I figure most readers should know what Pac-Man is and what it means in its place not just in video game history but computing and cultural history as well.

The thing about the game was how simple yet how challenging it was to play.

Over the weekend I found a cool article that talked about the “programming logic” of how the ghosts behaved. Don’t worry, it’s not all programmer-geeky to read; in fact, it’s just like the ghosts: simple. When you read how simple the ghost’s “behavior logic” was you almost want to smack yourself on the forehead for all those quarters you spent on the game yet were so easily defeated by such simple logic. But it really shows the beauty in simplicity and how often that is the better solution.

That article links to The Pac-Mac Dossier, which is an amazing in-depth analysis of the game. Crazy how even after all these years the game still draws us in. It’s not always about flashy fancy graphics. Oh sure that’s nice, but gameplay (and in movies, story) are king.