What was your Pac-Man team like? Who contributed the most besides you and how?
I worked closely with one of the programmers when we were developing the game, and we coordinated extensively until we both agreed on the design. That programmer was Mr. Shigeo Funaki, and he came up with the Ghost algorithm for the game, which was simply amazing. If the program made all the Ghosts chase after Pac-Man, it would have just made them trail Pac-Man, and that’s not very exciting on its own, which is why we adopted an algorithm for the Ghosts’ AI, making them disperse and move around Pac-Man.
Did you ever visit an American arcade in Pac-Man’s heyday? What did you think?
I actually did go to the US a few years after Pac-Man became a hit there. It was amazing to see young and old players from all walks of life playing the game. Seeing that convinced me that we had made the right design decisions when developing the game.
Pac man has been on board games, napkins, and cereal. What’s the weirdest place you’ve encountered Pac-Man?
I’d have to say it’s the Pac-Man phone, which was sent to us as a licensed product sample. I was impressed by how they properly captured the character’s design and incorporated the phone’s features. They managed to have the buttons lined up inside Pac-Man’s mouth, and you had to open his mouth to use the phone. What’s your favorite Pac-Man game or sequel?
I’d say it’s the successor to the original Pac-Man game, “Pac-Man Championship Edition.” The game rules, game speed and graphics that Mr. Tadashi Iguchi came up with are simply amazing.
If there’s one thing you could change about the original Pac-Man, what would it be? What’s something you couldn’t add to Pac-Man at the time because of technical restrictions but wish you could have?
With the game’s various features, such as the warp tunnels, the Ghost algorithm, the speed settings between Pac-Man and the Ghosts, I don’t think there’s anything in the game’s design that I would change or alter in any way. The design may be a product of the time, but we didn’t compromise the design because of technological limitations, and is as close to perfect as we can get.
Many people install a "speed chip" to make Pac-Man faster. Have you played Pac-Man with the "speed chip" installed? Do you prefer it fast or regular?
I’m not familiar with these “speed chips,” but the game was designed under the premise of offering balance in the gameplay, so it would be nice if everyone plays the game as it was intended.
I didn’t include any Easter Eggs or features to the game.
What’s the first game you ever played? What was it like? How did you decide to make games?
The games I first played were board games and card games. I even made my very own board game with its own set of rules back then. By the time I was in middle school, I took an interest in pinball and video games.
I’ve read that you wanted to design pinball before you began work on video games. What’s your favorite pinball machine? Have you ever worked on one?
Williams released a pinball machine called “Flash” back in 1979, and I liked its cool backglass and playfield design, and the machine’s captivating game features.
Why wouldn’t Namco make pinball machines?
It was because many parts and features comprising a pinball machine were patented by the pinball makers overseas. It would have been difficult for us to develop a machine without infringing on those patents, so instead, we developed the video game “GEE BEE” in 1978, which incorporated pinball features as part of its design. What’s a non-video game toy or amusement machine you worked on from before Pac-Man?
Before I worked on Pac-Man, I worked on an electromechanical machine (a machine that combines electrical and mechanical engineering processes and procedures) known as “F-1” in 1976 then moved on to the video game, “GEE BEE” in 1978. Unfortunately, Namco didn’t make any analog games or toys back then.
Did you ever play the Bally Midway pinball machines Baby Pac-Man and Mr. and Ms. Pac-Man? Do you think they are good representations of Pac-Man in pinball form?
I did play the “Baby Pac-Man” pinball machine before, and I thought baby Pac-Man was depicted nice and cute. That being said, I wasn’t too keen on the playfield because it was a bit too small for my playing comfort. How did the Pac-Man ghosts die? Who were they in their former mortal lives?
I came up with the Ghosts after being inspired by the ghosts that appeared in a Japanese manga, “Little Ghost Q-Taro (Obake no Kyutaro in Japanese),” and from watching the ghosts in the TV cartoon, “Casper the Friendly Ghost.” The Ghosts were ghosts from the very beginning, living among people, just like in the manga, “Little Ghost Q-Taro.” They didn’t “die” to become who they are, it’s more like the “youkai (Japanese ghosts and monsters)” in Japan - ethereal beings and concepts that reside among nature that were simply “there” from the very beginning.
You’ve mentioned that you wanted to broaden the game-playing audience by making a game more widely appealing to men and women alike. What roles did women play on your team or in your life in developing Pac-Man?
Back in 1979, when I started to think about making Pac-Man, the arcades were frequented mostly by the male audience, with games themed about fighting in space. This made arcades feel like they were a “playground for men,” and made it difficult for the female audience to enjoy games there. This is why I decided to target the female audience in hopes that it would make arcades a bit more accessible for everyone to enjoy.
I decided to target the female audience in hopes that it would make arcades a bit more accessible for everyone to enjoy.
As for our team, this was back in the dawn of the video game era, a time when there sadly wasn’t as many female developers, so we didn’t have any on our team back then. It didn’t take long for females to appear in the development scene, though. Speaking of, I don’t particularly see any reason why gender would play a major role in game development. Similar to fashion designers, creators are able to imagine what their customers want regardless of gender. I think that applies to video game development, too.“
How would you describe the place you developed Pac-Man in? Was it a fun place to work? What’s a funny story you like to tell about Namco at the time?
Namco’s founder, Mr. Masaya Nakamura created a working environment that allowed young and aspiring employees to develop games freely, without having to worry about milestones and deadlines, so I enjoyed my time at work quite a lot.
This was back during the dawn of the video game era, so work back then was like being handed a blank canvas. We had freedom to imagine new worlds, so we even spent time after work over a drink as we discussed game concepts. We even talked about things other than video games, even into philosophical concepts such as “what does ‘play’ means to humans?” With our small team, you could say our work environment was very cozy, like a close-knit studio of sorts. Samuel Claiborn is IGN's Managing Editor and both fixes and breaks arcade machines in his garage. He can diagnose that RAM issue on your Pac-Man PCB. TCELES B HSUP to follow him @Samuel_IGN on Twitter.
Incredible Pac-Man art by Amanda Flagg.
Additional interview help by Brian Altano.
