A yellow, dot-munching legend will soon descend upon Swindon to celebrate the 30th anniversary of all-time video game classic, PAC-MAN.
Three unique events have been organised by the Museum of Computing in Swindon to mark this milestone, scheduled to take place on Saturday 22nd May 2010.
A specially constructed maze in the town centre’s Wharf Green will be the venue for a unique ‘Human PAC-MAN’ event. Members of the public will be able to control a real-life PAC-MAN, trying to avoid the giant ghosts while collecting dots. It’s anyones guess what will happen when PAC-MAN grabs a ‘power pill’ and the tables are turned on the ghosts! Participants and onlookers will be able get a bird’s eye view of the action thanks to a video camera feeding Swindon’s twenty-five square metre ‘Big Screen’.
The ‘Big Screen’ will also be host to one of the largest versions of the original PAC-MAN game ever played and will be available to anybody who wants to relive their youth or try this classic game for the first time.
Simon Webb, Curator of the Museum of Computing, said: “PAC-MAN is the world’s most widely recognised games character. We couldn’t let this day pass without celebrating the 30th anniversary of this groundbreaking game, so we’re doing it in style. It’s going to be quite an event!”
Meanwhile, back at the Museum, people will be able to play variations of PAC-MAN on machines such as the Nintendo Game Cube, the original Game Boy, Sega Master System and many other retro game systems. The museum will also be staging a dedicated exhibition on the history of this social phenomenon, globally synonymous with 80s popular culture.
Museum volunteer Andy Romain said: “PAC-MAN was my first introduction to cocktail cabinet gaming. Sitting with a pint of coke and being drawn into the neon-like maze world of this little yellow iconic character. Then I was thrilled when I was given a Grandstand handheld version of the game. He added: “PAC-MAN – the pill popping, ghost gulping figurehead of a gaming revolution!”
