What Pac-Man Brought to Game Design | Design Icons

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2019
  • 🔴 Get bonus content by supporting Game Maker’s Toolkit - gamemakerstoolkit.com/support/ 🔴
    While a nascent games industry was laser focused on emulating the success of Taito’s Space Invaders, one designer tried to make something completely different - and ended up creating our second design icon: Pac-Man.
    Sources
    Retro Gamer UK Issue 61 | Retro Gamer
    www.retrogamer.net/retro_game...
    Toru Iwatani, 1986 PacMan Designer | Programmers At Work
    programmersatwork.wordpress.c...
    Pacman: The Phenomenon | GameSpy
    web.archive.org/web/2008060619...
    Q&A: Pac-Man Creator Reflects on 30 Years of Dot-Eating | Wired
    www.wired.com/2010/05/pac-man...
    The Pac-Man Dossier | Gamasutra
    www.gamasutra.com/view/featur...
    Pac-Man Interview with creator Toru Iwatani at GDC 2011 | TH-cam
    • Pac-Man Interview with...
    Interview 1 Vol. 1 with Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani | PacMan.com
    www.onlinespiele-sammlung.de/p...
    Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto… | Google Books
    books.google.co.uk/books?id=T...
    Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani | Japan Times
    www.japantimes.co.jp/life/201...
    I Am Error… | Google Books
    books.google.co.uk/books?id=G...
    These games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier | Joystiq
    web.archive.org/web/2012031202...
    GO3: Kojima Talks Metal Gear History, Future | Gamasutra
    www.gamasutra.com/view/news/1...
    Learn More
    Pac-Man Creator Toru Iwatani Biograph | Pac-Man Museum
    pacmanmuseum.com/history/Toru...
    Postmortem: Pac-Man, Iwatani's rhapsody in yellow | Gamasutra
    www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...
    The Pac-Man Principle: A User's Guide To Capitalism | Google Books
    books.google.co.uk/books?id=p...
    Toru Iwatani: Pac-Man and the real life of games design | Financial Times
    www.ft.com/content/54eb500c-0...
    Toru Iwatani - Mechanics of Pac Man | TH-cam
    • Toru Iwatani - Mechani...
    Extra Footage
    Tokyo Landscapes | Bolo Bellheimer
    • [Doc] Tokyo Landscapes...
    The Ultimate Early 80s Arcade Tribute | Patrick Scott Patterson
    • The Ultimate Early 80s...
    Pinball Machine, 1970s USA | thekinolibrary
    • Pinball Machine, 1970s...
    80s Japan - Video Arcade | NichiBeiTrader
    • 1980s Japan - Video Ar...
    Happy Birthday Pac-Man: A look at news coverage in 1982 | Patrick Scott Patterson
    • Happy Birthday Pac-Man...
    Professor Toru Iwatani Gamelab Legend Award Interview | Gamereactor
    • Pixels, Pac-Man 35th A...
    Traffic, Busy Streets, Shibuya Crossing | thekinolibrary
    • 1980s Tokyo, Japan - T...
    Manhattan, New York 1980 | Mackenzie Rough
    • Manhattan, New York 1980
    Buckner & Garcia - Pacman Fever | EDUARDO ANDRES CONTRERAS NOBIZELLI
    • Buckner & Garcia - Pac...
    1984 Pac-Man Cereal Commercial | xntryk1
    • 1984 Pac-Man Cereal Co...
    Pac-Man Atari commercial compilation | Toy lover
    • Pac-Man Atari commerci...
    When Pac-Man was King - CBS Evening News | Shatner Method
    • Video Arcade "Addictio...
    Music used in this episode
    Sun Bleach - Lifeformed (lifeformed.bandcamp.com/album...)
    Various - Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com)
    Pac-Man Fever - Buckner & Garcia
    Wreck-It Ralph © Disney
    Tom and Jerry © Warner Bros
    Popeye © Turner Entertainment
    Little Ghost Q-Taro © TV Asahi
    Casper the Friendly Ghost © DreamWorks
    Scott Pilgrim vs. the World © Universal Pictures
    Pac-Man © Warner Bros
    Contribute translated subtitles - amara.org/v/C3BEE/
  • เกม

ความคิดเห็น • 616

  • @yuuneeq9494
    @yuuneeq9494 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2893

    The cute, non-violent theme of devouring the weak.

    • @mdlchannel8318
      @mdlchannel8318 4 ปีที่แล้ว +170

      I call it natural selection.

    • @acepedro12
      @acepedro12 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      I thought exactly the same thing, aeueahuaehuhea

    • @sachitechless
      @sachitechless 4 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      I mean... Pac-Man is the weak one just trying to get by and will die if caught so... really... Pac-Man gains the power to eat the rich?

