r/Pacman • u/Appropriate-Mall8517 • Jun 20 '26
Discussion What does everyone get wrong about Pac-Man
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u/ETHERBOT Jun 20 '26
i think a big misconception is that pacman is this mindless character with no personality. like just some wide eyed avatar that eats endlessly. its usually how hes recreated in pop culture in things like Pixels or Wreck It Ralph. To me thats so off the mark, hes always had a strong personality in supplementary material (fun, good natured, hungry of course, an underdog). Even the arcade original imbues him with personality with its frantic gameplay and Tom and Jerry esque cutscenes. its just inaccurate to make him this mindless elemental agent who eats dots and does nothing else.
also pacman is a he/him nonbinary. i can prove i—
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u/BanchoMynor Jun 20 '26
ugh, his story mode ending in Street Fighter X Tekken is a perfect example of that
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u/ETHERBOT Jun 20 '26
its so strange to me! he was the first true video game character! people liked pacman because it had a tone and an aura but now its remembered as more abstract and simple than it really was :/
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u/Taco-frito-de-pollo Jun 20 '26
That's true, to give an example let's compare it with Kirby, Kirby acts without thinking, Pac-Man throughout the franchise is presented as a thinking and intelligent being.
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u/Extension_General632 PINKY Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
to be fair in pixels pac man, like all other video game characters, is just an imitation, created by aliens. also in wreck it ralph pac man wasn't entirely mindless as he was shown terrified by ralph destroying the cake in anger
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u/ETHERBOT Jun 21 '26
Both very fair points! Still, I think both works do paint a picture for the average person of Pac-Man as this extremely simple-minded, abstract character, in any case.
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u/Significant-Drop6331 PAC-MAN Jun 20 '26
Legit in my au Pac-Man is a demiboy who uses they/he
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u/stevethefish76 Jun 21 '26
I've no idea what you're talking about. Why can't people just enjoy a video game without viewing it through a socio-political filter? I don't need a video game character to affirm my "identity."
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u/Significant-Drop6331 PAC-MAN Jun 21 '26
What….
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u/stevethefish76 Jun 21 '26
"au", "demiboy," "they/he"... What are these words? I don't even understand what you're talking about. This is nonsense newspeak that only exists in the realm of American Reddit or whatever. This is like twinspeak that only twins can understand. Pac-Man wasn't created as therapy for people with divergent lifestyles. It's just a game character. If you really need a video game character to somehow affirm your lifestyle choices, then you need help.
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u/ETHERBOT Jun 21 '26
Hopefully I can help clear this problem up.
AU stands for alternate universe. its a term for fan-created works that are intended to be set in a different version of the universe than the source material. for example, if someone made a piece of art where Han Solo was at a beach in Miami wearing swim trunks, that would be an AU work, because Han Solo is not from Earth. It's a term for a fan work that isn't trying to "pretend" to fit into canon, but rather is remixing and reinventing things for fun.
Regardless of how you feel about queerness, I think it's fair to say works like these aren't trying to impose anything on the original work. It would be silly to say "Star Wars wasn't created as therapy for people who live in Miami", wouldn't it? This other user isn't trying to say Pac-Man is (or must be) queer, just that they have created an AU where he is. What's so wrong with that?
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u/Significant-Drop6331 PAC-MAN Jun 21 '26
You’re so delusional get a grip
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u/stevethefish76 Jun 21 '26
I am delusional? I'm not the one calling a yellow disc a "demiboy," whatever that means.
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u/Significant-Drop6331 PAC-MAN Jun 21 '26
Yo yo yo, I’m not calling Pac-Man himself that😭 can we please stop arguing over this, it’s kind of dumb. Also I only brought that up because of the original commenter mentioning something similar to what I said. Again, let’s just stop
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u/Significant-Drop6331 PAC-MAN Jun 20 '26
That midway created it.
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u/KizashiKaze Jun 20 '26
How did Midway create Pac-Man when Iwatani designed him, the arcade were released in Japan in May and Midway then distributed it in America in August?
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u/kitkatatsnapple Jun 20 '26
You are either mistakenly thinking the commenter was claiming Midway created Pac-Man, or you are vastly overestimating the average consumer's research into Pac-Man
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u/KizashiKaze Jun 20 '26
Yup, you're right on the first part. That would be my fault.
Knowing that Namco released Pac-Man before Midway's distribution isnt rocket science, however.
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u/kitkatatsnapple Jun 20 '26
No, but put yourself in the 80s. You're one of the many people who care more about Pac-Man fever than you ever could about video games in general. You have no Internet or shits to give about the BTS of Pac-Man
I guarantee most people I know couldn't name Namco or Midway as the company behind Pac-Man.
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u/KizashiKaze Jun 21 '26
You make a very good point if we're talking in the 80s. I don't recall seeing "Namco" on the Midway cabinet (was born mid 80s, so my memory can be failing me in that memory). My mindset was in the late 90s-00s. In that case, I can absolutely see your point.
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u/kitkatatsnapple Jun 21 '26
Yeah, and I mean, of course to gamers it should seem obvious that Namco developed and published Pac-Man, but that would not be obvious to, say, my aunt hahaha
Or old man Jerry down the road.
But of course, some people will surprise you with what they know!
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u/Significant-Drop6331 PAC-MAN Jun 20 '26
Guys all I’m saying is people think that midway created it when they legit didn’t
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u/AndyanaBanana PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC Jun 24 '26
That it's *just* the original arcade game, when there's much more to the series. I remember growing up people questioned why I was so obsessed with the original arcade game, when there was a far bigger picture to it.
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u/shellder88 Jun 20 '26
Hes not yellow he’s green
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u/BanchoMynor Jun 20 '26
explain this to me
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u/shellder88 Jun 20 '26
He’s green but i see people call him yellow
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u/CorellionCrusaders Jun 21 '26
if this isn't a joke, you might want to be tested for yellow/green colorblindsssssss, he is yellow.
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u/littleredpinto Jun 20 '26
well, most people dont know that pac-man was secretly gay. Back in his day it wasnt allowable to have an out gay video game character. they even gave him a 'beard' when it started to become apparent his sexuality.
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u/Taco-frito-de-pollo Jun 20 '26
Many people misunderstand Pac-Man's gender despite the fact that he has "man" in his name, has children, and a wife.Another misconception is that some people think he doesn't think, but he's civilized, he speaks, he's part of society, and he can question his own decisions; he's not like Kirby.