Pacman Fever
Good evening, everybody. This is Tim speaking.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately (A dangerous pasttime, I know), and, it being December, I've been thinking a lot about what I think most of us have on our minds this time of year: Pacman.
So, first, there was Pacman. A great game. We all love it. Then, there was Ms. Pacman. Also, a great game, as it was, in actuality, the same game, with minor differences (we'll get to those momentarily). But here's what's been on my mind: what is the relationship between Pacman and Ms. Pacman. As a child, I had always assumed that they were married, and Ms. Pacman was the sort of super old-fashioned woman who goes by Mrs. Herhusband'sfullname. You know, like "Hi, I'm Mrs. Dr. Eugene Phillip Grotowski. I was wondering how long it might take you kind fellows to deliver a brand new Frigidaire to my home in Levitown." But, no, it's not Mrs. Pacman, it's Ms Pacman. Which implies not marriage, but a blood relation. Which means, that Pacman can't be specifially that character's name. It's a family name. So, the ultimate mystery of the Pacman franchise is this: WHAT IS PACMAN'S FIRST NAME? I'm going with Eugene. Of course, the other explanation is that sometimes Pacman cross dresses.
Here's the other thing about Pacman that's been troubling me. There were very few actual differences between Pacman and Ms. Pacman. One of the few was the fourth ghost. For those not caught up in Pacman lore, a refresher: There were four ghosts in Pacman. Their names were Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde. There were four ghosts in Ms. Pacman. Their names were Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Sue. Four ghosts in each game. Three were the same in both. The fourth was unique to the member of the Pac clan. Pacman, being light on story, never really explains why the ghosts are after him, and we're left to assume that they are some sort of horrible malevolent monsters, hell ben on consuming Pacman's soul. But why are three of the same ghosts going after different members of the same family, and the fourth isn't? It would seem likely that the ghosts attacks aren't random. But clearly Inky, Blinky, and Pinky don't have any particular agenda, they're just attacking anybody. No, the fourth ghost in each case must have some sort of grudge, and is putting the other three up to it. Which means that really, the true villain in Pacman is Clyde. I wonder what Eugene did to him.
Well, that's all for tonight folks. Just a little something to think about and to tide you over until we have a new sketch up. Which should be soon.
