
Ms, not Mrs
In 1981, Namco unleashed what was to become the most successful arcade cabinet of all time, Ms. Pac-Man, which featured subtle but significant tweaks on the original Pac-Man, thus seriously enhancing the gameplay experience. A few of these changes were as follows: 1) Apparently, the logarithms (not that I remember enough sophomore math to really get this) which were used to program the ghosts made them less predictable and more erratic, 2) instead of remaining static, the fruit dances around the play-field and appears in a random order, 3) and, of course, Ms. Pac-Man features a female protagonist–which was a rare find in the male-centric world of 80s gaming.
Even if you’re a wee-young gamer, you’re probably aware of these facts. You’ve been raised in a world saturated with Pac-mania. Many bars (and Laundromats) here in Brooklyn feature a Ms. Pac-Man machine (even if it is adjacent The Fast and the Furious). What you’re probably not privy to is that Ms. Pac-Man began her long career with a snip and a tuck–namely, a sex change. She was originally a little guy named Crazy Otto (see below). … Continue Reading