Toru Iwatani

is a former Japanese video game designer and created one of the most popular arcade games of all time, "Pac-Man".

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 Midway, 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. Iwatani returned to his "Pac-Man" roots in 2007 when he developed "Pac-Man Championship Edition" for the Xbox 360, which he states is the final game he will develop. [cite web | url = http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/07/chasing-pellets-pac-man-tries-to-make-history-again/ | title = "Chasing pellets: Pac-Man tries to make history again" | author = Ransom-Wiley, James | publisher = Joystiq | date = 2007-06-07 ]

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, eventually being responsible for overseeing the administration of the company. In a VH-1 "Game Break" interview, Iwatani said he did not personally profit from the creation of Pac-Man, saying, "The truth of the matter is, there were no rewards per se for the success of Pac-Man. I was just an employee. There was no change in my salary, no bonus, no official citation of any kind." [cite web | url = http://www.vh1gamebreak.com/2007/06/exclusive_pacma.html | title = "Exclusive: Pac-Man Creator Speaks!" | author = Pfeffer, Helen | publisher = VH-1 | date = 2007-06-06 | accessdate = 2007-06-07 ] Since April 2005 he has been teaching the subject of Character Design Studies at Osaka University of Arts as visiting professor. Iwatani left Namco in March 2007 to become a full-time lecturer at Tokyo Polytechnic University. [cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/news/6153732.html | title = "Pac-Man creator leaves Namco Bandai for school" | author = Wyman, Walt | publisher = GameSpot | date = 2006-07-10 | accessdate = 2006-07-31 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/5874/iwatani.htm Interview with Pac-Man designer - Toru Iwatani] from "Programmers at Work" (via Retrogamer)