What's the first video game you ever played, and on what platform?

Visiting Google's homepage today you'll get a fun surprise: the company has transformed its ever-changing website logo into a fully functional game of Pac-Man to celebrate the classic arcade's upcoming 30th anniversary tomorrow. This is Google's first ever interactive, playable doodle and will stay active for 48 hours. To start playing, just hit "Insert Coin" where the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button usually appears and use the arrow keys to gobble away.


By hitting the Insert Coin button a second time, two users can play simultaneously, controlling Ms. Pac-Man with the WASD keys. Much like the original Pac-Man, Google has programmed it to glitch and end at the 256th screen.

The game was imagined by Namco developer Toru Iwatani in 1979 -- partially inspired by a pizza missing a slice, as the story goes -- and reached the U.S. in the fall of 1980 after being renamed from "Puck Man". At a time when shooter games such as Space Invaders ruled the arcades, Iwatani's creation stood out for its originality and simplicity. Pac-Man was an immediate success and has been credited with expanding video gaming to a wider audience.


As you stroll down memory lane remembering the good ol' days when you scrambled for quarters to hit the arcades, I want to ask you: what was the first game you ever played? If you didn't think much of it, what was the first title (and platform) that really got you into gaming?