Why PAC-MAN is back in Irvine, with a new adventure and a brand new game

My eyes frequently glaze over when my 10-year-old son bursts into my room to tell me about the latest Fortnite update, or a new video game he just has to have. This is probably unfair since I also think fondly back to my old summer days spent flopped on the carpet playing Pong, and nights at the local Pizza Hut popping quarter after quarter into the PAC-MAN machine to defeat those pesky (and adorable) little ghosts.

The PAC-MAN exhibit at Irvine’s Great Park Gallery is designed to appeal to middle-aged me and my son.

The exhibit, “Journey Through the Maze: 45 Years of PAC-MAN," is a collaboration between the city and PAC-MAN creator Bandai Namco Entertainment. The company’s U.S. headquarters are in Irvine — one of the city’s greater claims to fame, IMO.

My son and I went to check it out this week.

What’s at the exhibit?

The first thing you should do at the exhibit is make a beeline to one of the three old-school arcade games, where you can brush up on your ghost-gobbling skills before checking out the rest.

Displays outline the history of the game and the evolution of the PAC-MAN franchise. Another wall is dedicated to reproductions of original sketch designs of the game.

Adam Sabolick, who coordinates Irvine’s arts programming, told me these are among the items at the exhibit he finds most inspiring.

“It shows how these really simple drawings and concepts spawned into 45 years of cultural influence,” Sabolick said.

There’s lots of PAC-MAN memorabilia on display, including PAC-MAN cereal boxes and a manual game — unfortunately you can’t play that one.

And a lot of PAC-MAN themed art. That was Susie Chadwick’s favorite part.

“There’s so many different perspectives on it,” she said.

Her son Arthur, 9, and friend Gibson, 10, were less impressed. They spent the visit improving their PAC-MAN scores.

What's next for PAC-MAN

Bandai Namco is using the occasion of PAC-MAN’s 45th anniversary to drop a new PAC-MAN game, called Shadow Labyrinth, on July 18.

In it, a warrior is accompanied by a familiar-looking yellow orb named Puck — a nod to PAC-MAN’s original Japanese name — as they battle and chomp their way through a dark universe.

It looks, appropriately, much more sophisticated than the old-school PAC-MAN games.

I’m not sure my gaming skills are up-to-date enough to try this new version, but I bet my son will be all over it.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 28.

Special upcoming events

Saturday, July 12: 1 to 3 p.m.: The first 100 visitors will get a free, limited-edition PAC-MAN fingerboard courtesy of Slushcult.

Saturday, Aug. 9: 1 to 3 p.m.: Industry professionals and game designers discuss their work and the cultural legacy of PAC-MAN.