Play ‘Pac-Man’ in the streets of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, or anywhere with Google Maps
Pac-Man has had countless games and reinterpretations since his debut in 1980. He quickly moved from the arcades to the comfort of our own homes and handheld devices, but he’s never quite been this close to home before.
As their April Fools’ Day joke this year, Google has turned Google Maps into one big playable “Pac-Man” game – just search for a place on the map and click on the Pac-Man icon in the bottom left corner. Now Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde can chase the hungry yellow guy through the streets of downtown Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, or anywhere in Northeastern Pennsylvania you’d like.
You can travel the world and play anywhere, really, and Wired posted a great list of “The Top 15 Spots to Play Pac-Man in Google Maps,” but there’s just something about being able to play right in your hometown that’s immensely fun.
Unless, of course, you’re seeing it from the point of view of those walking around and not the aerial view gamers are used to. Then it may look something like “Pixels,” that Adam Sandler comedy coming out this summer, which is probably pretty terrifying, although we honestly wouldn’t mind if Sandler was consumed in the chaos:
Previously, Google made the Google Doodle on their homepage on May 21, 2010 a playable “Pac-Man” game, and while it was eventually taken down, it was archived and is still available every time you search for Pac-Man. There is no word as to how long this new game will remain a Maps feature, but hopefully it will be archived at some point as well. For now, eat it up, classic gaming fans, and watch out for those potholes!
