Pac Man Nights

Pac Man is 30!! Can you believe that?

Being a gamer of a certain age, you might imagine I was probably around when that new game, Pac Man, started showing up in dark corners of public places. I won't say how old... or how young I was, but it was a few years post disco and I was in my prime.

Upscale bars with plants, shiny brass rails, big dance floors and fancy drinks were trying to hold onto the disco feel. They had cover charges and membership cards and called themselves night clubs.... and they had Pac Man machines, which didn't fit the decor or the dance party atmosphere at all, so they usually stuck them way in the back near the restrooms.

Pac Man What More Could a Girl Want?
In retrospect, I was never really a bar person.  Like lots of folks in those clubs, I wasn't on the prowl for a mate; I had one of those at home. I danced sometimes, but not much. From what I can recall, those night clubs were a great place to escape family responsibilities for a few hours... and of course there was Pac Man.... What more could a girl want?

Pac Man was, indeed, the main attraction for me...hours of sipping Chablis and maneuvering that Pac Man joystick. I can remember the panic of giving up my machine when I ran out of quarters. I can see the neon colors on the screen. I can hear the sound effects.... the ghosts and that little yellow disc, Pac Man, with the big mouth, gobbling up everything in his path. 


When my job transferred me to another city, I gave up my night club jaunts and forgot all about those Pac Man nights.... until today when I heard Pac Man was turning 30... Wow!

Happy Birthday Pac Man!