Who'd have thought that a pizza could have had such an impact on gaming - but the innocuous foodstuff spawned one of the most iconic gaming characters ever... 30 years ago today! Happy birthday, Pac-Man.

The designer's inspiration for the cutesy yellow character came from a pizza with a slice missing. The rest, as they say, is history. On May 22, 1980, Pac-Man was born - along with his four ghostly pals, Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde!

He was originally called Puck Man but some shrewd guys decided a name change was needed in case unscrupulous types defaced the arcade cabinets and turned his name into something altogether a little more x-rated!

According to the Gamer's Edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, Pac-Man was played some 250 million times in 1981 alone!

Search giant Google commemorated the anniversary yesterday by transforming its own logo into a playable Pac-Man game - with 255 levels and two player option. It no doubt helped many people get through a long work day.


The fact that this is the first time Google has ever done something like this just goes to show the impact the pill-munching blob has had on our culture and lives. Sadly, the change is only temporary - with the game only being available for 48 hours.

Here's to the next three decades!