Vintage Pac-Man game: We were obsessed with eating up those gobbling goblins in the 1980s & 1990s

Vintage Pac-Man video games and arcade games

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Taking a look back at the original, vintage Pac-Man game

Are you ready for a blast from the past?? Specifically, those memorable days of neon scrunchies, acid-washed jeans, and video games — including that timeless arcade classic: Pac-Man.

If you were alive and kicking in the 80s and 90s, you probably spent hours gobbling up those pesky goblins with the iconic yellow character. Now let’s take a dive into the maze of Pac-Man nostalgia together!

The essential vintage Pac-Man game – Options and instructions (1982)

Watch out for these gobbling goblins — they’re nothing but trouble. Eat an energy dot and you can gobble those goblins back. For an extra treat, keep your eyes open for tasty bonus nuggets.

The essential Pac Man - Options and instructions (1982)

THE OPTION KEY CHANGES DIFFICULTY: Press the OPTION key to change the level of difficulty you start at — represented by symbols below the maze. Cherries are the least difficult. Each time you press the option key the symbol changes, from cherries to a strawberry and so on up the scale.

THE SYSTEM RESET KEY: The SYSTEM RESET key on the computer resets the game, returning to the one-player selection and the lowest skill-level option. The high score from any previous game is retained on the screen, until the computer is turned off.

THE SPACE BAR PAUSES THE GAME: Press the SPACE BAR on the computer if you want to pause in the middle of a game. Press the SPACE BAR a second time to pick up where you left off.


Vintage 80s Pac-Man tips from 1982

Vintage 80s Pac-Man tips from 1982 (2)

Vintage 80s Pac-Man tips from 1982 (1)

ALSO SEE: The Last Starfighter: The movie where video game chops got a teen recruited to fight a space battle (1984)


The essential Pac-Man game – Atari manual (1982)

Vintage Pac-Man video games

The essential Pac Man - Atari manual (1982)


Vintage Atari Pac-Man game cover

Vintage Atari Pac Man game cover

ALSO SEE: 1970s video games & gaming consoles


Vintage 80s Baby Pac-Man game flyer (1982)

Vintage 80s Baby Pac-Man flyer (1982)


Pac-Man arcade video game (1982)

Pac Man arcade video game (1982)


Super Pac-Man game by Namco (1982)

Super Pac-Man by Namco (1982)


Pac Man scoring – Bonus nuggets

Pac Man scoring - Bonus nuggets

ALSO SEE
Look back at the original classic Nintendo Entertainment System/NES from the 1980s

Sega Ms Pac-Man – Mega Drive software

Sega Ms Pac-Man - Mega Drive software

NOW SEE THIS: See dozens of 1980s video games & gaming consoles


Retro 80s Paxxon Pac-Man watches (1983)

Retro 80s Paxxon Pac-Man watches (1983)


Vintage Pac-Man point values (1987)

Bell, key, first ghost, second ghost, third ghost, fourth ghost

Vintage Pac Man point values (1987)

Atari PAC MAN Manual International Version (1987)


Ms Pac-Man: The new femme fatale of the game world (1982)

The amazing Ms Pac-Man offers all the fun of Midway’s famous Pac Man with four new mazes, added bonus fruit symbols that float freely through the maze, two new side exists that give four chances for getaway, and a unique cartoon series.

Ms Pac-Man The new femme fatale of the game world (1982)


If you think Pac-Man is a tough act to follow, meet Ms Pac Man (1983)

Make no mistake — this little lady is a screen sensation. More dynamic, more talented than even Pac-Man himself (and he’s the world’s biggest-selling video game ever).

atari 2600 ms pac man


Which player is eating twice as much? (1983)

Think fast. Here comes Ms Pac Man from Atari: Meet the new home version of Ms Pac Man. She looks and plays so much like the arcade, she’s unlike any home video game you’ve ever played before. And she’s only from Atari…

Ms Pac Man

You get four ghosts. Four mazes. Escape tunnels. And lots of floating munchies. Pears to pretzels, apples to oranges. To get the top banana, worth 5000 points, you have to know your little lady backward and forward.

The way the player on the left does. He gets 1000 points for the apple. While the player on the right gets only half as much for the orange. But plenty of indigestion. So escort Ms Pac Man out of the arcade. Because this woman’s place is in the home.

Sega Ms Pac-Man - Mega Drive software


Vintage 1993 Pac Man NES instruction manual cover

Vintage 1993 Pac Man NES instruction manual cover


Pac-Man Fever – 1990s and 2000s

Pac-Man Fever - 1990s and 2000s

NOW SEE THIS: After arcade video games like Pac Man & Space Invaders hit the scene in the ’80s, weekends were never the same again

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Comments on this story

3 Responses

  1. I graduated from high school in 1982, which was the year of Pac-Man. Everyone I knew was obsessed, and people who were good at it were minor celebrities at the local arcades. I preferred Ms. Pac-Man because the joystick seemed more responsive and therefore easier and more satisfying to play. And of course, who can forget the song “Pac-Man Fever” by Buckner & Garcia, which was a hit for about five minutes in early 1982.

  2. My favorite video game was Robotron:2084…Loved it and like so many others spent a small fortune playing every chance I got. Good times for sure!

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