Google & Old School Video Games: Last Week's PAC-MAN Google Doodle is Now Permanantly Available on Goog Web Site
If you used Google last Friday you saw and perhaps played a game or two of PAC-MAN, the first interactive Google Doodle to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary video game.
According Google VP Marrisa Mayer, says that Google was "overwhelmed" but "not surprised" with its success.
So, due to the demand that was experienced last Friday, access to the interactive PAC-MAN doodle is now permanent and can be accessed at:
1) To begin a game, click the "Insert Coin" button, it's located where the "I'm Feeling Lucky Button" is found. If you want to play with two people, click the "Insert Coin" button twice. Additionally when two players decide to go at it, Ms. PAC-MAN joins the fun.
2) Want to / Need to mute PAC-MAN's sounds? No problem. A mute button is located in the lower left corner of the game. Click to toggle it on, click again to toggle it off.
3) From the Google blog, "PAC-MAN is controlled with arrow keys or by clicking on the maze, Ms. PAC-MAN using the WASD keys.
4) We would love to know if Google is having to pay Namco Games an outright licensing fee or based on many games are played or Namco is giving the name, sounds, etc. for free.
5) There has been talk for years that Google wants to become a player in the video game market. We're not sure that this is what they had in mind (perhaps making games a part of Google TV is) but the popularity of this interactive doodle helps to solidify the strong bond that Google has with its users for always trying something different and often fun. The question is, does this strong brand loyalty not only help maintain and build their market share but does it also take some pressure off of Google's most basic services like web search and image search to not always have to deliver the "best set" of results vs. their competition?
6) We would expect to see many more interactive doodles like PAC-MAN in the very near future. If Google is in need of suggestions (-: for the next interactive doodle, how does Centipede sound? It is also celebrating its thirtieth birthday this year,
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