10 Most Influential Video Gaming Characters Of All Time

6. Pac-Man

The Grandfather of them all, Pac Man was one of the first Video Game Stars (albeit in an arcade environment) to gain social notoriety across all forms of media. Released in 1980 as an Arcade Cabinet, Pac-Man (the game) was responsible for giving the gamer a character to control with an actual name and persona (games prior to this had often used ships, paddles or shapes as the protagonist). Simply designed, Pac-Man was nothing more than a yellow circle with a mouth, but he was identifiable, and is arguably the reason we have video game characters today. The overall impact that Pac Man (the character) has had on modern popular culture is perhaps immeasurable. Even today, TV Shows can pay reference to him safe in the knowledge that all who hear it will instantly understand. The game itself was used as a Google title page, and Pac-Man arcade cabinets still retail for hundreds of pounds on eBay. A true great of the gaming world. Did You Know? There was a Pac Man TV Series, animated by Hanna Barbera that ran from 1982 €“ 1983 at the height of the games success.