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110902230443/http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article2455080.ece The ten most influential video games ever], ''[[The Times]]'', September 20, 2007</ref> The game established the [[List of maze chase games|maze chase game]] genre,<ref name="1up_influential" /> was the first video game to make use of [[power-up]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3151392 |title=Playing With Power: Great Ideas That Have Changed Gaming have from 1UP.com |work=1Up.com |access-date=November 4, 2015 |archive-date=November 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112211813/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3151392 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the individual ghosts have deterministic [[Artificial intelligence (video games)|artificial intelligence]] (AI) that reacts to player actions.<ref name="consalvo">{{cite book |last=Consalvo |first=Mia |year=2016 |title=Atari to Zelda: Japan's Videogames in Global Contexts |pages=193–4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tH3TCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA193 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |isbn=978-0262034395}}</ref> ''Pac-Man'' is considered one of the first video games to have demonstrated the potential of [[player character]]s in the medium;<ref name="1up_influential"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=DeMaria|first1=Rusel|last2=Wilson|first2=Johnny L.|title=High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games|date=2003|publisher=McGraw-Hill/Osborne|location=New York|isbn=0-07-223172-6|page=62|edition=2}}</ref> its title character was the first original gaming [[mascot]], it increased the appeal of video games with [[Women and video games|female audiences]], and it was gaming's first broad [[licensing]] success.<ref name="1up_influential">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3122102 |title=The Essential 50 Part 10 -- Pac-Man from 1UP.com |work=1Up.com |access-date=November 4, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003105413/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-pac-man |archive-date=2015-10-03}}</ref> It is often cited as the first game with [[cutscene]]s (in the form of brief comical interludes about [[Pac-Man (character)|Pac-Man]] and [[Blinky (Pac-Man)|Blinky]] chasing each other),<ref name="gamesradarimportant">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-important-evolutions/ |title=Gaming's most important evolutions |date=October 8, 2010 |work=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 4, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107072239/http://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-important-evolutions/ |archive-date=November 7, 2013}}</ref>{{rp|2}} though actually ''[[Space Invaders Part II]]'' employed a similar style of between-level intermissions in 1979.<ref>{{cite web |title=Space Invaders Part II |url=https://www.arcade-history.com/?n=space-invaders-part-ii&page=detail&id=2543 |website=Arcade History}}</ref>

''Pac-Man'' was a turning point for the [[arcade video game]] industry, which had previously been dominated by space [[shoot 'em up]]s since ''[[Space Invaders]]'' (1978). ''Pac-Man'' popularized a genre of "character-led" [[action game]]s, leading to a wave of character action games involving player characters in 1981, such as [[Nintendo]]'s prototypical [[platform game]] ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'', [[Konami]]'s ''[[Frogger]]'' and [[Universal Entertainment]]'s ''[[Lady Bug (video game)|Lady Bug]]''.<ref name="DK">{{cite news |title=Donkey Kong |url=https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/donkey-kong-4/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=[[Retro Gamer]] |publisher=[[Future Publishing Limited]] |date=13 September 2008}}</ref> ''Pac-Man'' was one of the first popular non-shooting action games, defining key elements of the genre such as "parallel visual processing" which requires simultaneously keeping track of multiple entities, including the player's location, the enemies, and the energizers.<ref name="Maynard">{{cite book |last1=Maynard |first1=Ashley E. |last2=Subrahmanyam |first2=Kaveri |last3=Greenfield |first3=Patricia M. |chapter=Technology and the Development of Intelligence: From the Loom to the Computer |editor-last1=Sternberg |editor-first1=Robert J. |editor-last2=Preiss |editor-first2=David D. |title=Intelligence and Technology: The Impact of Tools on the Nature and Development of Human Abilities |date=13 May 2005 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-136-77805-6 |pages=29–54 (32) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZgVId2jGXIC&pg=PA32}}</ref>

