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PG Presents: Inside Pac-Man!
Have you ever walked past an arcade game and wondered, what is inside that monolith of gaming history, the mysterious cabinet that sits in pizza parlors, bowling alleys, super markets, and upon occasion, an arcade?
Fear not, video game philosopher. We have the technology and an all access pass to go inside an original arcade machine, the iconic symbol of the 80’s arcade, Pac-Man.
The arcade gaming era in America was an unfortunately short period that took place between the early 1980’s and '90's. Back then it was not unusual for a young professional to spend an entire lunch hour in the arcade across the street, playing a variety of games. The most popular game by far was Pac-Man, the simple yet difficult to master game of chasing ghosts and eating dots around similar mazes for countless stages, all while enjoying the wonderful cut-scenes. The history of Pac-Man is a colorful one, from name changes to countless sequels and spin-offs; the game remains a cornerstone among video game franchises.
First published by Namco in Japan as ‘Puckman’ and later released by Midway in America as ‘Pac-Man’ due to fears of vandalism. (Destroying the chance for teenagers everywhere to declare themselves incredibly clever by changing the ‘p’ to an ‘f’) Pac-Man is often referenced as the major symbol of the 1980’s arcade culture in America and crossed over to become one of the better known video game franchises ever with countless sequels and spin-offs, it will no doubt continue to be a major video game symbol for years to come.
The front of the Pac-Man arcade machine is instantly recognizable with the yellow cabinet and colorful artwork featuring the ghosts and Pac-Man. The lighted sign at the top is also eye catching when walking in to the room.
The all important control stick and screen.
The colorful artwork continues.
The back air vents and the manufacturer's ID plate.
The Pac-Man arcade machine has some interesting flyers on the inside of the cabinet; the ‘programming option guide’ lists the options for different modes of play, presumably for where the arcade unit may be placed, different amount of ‘Packmen’ lives and bonuses for different locations, to make the games longer, in a supermarket or bowling alley, or an arcade, where it would be more profitable to have shorter games that require more credits.
A single Pac-Man arcade machine could be very profitable in the late 1980’s or even the early 1990’s, bringing in a nice profit if it was placed in the right location. The coin tray could hold roughly $1500-$2000 in quarters before it could not take any more or the cabinet would retaliate.
Looking in the back of the cabinet you can see the power converter on the bottom (notice the ‘high voltage’ sign) and on the right side a switch to ensure that the cabinet is closed before operation. The large black metal fixture at the top of the cabinet holds the screen in place and on the left side the other components make up the bulk of the cabinet. In this picture the bottom of the cabinet seems to have some sort of discoloration, possibility from water damage, but the machine runs fine.
.The manual for the arcade machine lists all of the parts needed to make repairs and how to change the various operations for the upright, cocktail, and mini Pac-Man arcade machines that were available in the era.
Diagrams of the outside of the machine...
...and the inside.
And now, we take a video tour of the Pac-Man machine in all of its glory!
If you're looking for one of these babies for your collection, you better start saving your quarters. A Pac-Man arcade cabinet in good, working condition can cost up to and over a thousand dollars. But if you're looking for a true centerpiece to your video gaming collection, nothing beats an authentic classic arcade machine.
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Comments
That picture of Pac-Man's skeleton, BRILLIANT!!!
Posted by: mexfreak86 | October 12, 2007 05:53 PM