The Pac-Man Principle

A User's Guide to Capitalism

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Pub Date 27 Jul 2018 | Archive Date 1 Jun 2018

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Description

In spite of being well into middle-age, Pac-Man's popularity shows no sign of decline and the character has appeared in over sixty games on virtually every games platform ever released. According to the David Brown celebrity index, in 2008, nearly three decades after initial release, 94% of Americans were able to recognise Pac-Man, which gave the character greater brand awareness than Super Mario. Pac-Man, with its avowed commitment to non-violence was a videogame of many firsts, including being designed to appeal to children and females and providing the first narrative interlude in a videogame. Although iconic, Pac-Man has not been subject to sustained critical analysis. This book helps to fill that gap, providing an extensive, sophisticated, but accessible analysis of the influence of Pac-Man on the way that we live in contemporary western societies.

In spite of being well into middle-age, Pac-Man's popularity shows no sign of decline and the character has appeared in over sixty games on virtually every games platform ever released. According to...


A Note From the Publisher

The first book to explore Pac-Man's relationship to contemporary society, and the first extended study of Pac-Man's importance to digital cultures.

The first book to explore Pac-Man's relationship to contemporary society, and the first extended study of Pac-Man's importance to digital cultures.


Advance Praise

Wade expertly pulls apart one of video gaming's most iconic titles to discover layer upon layer of meaning, drawing comparisons between Namco's globally-recognised pill-gobbler and the often shadowy worlds of capitalism, politics and much more besides, making it abundantly clear that there's much more to these pixellated classics of yesteryear than meets the eye.
Damien McFerran, Editor, Nintendo Life & Videogame and Tech Journalist

Wade expertly pulls apart one of video gaming's most iconic titles to discover layer upon layer of meaning, drawing comparisons between Namco's globally-recognised pill-gobbler and the often shadowy...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781785356056
PRICE £7.99 (GBP)