Toru Iwatani

Toru Iwatani (born January 25, 1955) was a video game designer in the 1980s, and created one of the most popular arcade games of all time, Puck-man, better known by its American title Pac-man. Toru Iwatani File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... PUCK MAN is a Japanese video game first released in 1979 in Japan by Namco. ... Pac-Man is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution by Midway Games in 1979. ...

Iwatani was born in the Meguro ward of Tokyo, Japan. He joined the computer software company Namco in 1977, where he started his career in the video game business. There, he came up with the idea for a game called "Puck-Man" and in 1980, he, along with programmer Hideyuki Mokajima and three other Namco employees, finished the game. It was released to the Japanese public on May 10 of that year, where it became a huge success. It caught the attention of arcade-game manufacturer Bally/Midway Games, who bought the United States rights for the game and released the game in the U.S. as "Pac-Man", for fear that kids may deface a Puck Man cabinet by changing the 'P' to an 'F'. Due to its innovative concept and continuing international popularity, it is regarded as one of the all-time classic video games. Categories: Wards of Tokyo | Japan geography stubs ... Tokyo ) , literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized central area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ... Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Pac-Man is one of the most recognizable video games ever created. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... John Carmack is one of the most widely recognized and influential game programmers. ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... Bally (with its distinctive Rolling Ball logo) Bally (originally the Bally Manufacturing Corporation) is an American corporation. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) is an American video game publisher known for such game series as Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and Spy Hunter. ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government • President • Vice President Federal Republic George... Monitor Orientation: Vertical Type: Raster, standard resolution (224 x 288) 16 Colors Notes Developed during the Golden Age of Arcade Games. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ...

Iwatani went on to create a few other video games, including Libble Rabble, but none of them reached the amount of success that Pac-Man did. He was promoted within the ranks of Namco, and still works there today overseeing the administration of the company. Since April 2005 he has been teaching the subject of Character Design Studies at the University of Arts in Osaka as visiting professor. Libble Rabble is an arcade game that was released by Namco on October 16, 1983. ... Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... Osaka Castle Location in Japan Osaka (Japanese: 大阪市, Ōsaka-shi, ▶ (help· info)) is the capital of Osaka Prefecture and the third-largest city in Japan, with a population of 2. ...

External links

• Interview with Pac-man designer - Toru Iwatani from Retrogamer.
• Puck-Man fan page