    • @wulfherecyning1282
      @wulfherecyning1282 4 ปีที่แล้ว +64

      @@sachitechless Pacman is the only one of the 5 characters who gets to eat. The other four, who can not eat his reserved food, are savage poor thugs chasing him, and they only run away when he manages to get a court order waiving the law against cannibalism. Pacman is the rich and the ghosts are the poor.
      Or maybe trying to force a complex socio-political-economic narrative onto a simplistic top-down game is silly and should not be tried.

    • @HomerGumther
      @HomerGumther 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      And don't forget fleeing vengeful spirits!

  • @YoungTheFish
    @YoungTheFish 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1782

    Pac-Man is about as non-violent as Kirby.
    Deep down, we all know the horror.

    • @slothbaby2104
      @slothbaby2104 4 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      THE HORROR

    • @EqualityEarth
      @EqualityEarth 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      What if Pac Man’s body design turned out looking just like Yellow Kirby?

    • @EqualityEarth
      @EqualityEarth 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      The Accidental Hipster oh that’s right I totally forgot about that! I remember that too now. Perhaps their differentiation is for the best. We wouldn’t want to get started with Sonic originally looking so much more like a hedgehog, the sprite would fit in a ball (JK)

    • @jackiexkh
      @jackiexkh 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      I mean, the ghosts are able to come back after being eaten.
      When Kirby eats his enemies, they’re fuckin’ dead.

    • @vincentmuyo
      @vincentmuyo 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      It's why it's so popular with women.

  • @Spectral352
    @Spectral352 4 ปีที่แล้ว +809

    7:10 "For a human being like Pac Man..."
    Now that is a deep lore implication.

    • @JaydevRaol
      @JaydevRaol 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Yeah 😄

    • @jackiexkh
      @jackiexkh 4 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      I think that “human being” part refers to the player.
      The canonical name for Pac-Man’s species is “pac-person”
      Also there are a few times where it is shown that humans canonically exist in the Pac-Man universe alongside pac-people.

    • @lemminjuice
      @lemminjuice 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Yeah I think he's referring to the human player 'being' Pac Man in the game.

    • @masonguyman3074
      @masonguyman3074 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Pac MAN! 💪

    • @mslightbulb
      @mslightbulb 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Jackie-XKH pac-person is such a cute and silly term I might explode from happiness.

  • @VladShpiro
    @VladShpiro 4 ปีที่แล้ว +546

    I had no idea Pac-Man had that clever AI, simple and brilliant. Thanks for the informative video

    • @KuraIthys
      @KuraIthys 4 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      It's often cited as being one of the first (if not THE first) to try and use the really primitive AI that computers of the era could manage (not that modern AI is anywhere near as complex as you think - at least, not in games. Much of it is composed of similar basic stuff to pacman in many cases) to try and give each enemy a distinct personality...
      Which it does surprisingly well...

    • @irasponsibly
      @irasponsibly 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      If you're interested in more detail on that, check out Retro Game Mechanics Explained

    • @thomasgibbs7239
      @thomasgibbs7239 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      One interesting quirk is that due to an overflow bug when Pacman is facing upwards Pinky and Inky target the square 4 tiles to the left of where they should be, which adds an exciting level of randomness to the game and really keeps you guessing. It also makes them more likely to make seemingly irrational moves which when they catch you out can make them seem even more intelligent!

  • @DarylTalksGames
    @DarylTalksGames 4 ปีที่แล้ว +508

    The knowledge that Tom and Jerry was an inspiration for Pac-Man is all I needed to get through today

    • @CurtisJensenGames
      @CurtisJensenGames 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Sorry, I totally missed that point, what did he say?
      Also, let me know if you get sick of reading this sort of thing, but it's always good to come across another Daryl comment or video :)

    • @evs2895
      @evs2895 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@CurtisJensenGames 10:41

    • @CurtisJensenGames
      @CurtisJensenGames 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@evs2895 Thanks mate!

    • @aangsstaff4174
      @aangsstaff4174 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Daryl Talks Games I fricking love your channel

    • @magnuspeacock5857
      @magnuspeacock5857 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @SpyengoEen understandable

  • @jana19993
    @jana19993 4 ปีที่แล้ว +132

    It's the sound design as well. That repetitive, satisfying beat every time you eat the dots incentivises you to keep going. It's addictive.

