“Pac-Man” is by far one of the most recognizable video game characters in history. That is in large part because he was the first character to ever appear in a video game, making him the “grandfather of all video game characters.” Pac-Man was first introduced in Japan on May 22, 1980, with the release of the famous Pac-Man arcade game. The game is in many people’s memory of childhood and teenage years. Even today, up to six million players are still mad about it.
The name Pac-Man came from a Japanese expression — “paku-paku taberu,” which means to eat in a wild manner. The sound paku-paku mimics the sound of a person chomping their food. In English, the game was first called Puck Man but was changed to Pac-Man before it was launched in the US.
The game was created by Toru Iwatani, a Japanese video game designer. Hoping to make a game that would appeal to both men and women, Iwatani decided the focus of the game should be on “eating” — something that everyone can relate to. Even Pac-Man’s shape is based on food. The inspiration for Pac-Man’s character came from a pizza with a single slice removed. The space where the slice was missing became the character’s mouth.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images 照片：Getty Images提供
In the video game, players must travel through a maze and eat dots of energy while avoiding the ghosts that roam the passageways. If one of the ghosts, who are named Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, catches Pac-Man, then the player loses a life. While the concept is simple, finishing the game is anything but easy. In fact, the original Pac-Man can’t even be completed because of a glitch on the 256th level.
「小精靈」是史上辨識度最高的電子遊戲角色之一。那在很大程度上是因為他是第一個出現在電子遊戲中的角色，他因而成為「所有電子遊戲角色的祖父」。隨著著名的《小精靈》街機遊戲的發行，小精靈這個角色於1980年5月22日首次在日本推出。這款遊戲是許多人童年和青少年時期的回憶。即使在今天，仍有多達六百萬位玩家為之瘋狂。
小精靈這個名字來自一個日文的詞語——「paku-paku taberu」，意思是瘋狂地吃東西。「paku-paku」的聲音是模仿一個人咀嚼食物的聲音。在英文中，該遊戲最初被稱為《Puck Man》，但在它於美國推出前改為《Pac-Man》。
該遊戲由一名日本電子遊戲設計師岩谷徹所創。因為希望製作一款對男女都具有吸引力的遊戲，岩谷徹決定遊戲的焦點應該是「吃」——每個人都能產生共鳴的事。甚至小精靈的形狀也是根據食物創造的。《小精靈》角色的靈感來自一塊去掉了一片的披薩。切片缺失的地方變成了該角色的嘴巴。
在該款電子遊戲中，玩家必須穿過一個迷宮並吃掉能量球，同時避開在通道中遊蕩的幽靈。如果名叫布林奇、平奇、英奇和克萊德的其中一個幽靈抓到小精靈，那麼該玩家就會失去一條命。雖然概念很簡單，但完成遊戲絕非易事。事實上，由於第兩百五十六關出現故障，原版的《小精靈》甚至無法完全破關！
What Did You Learn?
1. Why did the creator of “Pac-Man” focus the game on eating?
2. What is the objective of the “Pac-Man” game?
答案︰
1. To appeal to both men and women.
2. To travel through a maze and eat dots of energy while avoiding the (four) ghosts (that roam the passageways).
Words in Use
1. legacy n. 留給後人的事物；遺贈
Jonathan Swift left behind a legacy of 18th-century political and religious literature.
喬納森斯威夫特遺留給後人十八世紀的政治和宗教文學。
2. recognizable a. 具有識別性的，可以認出的
The Sydney Opera House is an instantly recognizable landmark.
雪梨歌劇院是一眼就能認出的地標。
3. release n. 發布
The South Korean boyband caused a sensation after the release of their first album.
這個南韓的男子樂團發行第一張專輯後引起了轟動。
4. teenage a. 青少年（時期）的
Amber was into designing and drawing in her teenage years.
安柏在青少年時期相當投入設計和繪畫。
5. launch vt. 推出，發行（商品）
The company launched a new smartwatch which has a bold design and wide range of features.
那間公司新推出一支智慧型手錶，其擁有大膽的設計和各種不同的特色。
Practical Phrases
1. by far the+最高級形容詞+N (顯然是)最……的
Of all the world’s wonders, the Great Pyramid of Giza is by far the most mysterious.
在所有的世界奇觀中，古夫金字塔是最最神祕的。
2. in large part 在很大程度上，主要
The success of the project was in large part due to good teamwork.
這項計畫的成功主要歸功於良好的團隊合作。
3. in a. . . manner 以……的方式
manner n. 方法，方式
The sushi chef slices tuna in a professional manner.
這名壽司師傅以專業的方式把鮪魚切片。
4. appeal to. . . 吸引……
Movies with exciting scenes and great music appeal to me more than dramas.
有刺激場景和好聽配樂的電影比戲劇更吸引我。
5. relate to. . . 理解／認同……，對……產生共鳴
I can relate to your problems because I also have had a big fight with my best friend before.
我能理解你的困境，因為我以前也曾跟最好的朋友大吵一架。
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本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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