Behind a pizza-slice smile: the dark side of Pac-Man

The pill-munching arcade classic is 35 years old today, but while Pac-Man looks cute, many writers have discovered a sinister secret within

On 22 May 1980, Japanese arcade machine manufacturer Namco changed video games forever. Its new release, Pac-Man, was designed to appeal far beyond the teenage boys pumping coins into early shooters like Space Invaders and Galaxian. Designer Shigeo Funaki specifically set out to create a "comical" game that everyone could enjoy, especially women. His loveable lead character is effectively a pizza with a slice missing, the enemies are four cute ghosts with names like Blinky and Inky, and you collect colourful fruit for bonus scores. What could be nicer? The game would go on to sell 400,000 machines within two years and has seen countless home console conversions, updates and spin-offs. Pac-Man is a cultural icon. Everyone loves Pac-Man.

He perhaps surmises that if he eats enough, he will attain " perfect roundness. But it can never happen