    • @vinisun9171
      @vinisun9171 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      janiqua thissss

  • @Absquatula
    @Absquatula 4 ปีที่แล้ว +464

    "Players should immediately get the point."
    This is the main reason I think Untitled Goose Game sold so well.
    House House knew what to do 👍

    • @sebastiansandoval4861
      @sebastiansandoval4861 4 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      Yeah, the funniest thing about it is the idea that gooses are an icon that inmediately screams to people about messing with people

    • @lizardlegend42
      @lizardlegend42 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @ً nah it's also just a really charming, relaxed game with a great art style and visual humour

    • @tanushbhansali
      @tanushbhansali 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yep players immediately understanding what they need to do in a game can be very powerful

  • @bast01
    @bast01 4 ปีที่แล้ว +672

    "A human being like Pac-man"
    Wait Pac-man is a human?!?

    • @bast01
      @bast01 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@KevinJDildonik okay, that makes more sense

    • @badwrongfun5541
      @badwrongfun5541 4 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      I'm reminded how Hello Kitty is officially supposed to be a human British girl named Kitty White and somehow not a cat at all.

    • @QuolashMCDuck
      @QuolashMCDuck 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@badwrongfun5541 wait what? ive always thought it was a bunny.

    • @Mswordx23
      @Mswordx23 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Well yeah he's Pac-MAN

    • @CDCHexaku
      @CDCHexaku 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@QuolashMCDuck Hello *Kitty* didn't gave you a clue at all?

  • @jasonblalock4429
    @jasonblalock4429 4 ปีที่แล้ว +283

    The design breakdown reminds me of Sid Meier's famous observation that (good) video games are a series of interesting decisions. This philosophy perfectly describes Pac-Man. At any given moment the player has choices to make, and more choices than might seem immediately obvious, but it's still a manageable number. Do you go left or right? Head straight for the pellet, or circle around while the ghosts are still slow? How do you split your focus? How much time to spend watching the ghosts vs watching where Pac-Man is going?
    From such a relatively simple ruleset, a surprisingly complicated number of strategies emerge. And it gets complicated specifically because it's *constantly* forcing the player to make difficult decisions, then reevaluate those decisions continuously as the overall game state changes. Plus, as one gains knowledge of the game - like starting to suss out the ghosts' behavior - that just adds new interesting choices to the pile. (How much do you REALLY believe that Clyde is going to turn around if you run at him?)

    • @CurtisJensenGames
      @CurtisJensenGames 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Thanks for taking the time to type this. I, personally, come to the comments for extra information.

    • @AriyanK0091
      @AriyanK0091 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Well said. Another game that captures this really well is Tetris. You're constantly making decisions about the placement of the pieces, their orientation, whether you should try to go for the risky last-second turn to clear the row or play it safe and hope for a better piece down the line.

    • @metzger5850
      @metzger5850 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Clyde will always probably usually turn around...maybe.

  • @subprogram32
    @subprogram32 4 ปีที่แล้ว +435

    So I never knew the story about 'Puc-Man' and the graffiti, so you taught somebody new today! Also I find it fasinating that, after Iwatani's quotes about how western kids wanted 'real settings' and the japanese wanted 'fairy tales'...it had a lukewarm reception in japan initially, and the american audiance is what began the momentum that ascended the game to the heights it is today. It almost feels like a case of 'suvivorship' bias obscuring the truth of the matter - that the american audiance *did* want less real, more 'fairy-tale' like games, it's just that they didn't seem to have any to play! And the moment one game did manage to get beyond the difficult starting point, it became huge.

    • @nightranger869
      @nightranger869 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Same, I had no idea that it was originally called 'Puc-Man'

    • @yumitsup
      @yumitsup 4 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      You should watch Scott Pilgrim then! haha

    • @sidthekoolkid37
      @sidthekoolkid37 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@yumitsup scott pilgrim vs the movie that ruined a whole generation of women

    • @fakegmale4648
      @fakegmale4648 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      wootman24 what do you mean?

    • @sidthekoolkid37
      @sidthekoolkid37 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Fake Gmale it’s a song lmao it’s actually called Scott pilgrim vs the world that ruined a whole generation of women

  • @dustinwainwright6429
    @dustinwainwright6429 4 ปีที่แล้ว +210

    I swear the ai system is so smart for its time and I loved your explanation of it!

    • @thorstend.888
      @thorstend.888 4 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Right. I knew it before, but never saw a visual representation of where the ghosts want to go. This shows it very clear how genius this is.

    • @MisterAppleEsq
      @MisterAppleEsq 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      To be honest it's pretty smart even now, just simplistic at the same time.