Maze games became popular on home computers after the release of ''Pac-Man''. Some of them appeared before official ports and garnered more attention from consumers, and sometimes lawyers, as a result. These include ''[[Taxman (video game)|Taxman]]'' (1981) and ''[[Snack Attack]]'' (1982) for the Apple II, ''[[Jawbreaker (video game)|Jawbreaker]]'' (1981) for the Atari 8-bit computers, ''[[Scarfman]]'' (1981) for the TRS-80, and ''[[K.C. Munchkin!]]'' (1981) for the Odyssey². Namco produced several other maze games, including ''[[Rally-X]]'' (1980), ''[[Dig Dug]]'' (1982), ''[[Exvania]]'' (1992), and ''[[Tinkle Pit]]'' (1994).{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} Atari sued [[Philips]] for creating ''K.C. Munchkin'' in the case ''[[Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp.]]'', leading to ''Munchkin'' being pulled from store shelves under court order.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=CourtVille: Why Unclear Laws Put EA v. Zynga Up for Grabs|language=en-US|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/08/ea-sues-zynga/|access-date=2021-05-30|issn=1059-1028}}</ref> No major competitors emerged to challenge ''Pac-Man'' in the maze subgenre.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Vaidhyanathan|first=Siva|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G_2gBwAAQBAJ&q=kc+munchkin&pg=PA169|title=Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How it Threatens Creativity|date=2001-08-01|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=978-0-8147-8834-9|language=en}}</ref>

''Pac-Man'' inspired 3D variants of the concept, such as ''[[Monster Maze]]'' (1982),<ref>{{cite web |title=Monster Maze |url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-monster-maze_3491.html}}</ref> ''[[Spectre (1982 video game)|Spectre]]'' (1982), and early [[first-person shooter]]s such as ''[[MIDI Maze]]'' (1987; which had similar character designs).<ref name="gamesradarimportant" />{{rp|5}}<ref>{{cite web |title=25 years of Pac-Man |publisher=MeriStation |date=July 4, 2005 |url=http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_articulo.php?pic=DC&id=cw42b7458f0dfc7&idj=&idp=&tipo=art&c=1&pos=7 |access-date=May 6, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929150234/http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_articulo.php?pic=DC&id=cw42b7458f0dfc7&idj=&idp=&tipo=art&c=1&pos=7 |archive-date=September 29, 2011}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.meristation.com%2Fv3%2Fdes_articulo.php%3Fpic%3DDC%26id%3Dcw42b7458f0dfc7%26idj%3D%26idp%3D%26tipo%3Dart%26c%3D1%26pos%3D7&sl=es&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8 Translation])</ref> [[John Romero]] credited ''Pac-Man'' as the game that had the biggest influence on his career;<ref>{{cite web |last=Bailey |first=Kat |title=These games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/ |publisher=Joystiq |access-date=April 2, 2012 |date=March 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202004044/http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/ |archive-date=February 2, 2017 }}</ref> ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'' includes a ''Pac-Man'' level from a first-person perspective.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Book of Games: The Ultimate Reference on PC & Video Games |publisher=Book of Games |year=2006 |isbn=82-997378-0-X |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cllMaThkYlIC&pg=PA24 |access-date=May 6, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122175354/https://books.google.com/books?id=cllMaThkYlIC&pg=PA24 |archive-date=November 22, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Game developer |volume=2 & 5 |publisher=[[Miller Freeman]] |year=1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9zg9AQAAIAAJ |access-date=June 6, 2011 |page=62 |quote=If you made it to the secret Pac-Man level in Castle Wolfenstein, you know what I mean (Pac-Man never would have made it as a three-dimensional game). Though it may be less of a visual feast, two dimensions have a well-established place as an electronic gaming format. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122191415/https://books.google.com/books?id=9zg9AQAAIAAJ |archive-date=November 22, 2016}}</ref> Many post-''Pac-Man'' titles include power-ups that briefly turn the tables on the enemy.{{clarify|date=January 2024}} The game's artificial intelligence inspired programmers who later worked for companies like [[Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda]].<ref name="consalvo" />