Pac-Man, stylized in all capitals as PAC-MAN, is a classic arcade game created by Toru Iwatani (born 1955) of Namco. It was first released in Japan under the name PUCKMAN in May 1980. The game was licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway Games and launched there in October 1980. This release coincided with the dominance of space-themed shooter arcade games like Galaxian and Asteroids. Pac-Man played a pivotal role in popularizing the maze chase genre and has become an enduring symbol of video game history and 1980s pop culture. Interestingly, there was a notable gender divide among players in different genres; a 1982 estimate suggested that about 60% of Pac-Man players were women, whereas 90% of Omega Race players—another popular game—were men.
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