  • @FraserSouris
    @FraserSouris 4 ปีที่แล้ว +591

    How I remember the Ghosts
    Red is the fastest
    White/pink is the smartest
    Blue is the slowest
    Brown/orange doesn't care and kills pac-man accidentally lol

    • @guynamedrick4419
      @guynamedrick4419 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Actually Inky is the smartest but slow, Pinky is the fastest, Blinky is fast and gains speed by the eaten pelets, and Clyde just moves randomly.

    • @andrewsparkes8829
      @andrewsparkes8829 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      That is just listing what they do, not "how" you remembered it.
      How I remember the names:
      Pinky is pink.
      Blinky is red, because you blink a lot when your eyes are red.
      Inky is blue, the most common pen ink color aside from black.
      Clyde is, by default, the other one.
      See? That is a "how" list. Yours was not.

    • @NessaOfDorthonion
      @NessaOfDorthonion 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@andrewsparkes8829 Clever mnemonic device, I'll have to remember that one

    • @andrewsparkes8829
      @andrewsparkes8829 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@NessaOfDorthonion Sorry if you saw a previous reply. @Fabeldier replied with "Pedantic" alone and then deleted their comment, and I replied to the most recent still-there comment which was yours, not noticing your owj comment was far more appreciative!

    • @NessaOfDorthonion
      @NessaOfDorthonion 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@andrewsparkes8829 Its okay no worries! I try to show my appreciation for my fellow humans when I can

  • @m1lkweed
    @m1lkweed 4 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    When Pac-man is facing up, Pinky doesn't go four tiles ahead. She goes four up and four to the left.

    • @antoninmalon7225
      @antoninmalon7225 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I noticed the error too :).

    • @hi-i-am-atan
      @hi-i-am-atan 4 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      Pretty easy slip-up to make, though, considering it was a slip-up on the programmers' part in the first place.

    • @Daniel-yy3ty
      @Daniel-yy3ty 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@hi-i-am-atan "it's not a bug, it's a feature" XD

    • @coyraig8332
      @coyraig8332 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      That happens with all the ghosts

  • @JJMcCullough
    @JJMcCullough 4 ปีที่แล้ว +152

    I've heard it said that in Japan, they were never supposed to be "ghosts," and that's just something Americans came up with, because we have a different cultural conception of what "ghosts" look like. In Japan they were just supposed to be fantasy monster things. One of the coffee break segments has one of the monsters getting his skin torn off. It's weird we never talk about that.

    • @Nic_2751
      @Nic_2751 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Pac-Man World proves they are ghosts as they live on Ghost Island, with skeletons gravestones evil trees spooky music and they all float and are made of tearable suits.

    • @revimfadli4666
      @revimfadli4666 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      You mean yokai? IIRC they're more like naturally occuring spirits, quite like Jinns in Islam, rather than wandering souls of dead people. The closest translation in English would probably be "demon"

    • @reoire843
      @reoire843 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I never saw very far into the cutscenes back in the day, so this video is the first time I saw the part where his suit gets ripped. That seems so bizarre to me. Especially the part where one of his legs apparently sprouts a pair of eyes and runs off by itself… WTF

    • @drzerogi
      @drzerogi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Going to need a citation for that. Your coffee break segment example is not proof that they aren't ghosts: these segments are just gags after all. They play more like silly outtakes than part of Pac-Man lore.

    • @JJMcCullough
      @JJMcCullough 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@drzerogi my citation is that they’re not called ghosts in Japanese, they’re called monsters.

  • @hemangchauhan2864
    @hemangchauhan2864 4 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    Game history is such an under appreciated topic, and so Design Icons is a fantastic way to get more people learn about important historic games

  • @fraserweist3793
    @fraserweist3793 4 ปีที่แล้ว +51

    shedding a single tear for the fact that you mentioned "bizarre, story-based pac-man adventures on consoles" and didn't show a clip from pac-man world 2 which is legitimately AMAZING

    • @Nic_2751
      @Nic_2751 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I’m absolutely disappointed

  • @bigcat5348
    @bigcat5348 4 ปีที่แล้ว +180

    The last point about Pac-man not establishing a lasting genre isn't entirely true, though the genre wasn't fully realized until the Playstation.
    Pac-man is basically the first survival horror game. You flee from invincible enemies while trying to accomplish objectives until you acquire a power-up that allows you to fight back, plus a lot of horror games have labyrinthian level design.

    • @fearlesswee5036
      @fearlesswee5036 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Huh, never thought of it like that, you make a great point actually.

    • @firebal6129
      @firebal6129 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Eh, I don't know about horror. Survival though, for sure!

    • @bcriceroni6553
      @bcriceroni6553 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@firebal6129 but they ARE ghosts tho, so why not?
      I feel I should clarify that I'm joking and ik there are other criteria for a horror theme.

