What Pac-Man Brought to Game Design | Design Icons

[@Spectral352]

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

[@JaydevRaol]

Yeah 😄

[@jackiexkh]

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]

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

[@masonguyman3074]

Pac MAN! 💪

[@mslightbulb]

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

[@yuuneeq9494]

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

[@mdlchannel8318]

I call it natural selection.

[@acepedro12]

I thought exactly the same thing, aeueahuaehuhea

[@sachitechless]

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]

@@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.

[@HomerGunther]

And don't forget fleeing vengeful spirits!

[@YoungTheFish]

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

[@slothbaby2104]

THE HORROR

[@EqualityEarth]

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

[@EqualityEarth]

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]

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

[@vincentmuyo]

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

[@VladShpiro]

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

[@KuraIthys]

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]

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

[@thomasgibbs7239]

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!

[@jana19993]

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]

janiqua thissss

[@DarylTalksGames]

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

[@CurtisJensenGames]

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]

@@CurtisJensenGames 10:41

[@CurtisJensenGames]

@@evs2895 Thanks mate!

[@aangsstaff4174]

Daryl Talks Games I fricking love your channel

[@magnuspeacock5857]

@SpyengoEen understandable

[@Absquatula]

"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]

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

[@lizardlegend42]

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

[@tanushbhansali]

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

[@bast01]

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

[@bast01]

@@KevinJDildonik okay, that makes more sense

[@badwrongfun5541]

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]

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

[@Mswordx23]

Well yeah he's Pac-MAN

[@KusaneHexaku]

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

[@JJMcCullough]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[@subprogram32]

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]

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

[@yumitsup]

You should watch Scott Pilgrim then! haha

[@WOOTMAN24]

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

[@fakegmale4648]

wootman24 what do you mean?

[@WOOTMAN24]

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

[@dustinwainwright6429]

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

[@thorstend.888]

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]

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

[@FraserSouris]

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]

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]

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]

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

[@andrewsparkes8829]

@@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]

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

[@bigcat5348]

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]

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

[@firebal6129]

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

[@bcriceroni6553]

@@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]

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

[@jasonblalock4429]

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]

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

[@AriyanK0091]

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]

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

[@MariotheAnimator]

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

[@piteoswaldo]

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]

*Death Stranding has entered the chat*

[@mobiusdick6225]

"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?

[@Madhattersinjeans]

@QuickRat I respectfully disagree, I would always like 10 androgenous characters to tell me things.

[@Gaff.]

_[...]so intuitive that your grandmother can pick it up and play it[...]_ Funny, my girlfriend's grandmother taught her how to play video games. She had insomnia and started playing her son's Sega games at night, then showed my girlfriend and her siblings how to play Sonic and Toejam & Earl next time they visited.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

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

[@ChrisLT]

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.

[@KnightsDisillusion]

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

[@Jolgeable]

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

[@Antimuffin]

"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.

[@fraserweist3793]

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]

I’m absolutely disappointed

[@Stephen-Fox]

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)

[@ghostderazgriz]

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.

[@Evanski]

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

[@salvatoremazzone6912]

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

[@felixroux]

Flesh of ghosts?

[@piss7438]

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

[@zyaicob]

The what of ghosts?

[@mascotvt]

They are wearing sheets so...

[@JairusC]

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.

[@ralofpatel470]

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

[@GunnarClovis]

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 KZbin...) 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]

Agree about the logo, it is lovely!

[@BitsofJoshua]

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

[@BRICK101]

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

[@lrgogo1517]

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.

[@TheCronoSage]

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

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

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!

[@otooandoh9556]

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.

[@onelazynoob15]

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.

[@romilrh]

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

[@piss7438]

Puc-man*

[@kirb_erus]

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

[@piss7438]

@@kirb_erus Puc-man*

[@Siehste-VideogameEssays]

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!

[@immortalsun]

Yet another incredible video by one of my favourite channels on KZbin!

[@skatemazon]

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

[@Lishtenbird]

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

[@onurbalik]

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

[@NoNameAtAll2]

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

[@Lishtenbird]

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

[@aurin_komak]

Am I a violent person, I eat food

[@sodiboo]

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

[@masfreak89]

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!

[@BreninWatson]

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

[@joesmith2424]

Its almost frustrating how flawless your videos are

[@inuinuinuinuinu]

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.

[@Fawriel]

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

[@RizoftheDead]

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.

[@JC_Revan]

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

[@thejoyfuldragon887]

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.

[@benjaminpenny2279]

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.

[@GwydionAE]

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.

[@futuramax]

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

[@akhon]

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

[@Emelenyt]

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

[@VladlustTV]

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

[@deathtoll2001]

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.

