Brock Arnason
19 February 1997

Like many classical figures, the game's hero leads a dichotomous existence. Although he spends much of his life running from his personal demons, at times he becomes a raging beast, capable of devouring his enemies whole. He is both Yin and Yang. His transformation is realized through the acquisition of a powerful talisman. This talisman, like the hero, has a simple, circular shape, indicating the unity and perfection of man's natural form. In the hero, however, this perfection is marred by a missing piece, indicating the corruption of humanity by greed and desire. One can't help but draw parallels to Rousseau's noble savage. Ironically, PacMan can regain his noble status only by devouring a symbol of his former perfection.

We are driven by our own personal demons to succeed, to consume without limit, as PacMan does.

The programmers' choice to represent his world as a simple maze is replete with meaning. This maze, similar in appearance to that traversed by a laboratory rat, makes a statement about our own lives. We too are PacMen, struggling to free ourselves from the banal. And what is PacMan's reward for successfully navigating his maze? Another maze, with faster demons. Similarly, we are driven by our own personal demons to succeed, to consume without limit, as PacMan does.

Projecting some of the most salient problems of our time onto a computer game may seem simplistic to some. To others, it represents the pinnacle of that most elusive art, social satire. I hope that this article has illustrated both the greatness of PacMan, and the sickness of modern society. Perhaps through our enjoyment of the game, we can vicariously practice the most base of human actions, eliminating the need for them in real human interaction. If we all played PacMan, would the world not be a better place?