    • @nebula_the_starfish
      @nebula_the_starfish 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      perhaps a pseudo-stealth game too? its a stretch but it does have a few aspects of stealth games and, even if it didn't establish the genre itself, it was probably an inspiration

  • @ChrisLT
    @ChrisLT 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Never realized all the tiny things that make Pac-Man such a brilliant game. Makes it easier to understand why it's still so fun to this day.

  • @Evanski
    @Evanski 4 ปีที่แล้ว +351

    "Non violent"
    But you eat the flesh of ghosts so there just scared floating eyes

    • @salvatoremazzone6912
      @salvatoremazzone6912 4 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      What is dead may never die, but rises stronger and more aggressive with each increasing level

    • @felixroux
      @felixroux 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Flesh of ghosts?

    • @piss7438
      @piss7438 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Thats not... They don't...

    • @zyaicob
      @zyaicob 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The what of ghosts?

    • @mascotvt
      @mascotvt 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      They are wearing sheets so...

  • @Stephen-Fox
    @Stephen-Fox 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Incidentally considering how often I've read or heard info on the ghost behaviour it's amazing that you've finally explained it in a way that makes sense to me (particularly the scatter mode and Clyde's behaviour)

  • @MariotheAnimator
    @MariotheAnimator 4 ปีที่แล้ว +120

    "The player should immediately get the point"
    The most important quote that literally every game developer should listen to.

    • @piteoswaldo
      @piteoswaldo 4 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      I can classify my favorite games in 2 categories: the ones which you immediately get the point and know what to do, and the games which nothing is obvious and learning the goals and mechanics are the biggest feature.

    • @TheXMachinery
      @TheXMachinery 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      *Death Stranding has entered the chat*

    • @quickrat3348
      @quickrat3348 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Absolutely. I hate when modern games fail to tell the most basic rules to us the players.

    • @mobiusdick6225
      @mobiusdick6225 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      "when talking about good ARCADE game design"
      I agree a game should be as simple as it CAN be, but in most games it's too complex. How are you gonna get Metal Gear Solid or Dark Souls so intuitive that your grandmother can pick it up and play it?

    • @quickrat3348
      @quickrat3348 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@mobiusdick6225 Well, they are intuitive actually. You know you have to kill anything in DS and you know you have to hide in MGS. You don't need 10 androgenous characters to tell you this in a text box or in a 5 min cutscene

  • @KnightsDisillusion
    @KnightsDisillusion 4 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    I love the Design Icons Series! Video Game history is amazing.

    • @Jolgeable
      @Jolgeable 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Do you know that channel Ahoy? He has some beautiful docs as well.

  • @ghostderazgriz
    @ghostderazgriz 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    The first developer that believed games were for everyone, not just a single demographic. That's a very inspiring legacy thay members of the gaming industry today continue to uphold.

  • @ralofpatel470
    @ralofpatel470 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    That is awesome pathfinding. Didn't imagine he tought of this so many years back.

  • @TheCronoSage
    @TheCronoSage 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Hearing the cutscenes referred to as coffee-break moments reminds me of Earthbound's (Mother2) literal coffee break scenes.

  • @BRICK101
    @BRICK101 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I'm really enjoying this new series. Can't wait for more!

  • @BitsofJoshua
    @BitsofJoshua 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    You truly are the most consistently high-quality gaming channel on TH-cam. Every one of your videos, regardless of topic, draws me in for the entirety. I'm loving this new series. Cheers!

  • @JairusC
    @JairusC 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Your videos are all so visually compelling and informationally intensive. The combination of these allow for an entertaining and thoughtful analysis of video games throughout the years. Your channel has, time and time again, provided a valuable resource for developers, gamers, and even the general public. Your goal to educate and provide a fun way of analyzing trends, gameplay mechanics, and even developing for different demographics is splendid. Please continue the good work and I look forward to more of your content.

  • @Lishtenbird
    @Lishtenbird 4 ปีที่แล้ว +195

    > a non-violent theme
    > the concept of eating
    Hm...

    • @onurbalik
      @onurbalik 4 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      A non-violent theme - pacmans jaw rips apart when he dies

    • @NoNameAtAll2
      @NoNameAtAll2 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      running away for you life from ghosts that haunt you and kill on touch

    • @Lishtenbird
      @Lishtenbird 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      And then eating their (supposedly flesh, judging by the cutscenes) bodies in revenge.

    • @aurin_komak
      @aurin_komak 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Am I a violent person, I eat food

    • @sodiboo
      @sodiboo 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh look it’s my life in just one youtube comment

  • @otooandoh9556
    @otooandoh9556 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Fantastic video Mark! I would love an episode analyzing the modernization of these classic arcade games and what lessons were retained and/or forgotten. I think that would make for a great follow up.

