R.I.P: Masaya Nakamura, the "Father of Pac-Man"
Posted by: Timothy Tibbetts on 01/30/2017 07:36 AM
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Masaya Nakamura, the "Father of Pac-Man" who founded the Japanese video game company behind the hit Pac-Man, has died. He was 91.
For me, this one is a bit personal. I spent years playing various Pac-Man games and was even able to play level 1 blindfolded. These sort of games turned me on to computer games and eventually a career in computers and technology.
Nakamura founded Namco, part of Bandai Namco, in 1955. It started out as just two mechanical horse rides on a department store rooftop but went on to pioneer game arcades and amusement parks.
Pac-Man was designed by Namco engineer and video game maker Toru Iwatani. It went on sale in 1980, and it's estimated to have been played more than 10 billion times.
The idea for Pac-Man's design came from the image of a pizza with a slice carved out. Nakamura reportedly chose the word "Pac," or "pakku" in Japanese, to represent the sound of the Pac-Man munching its prey.
The family is not commenting and would like their privacy.
Source: Fox News
For me, this one is a bit personal. I spent years playing various Pac-Man games and was even able to play level 1 blindfolded. These sort of games turned me on to computer games and eventually a career in computers and technology.
Nakamura founded Namco, part of Bandai Namco, in 1955. It started out as just two mechanical horse rides on a department store rooftop but went on to pioneer game arcades and amusement parks.
Pac-Man was designed by Namco engineer and video game maker Toru Iwatani. It went on sale in 1980, and it's estimated to have been played more than 10 billion times.
The idea for Pac-Man's design came from the image of a pizza with a slice carved out. Nakamura reportedly chose the word "Pac," or "pakku" in Japanese, to represent the sound of the Pac-Man munching its prey.
The family is not commenting and would like their privacy.
Source: Fox News
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