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Pac-Man Hosts Party on Google For 30th Birthday


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Tech News: Google Pacman

It's been thirty years since Pac-Man began munching on those delicious white dots with haters of his voracious appetite constantly on his back. Today, the iconic little yellow character finds a huge fan (and birthday shoutout) in Google, who transformed their everyday logo on their homepage into a fully playable arcade game of the 1980's classic. Google, known for being pioneers of innovate ideas, decided to debut this interactive logo in honor of Pac-Man hitting the big 3-0 when the clock struck midnight in his homeland of Japan.

An 'Insert Coin' button for now appears beside the search button, and clicking twice will generate the two-player option (where player two takes control of Pac-Man's better half, Ms. Pac-Man, and uses the left keyboard controls of W, A, S, and D). Curious folks caught dawdling for too long at the home page will see the game automatically start itself up, and it's hard to resist. No need to be staying up until dawn to reach all 256 levels and get your Pac-Man fill, though! The game will be available for the next 48 hours, into the weekend.

Released on May 22, 1980 in Japan, the Pac-Man game was produced by Namco Bandai Games. It got its name from the Japanese sound 'Paku', which fittingly translates to 'chomp'. When it came to the United States in October, it became a huge hit, selling more than 100,000 units in its first year. According to ABC News, Pac-Man holds the Guinness World Record as the world's most successful coin-operated game.