  • @romilrh
    @romilrh 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    I love how you handled the "Puck-man" bit lol

    • @piss7438
      @piss7438 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Puc-man*

    • @kirb_erus
      @kirb_erus 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Scott Pilgrim telling the exact same Puc-Man story should always be used for that moment

    • @piss7438
      @piss7438 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@kirb_erus Puc-man*

  • @GunnarClovis
    @GunnarClovis 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    God, this might be a new favorite on the channel, actually! I didn't know about all of Toru Iwatani's great quotes. But this really resonates with me; it's very similar to the material in a game design lecture I gave a few months ago (which I still need to re-record and upload to TH-cam...) about tension, pacing, and engagement.
    Really great stuff!
    Also, I can't help but shout out your fantastic motion graphics. The Design Icons logo is so excellent. Really wonderful work.

    • @subprogram32
      @subprogram32 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Agree about the logo, it is lovely!

  • @onelazynoob15
    @onelazynoob15 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    It's amazing how compelling Pacman is even today with polished AAA 3d games. I keep thinking back to the time Google pulled their Pacman anniversary Google doodle early because of how much productivity they killed in workplaces around the globe.

  • @Fawriel
    @Fawriel 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Aww, I have a new respect for Pacman now. Iwatani is a good dude.

  • @BreninWatson
    @BreninWatson 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    God your editing is spectacular, I’m taking notes homie. 👌👌

  • @skatemazon
    @skatemazon 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    your edits skill are on point, i would definitely see a live from the editing

  • @VideoGameAnimationStudy
    @VideoGameAnimationStudy 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Man, those graphics at 3:38 are just on another level, Mark. You've really outdone yourself here. As an animator, I can see the amount of insane work that must've taken!

  • @akhon
    @akhon 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    After all these years, I assumed the ghosts movements were random. Pretty amazing AI and design choices for that time.

  • @joesmith2424
    @joesmith2424 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Its almost frustrating how flawless your videos are

  • @immortalsun
    @immortalsun 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Yet another incredible video by one of my favourite channels on TH-cam!

  • @masfreak89
    @masfreak89 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This was absolutely fantastic. I have seen most of your videos, and I love them all, but this is undoubtedly one of the best ones you’ve made. Always enjoy your work, keep it up!

  • @Siehste-VideogameEssays
    @Siehste-VideogameEssays 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Pacman‘s AI is the most surprising thing to me!
    The constant tension of playing the game doesn‘t allow for too much observation while playing it, making the AI feel incredibly smart, even though it‘s based on very simple rulesets. Modern games usually occupy the stealth and survival genre, allowing the player to observe and learn the ins and outs of the AI-system with as much time as they need, which leads to a more shallow experience with it.
    Thanks for the knowledge, incredible video as always!

  • @mattdavis1475
    @mattdavis1475 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love this video! You deliver fully on both the history and design analysis, which I don't think many channels could do. Keep it up!

  • @Thelorme
    @Thelorme 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Your videos are always incredibly scholarly and I love you for that. The depth of research mixed with your profesionnalism and solid editing really makes you my favorite youtube channel.
    I have a thing for history of video games and you offer that content perfectly. I'll be looking forward to the next Design Icons

  • @CDCHexaku
    @CDCHexaku 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    There is actually a bug within Pinky's code that make it so that if Pacman is facing toward the top of the grid, Pinky will target the tile 4 ahead AND 4 to the right of Pacman instead. The same also happens with Inky's calculations.

  • @Thorcoal
    @Thorcoal 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great job, Mark! One of your best videos, simple, yet incredibly informative and very interesting.

  • @inuinuinuinuinu
    @inuinuinuinuinu 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    you have officially become my favorite youtube channel. amazing design notes and production. any student of design, architectural, industrial, game or otherwise could benefit from watching these videos.

  • @KaiClavier
    @KaiClavier 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    No need to wonder if Ms. Pac Man was _possibly_ made without permission, look up "Classic Game Postmortem: Ms. Pac-Man" to see a talk by the developer on it. It's... a very interesting talk, to say the least.

    • @JakobFrankMogensen
      @JakobFrankMogensen 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      It does seem kind of odd Mark didn't stumble across the post mortem in his research, given all the other Pac-man games and legacy he found.
      Oh well, doesn't take away from the rest of the video. :)

    • @JakobFrankMogensen
      @JakobFrankMogensen 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@CoercedJab Sure thing. :)

  • @RizoftheDead
    @RizoftheDead 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    That bit about the AI used for the ghosts is fascinating. I've heard about it before but showing it moving along with the grid and line drawn made me realize how brilliant the design is. Thank you as usual for the amazing work.