[@matthall8744]

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

[@Thelorme]

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

[@Doran.]

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.)

[@portnaluinge]

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

[@Calcifrizzle]

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

[@stevenxenoknight3845]

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

[@danielemazzali9810]

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

[@eduardorpg64]

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!

[@mattdavisgames]

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!

[@KaiClavier]

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]

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]

@@CoercedJab Sure thing. :)

[@genericanimeguy]

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

[@RameenFallschirmjager]

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

[@northrain0462]

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

[@Thorcoal]

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

[@projectaroid]

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

[@baronohm2569]

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

[@madxientist]

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

[@Mike-uv2px]

Fascinating! I love the simple rules that give the illusion of ghost teamwork.

[@KusaneHexaku]

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.

[@ch0arrim]

My mind is seriously blown! I never knew that there were this cool AI solutions in packman! A truly masterfull episode! Great work :D

[@cintron3d]

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.

[@mushroomdude123]

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.

[@Tyveris]

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

[@jonaswolthaus1901]

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

[@parttoon8305]

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

[@Absquatula]

Trackball arcade games, forever!!! ❤

[@PsychadelicoDuck]

I'm really appreciating this series. I've told people occasionally that just because a game is old doesn't mean it's bad, and just because a game is new doesn't mean it's good. Technology changes, but the principles of game design are fundamental. And this series just shows how deep that goes. edit: I didn't know about Pacman's old name!

[@alessandromazza4557]

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

[@PaulKankiewicz]

I basically never comment on videos, but this was too good to not say something. I had heard about the different AI behaviors before, but your visual representations of them were fantastic! Thank you!

[@rodrigogonzalezduarte5874]

Oh man I didn't know the puck man thing. Great video as always, Mark.

[@campjona]

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

[@kausmage25]

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

[@midasmagnezone4282]

15:34 "...and quite easily, a design icon." That's the new "That's just a theory. A GAME THEORY!"

[@uxorioushornet]

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

[@GeneralBolas]

The thing I find most interesting about the ghost AI in Pac-Man is how *necessary* it is from a game design perspective for the game. On the surface, it feels like a flourish, something a brilliant game designer did just because they could. But if you dig a bit deeper, you find that it really couldn't have gone another way. It wasn't the difference between a good game and a great game; it was the difference between a great game and a broken one. If you ever tried to code Pac-Man yourself, you will quickly find that if you give all the ghosts the same (relatively simple) AI... they eventually all bunch up together. This turns multiple ghosts into just one or two ghosts. So why bother having so many of them? Chase mode, from this perspective, is not only a way to give the player a break; it's also a way to split the ghosts up. Giving each ghost different AI serves a similar purpose. Design like this is necessary for making the game actually work.

[@tamsinsandrielle]

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

[@BenniArt]

Wonderful video, Mark! I had heard that the ghosts' AI was unusual, but never knew the extent, nor did I have such a neat visualisation for it until now.

[@Yipper64]

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

[@peppidesu]

3:52 pinky doesn't always target pacman in front. the screen coordinates are stored in two adjecent bytes and addition is done all at once. when pacman is facing up, 1 is subtracted four times from its y position. subtraction on the NES however works by adding 256-n to a value. this causes the value to overflow, and gives you the desired result. but because subtraction is done all at ones, the value 00FF is added instead, causing the overflow bit to get carried to the previous byte, the one corresponding to the x coordinate. so whenever pacman subtracts 1 from any y coord, it will always add 1 to the x coord.

[@SuperDuperJamer]

What an amazingly analytical video! It's all very informative. Thank you so much! This video is also to the Pac-Man ones by Retro Games Mechanic Explained! So cool to see more of this. And thank you for the name-change Puck-Man trivia: I never knew.

[@RodTejada502]

Wow! Mindblowing the strategy behind it, always wondered how they pulled it off back in the day.

[@ShionariK]

That behaviour animation must have been hell to produce

[@kilroy987]

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.

[@porkchopsensei2742]

This Design Icons series is turning out really well! I wonder what you'll talk about next. Mario probably. Maybe Snake.

[@dcashley303]

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

[@Canadas_Very_Own]

Outstanding video! I still love playing Pac Man.

[@thomasbuckley6999]

I just want to add a shout out for the incredibly fun pac-man multiplayer game for the DS. Basically how it works, is that each player plays as a ghost and the ghost that catches pac-man gets to play as pac man the next round. The game ends up involving a ton of communication because the ghosts can only see a small part of the map, so they have to talk in order to figure out where he is.

[@NikkiTheViolist]

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.

[@lightgivemepower6425]

And side scrolling platformer