10 Most Important Video Games In History

Arcades are (or sadly were) a magical experience. Seeing the arcade cabinets everywhere, the demo screens moving by, the lights flashing by, people bustling around and playing against each other, eating some greasy pizza while some music is playing in the background, all of this added up to an incredibly fun hangout.

But there's one game that is the centerpiece of every arcade that has ever existed. Pac-Man had people show up in droves with piles of quarters in their pockets, all hoping that they would be able to put their initials at the top of the high score screen.

It's almost hard to grasp how much of a phenomenon this game was. It wasn't just the default face of the arcade scene, it was a pop culture icon of the time. In fact, one of the hit songs of the time was directly inspired by it. "Pac-Man Fever" hit the top of the charts, and affected every arcade fan at the time. While arcades are a dying breed, Pac-Man has stood the test of time, and he can be thanked for making tons of people understand how fun games can be.