10 Greatest Programming Milestones In Gaming History

4. Pac-Man

One of the many gaming icons of the 1980s, Pac-Man didn't just invent the maze-chase genre; it pushed artificial intelligence in games to new heights by making every kind of ghost have their own distinctive behavioural pattern. The red ghosts chase after Pac-Man like a fat kid lumbering after an ice cream truck, while the pink ones cunningly plot ambushes. Every colour had its own personality and way of hunting the player down, encouraging strategic thinking while adding some variety to the gameplay. Pac-Man is a game with a huge legacy that spans genres. Video games as a whole benefited greatly from its existence. Its artificial intelligence was nothing short of revolutionary and its unique, stealth and chase-based gameplay would later inspire everything from Metal Gear to Grand Theft Auto.