  • @parttoon8305
    @parttoon8305 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    14:05 Aw man, Crystal Castles, one of my old favorites.

    • @Absquatula
      @Absquatula 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Trackball arcade games, forever!!! ❤

  • @GwydionAE
    @GwydionAE 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This and the video about Space Invaders were so neat! Love this kind of stuff. I'm a bit sad I only see one more Design Icons to watch for now, but hopefully more will pop up in the future.

  • @campjona
    @campjona 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Mark, I love your videos. Really great stuff in this one. I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Keep it up!

  • @benjaminpenny2279
    @benjaminpenny2279 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    You’re two videos into this design icon series and man I am loving it, I had no clue about the AI in this game, watching your videos is a truly enriching experience. Thanks man.

  • @futuramax
    @futuramax 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Love the game, loved the video. Excellent work as always, thanks Mark!

  • @matthall8744
    @matthall8744 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    My heart skipped a beat when you mentioned PAC-MAN 256. Thanks for the shoutout Mark.

  • @uxorioushornet
    @uxorioushornet 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was fascinating! One of your best! Keep it up, please!

  • @VladlustTV
    @VladlustTV 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The editing is soooo smooth! I want a video editing tutorial made by Mark!

  • @tamsinsandrielle
    @tamsinsandrielle 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for this video! Thanks for your time and your work :)

  • @NikkiTheViolist
    @NikkiTheViolist 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Oh yeah, that's a lot of games I never knew were inspired by Pac-Man. Zelda? Metal Gear? Wolfenstein?
    Yeah, interesting
    Pac-Man basically created/revolutionized the Adventure genre, the Stealth genre, and the First-Person Shooter.

  • @portnaluinge
    @portnaluinge 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is such a great series - I wish you’d do more.

  • @Tyveris
    @Tyveris 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Once again a great video. Thanks for continuing to put out quality content.

  • @northrain0462
    @northrain0462 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    That's already a great serie, thanks for your hard work Mark!

  • @callifrigenetic7535
    @callifrigenetic7535 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    thank you so much for your work as always !

  • @johnleecooper8520
    @johnleecooper8520 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Rain World is also heavily inspired by pacman. Its character controller is like half pacman half mario 64

  • @Antimuffin
    @Antimuffin 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    "Creating a fun game is not about satisfying yourself as a developer." - I feel like this a lesson that amateur designers really need to learn. So many people's first attempts at making games, especially puzzles, is more about proving how smart they are and how clever their puzzles are. But *good* designers make the *players* feel smart and clever. That's the real challenge--making something just hard enough that it feels good to solve while still giving players enough tools to solve it.

  • @stevenxenoknight3845
    @stevenxenoknight3845 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This video was literally perfect. We all owe a whole lot to the phenom that is Pac-Man.

  • @1fareast14
    @1fareast14 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    0:21 recognized the dustforce music right away :)

  • @cintron3d
    @cintron3d 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Jokes aside, this was really interesting. Especially the different behaviors of the ghosts. I didn't know about that. And a special thanks for including the bit about puck man, because I didn't know that either.

  • @GiantBrother
    @GiantBrother 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love this series. Thank you for the good work, Mark!

  • @thejoyfuldragon887
    @thejoyfuldragon887 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    man that guy was truly ahead of his time. especially with what he said about games needing to satisfy players more than developers. so many games today don't think about that and include so many frustrating design decisions that make no sense from a player's perspective.

  • @genericanimeguy
    @genericanimeguy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Learning so much from you Mark. Hope to one day participate in one of your game jams. Cheers!

  • @specknacken6507
    @specknacken6507 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Wow at that Blue Ghost A.I. behavior.
    Just wow.

  • @jonaswolthaus1901
    @jonaswolthaus1901 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Can you please continue this series? I just loved these videos:))))

  • @GregoryCarl8
    @GregoryCarl8 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video! Loved this

  • @Emelenyt
    @Emelenyt 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Love this series! Pac Man is such an iconic character and it's crazy to think just how much thought went behind the game

  • @Calcifrizzle
    @Calcifrizzle 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice video! It's kind of crazy to think about what a lasting and wide-ranging influence this little guy has had.

  • @baronohm2569
    @baronohm2569 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I'm loving the quotes and insight from the creators in this series. Lots of great game design wisdom!

