Pac-Man

What Pac-Man Can Teach You In Your Business?

Who in this world has never played Pac-Man? It’s a classic, just the right amount of gamification, the right amount of intensity and simplicity to keep you hooked without losing the enthusiasm. Pac-Man is timeless, new generations can and do play it with the same level of Love that my generation does and rightly so. But what makes this 1980’s game still work in 2025? Let’s take a look :)

Quick History

Created by Japanese game designer Toru Iwatoni, Pac-man was released by Namco in 1980 as a response to the violent and action orientated games around at the time (think Shinobi for one). Pac-Man was designed to appeal to a larger audience (especially women) making it less Niche and giving it more of a chance of success. Even though it was released in Japan on May 22nd, it really took off several months later when it hit the USA in October 1980.

Pac-Man concept is simple, you guide the yellow pizza shaped icon around a maze collecting dots, whilst avoiding the ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde). To help you can collect power pellets that allow you to then eat the ghosts. Complete that and things speed up, level by level. You never win, so the game never ends. Instead the Win comes from having the highest score, something that continued in other classics like King Kong.

Later spin offs were created like Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man JR but nothing has come close to the success of the original. It’s simple, colourful and isn’t time consuming per play, something that only a handful of creators have managed to replicate since.

Business Learning

Pac-Man needs to be digested to understand how it’s still relevant 40+ years on, it’s a success that when you consider the points below. We love how you can take 1 thing and champion it, even more so give it longevity. A product that was made out of a passion for creating a non violent game that appealed to women too gives it a great “Why”. We love that’s it not overcomplicated and that it is simple to navigate, giving the user a nice and repeatable journey. Because of this It’s scalable which gives it the chance to be successful all around the world.

Here’s a few key business learning pointers: -

1. Innovation and Creativity: Pac-Man was a departure from the more violent and action-packed games of its time. The game's innovative concept showed that creativity can lead to a breakthrough product that appeals to a broad audience

Business Learnings: It’s not always a good idea to create something that everyone else does, often the opposite can be as effective. We learn in business to follow the trends, but that can depend on what the trend is. For example the trend here was Fighting Games, but the bigger trends was Gaming. By looking at both trends you potentially would pick different avenues to explore with different results. What led to Pac-Mans success was moving away from a Genre whilst still using the platforms and still using the Gaming trend. What are you offering? what could you do to make it different whilst still remaining in your industry?

2. Appealing to Diverse Audiences: Pac-Man was designed to appeal to a wider demographic, including women and families. This approach demonstrated that creating products with mass appeal can be a successful strategy.

Business Learnings: It’s a gamble to open up a new audience, but is often un-tapped. Categorising will bring more USP, but also can alienate potential revenues. Some businesses win work from being so locked down, others will lose revenues because of it. You have to decide if your product and service could work in other audiences. If you have a product or service that can service the masses, then you potentially have the makings of greatness.

3. Simple Gameplay, Complex Strategy: The game's simplicity in terms of gameplay made it accessible to a wide range of players. However, it also had underlying complexity that allowed for competitive play and high-score challenges, showing that products can have both broad appeal and depth.

Business Learnings: Pac-Man was built on simple code, it didn’t have worlds or complex graphics, but what it has it playability. Just like Space Invaders for example the game never ends, you simply rack up a higher score then leave your name on a leaderboard. It fits into the human desire to be a winner without needing to invest weeks into completing the game. Without the high score, i’d predict that it’s success would have not been so great, this is a great example of several actions coming to together to create an experience, that which out each other wouldn’t work.

4. Cultural and Merchandising Impact: Pac-Man's cultural influence extended beyond the gaming world. The franchise capitalised on its popularity through merchandise, including toys, clothing, and a popular animated series. This teaches the importance of brand expansion and merchandising for revenue and recognition.

Business Learnings: There are always ‘super fans’ for most businesses so finding an external revenue stream through their appreciation for you is important. Pac-Man brought this together by recognising toys, clothes and TV would be well received and purchased. Not only did this bring in a revenue stream but also supported the original game which kept people playing it. Pac-Man has never been out of sight and with Retro games continuing to come back, you wouldn’t bet against it remaining around for years to come.

5. Brand Longevity: The enduring popularity of Pac-Man demonstrates the potential for a brand to remain relevant over decades, provided it is managed well and adapted to changing times.

Business Learnings: There is no doubt that extending a brands longevity is a must, normally the longer you are around the more success you will see. Simon Sinek speaks about the Infinite Game in his book and you too should look to plan out further than a year if you would like to see your brand in the future. This plan will of course include adapting the world as it as at that moment, for example - if Blockbuster had followed Netflix model then just maybe they would have still been here.

6. Sequels and Expansions: The success of Pac-Man led to the creation of sequels and spin-off games. This strategy can help maintain the brand's presence and explore new avenues for growth.

Business Learnings: Don’t rest on your main business, look to see what other products and services can supply your eco-system. Often there are multiple wins that add to a customers experience. Imagine a football game without a pie? or cinema without popcorn? service the customer with a great and thoughtful experience and they normally will be happy to purchase over and over.

7. Competitive Play: Pac-Man's competitive aspect, with players striving for high scores, emphasised the importance of fostering a competitive community around a product, which can enhance engagement and longevity.

Business Learnings: Think about how you can engage your audience, is their gamification? can you run competitions? can you have your audience working inside your community/ fan base. Often this can lead to referral and easy sales, all barriers are removed and the audience become super fans and all because you actively engaged with them (This also keeps your business in the audiences mind).

8. Anniversary and Nostalgia Marketing: The 40th-anniversary celebration of Pac-Man showcased how nostalgia marketing can reignite interest in a brand. Reintroducing classic products and engaging with a dedicated fan base can generate renewed excitement and sales.

Business Learnings: You should celebrate milestones, not for vanity but for trust. People are more likely to buy from a real established business over a new one, so as you hit the numbers be sure to let people know. Feel free to look back and show the difference today from all those years ago, talk about success, failures, tell your story. If like Pac-Man you have the chance to bring out the originals then do so.

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In summary, Pac-Man's success in the gaming industry and broader culture demonstrates the value of innovation, broad audience appeal, brand expansion, and adaptability to changing market dynamics. These lessons can be applied to various businesses and industries. We often forget to plan out more than a year, businesses rarely look backwards, but most of all we never plan the story, we firefight life and business. What if you could use the learnings here and almost write out your best predictions for the next 3, 5, 10 years, I wonder how close you would be (i have a feeling closer than you ever think).