Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon - by Arjan Terpstra & Tim Lapetino (Hardcover)

About the Book

Originaly published by Cook and Becker in 2021.

Book Synopsis

This is a gorgeous, hardcover retrospective, the first-ever history of PAC-MAN.

Full of historical imagery, concept designs, marketing photos and more, the book examines the game's design philosophy and origins through the artists, designers, developers, and other creative teams who brought PAC-MAN to life.

This new non-fiction book will journey from creator Toru Iwatani's "pizza slice" inspiration to the game's incredible success in arcades and beyond. The book also dives into PAC-MAN's unprecedented impact on pop culture, with more than 40 new interviews from key players around the world.

Review Quotes

"2021's Best Gaming Book...the most definitive take on everyone's favorite pill-popping, haunted hero." Matt Gardner, Forbes

"[One of the] best gift books to give in 2021."--Chris Borrell, Chicago Tribune

"A beautifully designed and immaculately researched visual history of the first rock star video game character!" Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One

"Might be the best video game history yet" - Borg.com

About the Author

ARJAN TERPSTRA is a video games writer, historian and curator, and author of the books Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art and Design, FINAL FANTASY XV Art and Design, and Killzone Visual Design. As a curator, he is involved in games curation for the Storyworld Museum in Groningen (The Netherlands), and programmed the exhibition Wakawaka! 40 Years of PAC-MAN there in 2020. He lives in Alkmaar, The Netherlands, with his wife and two kids.

TIM LAPETINO is a writer, creative director, and geek culture historian. He is the author of the best-selling book Art of Atari, as well as co-author of Damn Good: Top Designers Discuss Their All-Time Favorite Projects, and editor of Undisputed Street Fighter and Sky Captain and the Art of Tomorrow. His award-winning design work has been published in more than a dozen books and magazines, and he continues to investigate the intersection of design and geek culture. He lives in Chicago, IL, with his wife and two children.