  • @markusk581
    @markusk581 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Nice coincidence! Just a few days ago I uploaded a Mac-Man themed Mario Maker 2 level: *R9Y-PP5-RDF*

  • @Doran.
    @Doran. 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow. Pac-man was the first video game character. That's brilliant! This is a great series, Mark. Keep up the great history research and writing. I can't wait for the next episode.
    (Also, for the record, I did not know the tidbit about the original "Puck-Man" name before this video, but that totally makes sense.)

  • @deathtoll2001
    @deathtoll2001 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    HOLY CRAP IT'S CRYSTAL CASTLES! I played the heck out of that as a kid on the Commodore 64, but had long since forgotten the name :D
    This video is absolutely amazing! I had no idea that the game was so advanced, or that it had inspired nearly so much. Thank you again for all that you do.

  • @eduardorpg64
    @eduardorpg64 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Yet another masterfully designed video, Mark! Iwatani's idea to make Pac-Man popular with women ended up being a success. I mean, even my mom, who doesn't play games at all, told me that she played Pac-Man back when it originally came out. And of course that the enemies' AI was an impressive feat, since this was a game from 1980! I was actually mind-blown that the ghosts had a relatively complex AI since I thought games back in the 80s didn't have AI. Keep up the good work!

  • @ThunderRazorYT
    @ThunderRazorYT 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Brilliant stuff, Mark!

  • @JC_Revan
    @JC_Revan 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hearing about the ins and outs of Pac-Man's design is the best feeling that seeing behind the curtain or learning the magician's tricks has been for me. What an amazing game. Revolutionary

  • @dcashley303
    @dcashley303 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    That grid makes the game so much easier to understand. Super smart.

  • @kausmage25
    @kausmage25 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    You won me over with the Scott Pilgrim Clip. Thank youuu

  • @hmspolio
    @hmspolio 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    What a lovely video. Great work.

  • @brouhajoe
    @brouhajoe 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Congrats on this. Masterfully done.

  • @alessandromazza4557
    @alessandromazza4557 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Damn I'm already in love with this new series. Great work as always, your videos are an inspiration for me! I guess the OG Donkey Kong will be one of the next videos

  • @RameenFallschirmjager
    @RameenFallschirmjager 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    absolutely brilliant! The facts that I learned from this video are mind blowing! I had never thought pac-man is so sophisticated!

  • @lrgogo1517
    @lrgogo1517 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I remember hearing that the ghosts weren’t officially ghosts until Atari said so in a manual as an excuse for the enemies always blinking. Hearing that they were goblins gave more context for whatever was going on in the later cutscenes.

  • @Canadas_Very_Own
    @Canadas_Very_Own 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Outstanding video! I still love playing Pac Man.

  • @superlol178
    @superlol178 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Pac-man championchip edition 2 looks awesome!

  • @connorherron8607
    @connorherron8607 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I was waiting for the vandalization name change thingy, and then you one-upped that by making sure to include the great joke from Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

  • @projectaroid
    @projectaroid 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video! It is really interesting to understand how Pac-Man works. It's much more complicated than I thought it was.

  • @madxientist
    @madxientist 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    my grandma also had been obsessed in pacman for famicom(which belonged to my cousins). She even saw illusions of pacman while she closes her eyes for bedtime. The experience frightened her so much she and eventually quitted playing video games lol

  • @kilroy987
    @kilroy987 8 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I've been working on my own personal clone of Pacman as a passion project. The AI for each of the ghosts only makes up a tiny bit of the code, since all it does is decide which way a ghost will turn at the next intersection. Still, I'm sure a lot of thought and design went into the game, simple as it is. The chase mechanic requires that Pac-Man not be able to constantly move in one direction without turning around - the farther you run, the closer you come to having to turn a corner, letting the chasing ghosts flank you. You can stay ahead of the ghosts by turning as early as possible. The code behind the game is very simple (with a just a little complexity in when ghosts actually make their decisions about where to move, and how some timed events are handled) - the effectiveness of the game all came from the forethought and design of the game rules and board.

  • @tigerkill420
    @tigerkill420 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love the new series keep up the good work.

  • @mushroomdude123
    @mushroomdude123 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Pac-Man Adventures in Time on PC was the only game I could consistently get my dad to play with me when I was little. He was better at it than I was and taught me how to conserve the Power Pellets for when I needed them.
    Every time I utilize that strategy, I remember the nights we spent playing together.
    I think it’s fitting that Pac-Man found less success as a 3D platforming mascot and more as an old school arcade relic. That’s just what he does best.

  • @Yipper64
    @Yipper64 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    0:50 hmm so in a way this dude paved the way for Nintendo. Because Nintendo is the family friendly company nowadays.

  • @danielemazzali9810
    @danielemazzali9810 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    i just wanted to say i really really really really really like this series. Thank you Mark for doing this