Ms. Pac-Man (character)

Ms. Pac-Man first appears in the video game of the same name in 1982, where she is its protagonist, tasked with eating pellets while dodging ghosts, similar to the gameplay of the original Pac-Man. During intermissions, she is portrayed meeting and falling in love with Pac-Man before having a child with him.^[4] This game has been the subject of multiple re-releases on different platforms.^[10] She makes brief appearances in Pac-Land (1984) and Pac-Man World (1999).^[11][12]

Ms. Pac-Man appeared as a recurring character in the Pac-Man animated television series where she was voiced by Barbara Minkus and was given the nickname "Pepper".

Ms. Pac-Man starred in Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness in 2000, a 3D, top-down action-puzzle game.^[13] The sequel to Pac-Man: Adventures in Time, titled Ms. Pac-Man: Quest for the Golden Maze, was released in 2001.^[14] Ms. Pac-Man is a playable character in Mario Kart Arcade GP (2005), Pac-Man World Rally (2006), and Sonic Dash (2013).^[15][16][17] Her last reported appearance in a Pac-Man re-release was in the 2014 release of Pac-Man Museum, failing to appear in later entries due to legal issues.^[18]

As part of breast cancer awareness, Bandai Namco held a Ms. Pac-Man Pink Ribbon Campaign, where players could purchase a pink maze in various Pac-Man games on mobile phones, with all proceeds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.^[19]

Ms. Pac-Man has been considered the first female lead character in a video game, though Polygon writer, Patricia Hernandez, argued that she was not an "actual person" and not having her own name disqualified her, a sentiment shared by GamesRadar+ writer, Dustin Bailey.^[20][21][22] A writer for Polygon said that Ms. Pac-Man's "simplistic and stereotypical" presentation limited her appreciation of the character as the first playable depiction of a woman, though she acknowledged that technical limitations played a role in her overtly feminine design. Nevertheless, Polygon staff regarded her as one of the most famous female video game characters, calling her "unforgettable."^[5] GameSpot writers, Steve Watts and Gabe Gurwin, while arguing that Princess Peach was the most famous woman in video games, suggested Ms. Pac-Man was the only character with similar fame.^[23] Esquire staff ranked her as among the best video game characters, noting how her design and personality, as well as her game's superior gameplay, helped her stand apart from Pac-Man as a character.^[24] Destructoid writer, Chris Moyse, criticized Bandai Namco for removing Ms. Pac-Man from certain video game re-releases and remakes, arguing that they were removing an important female character from video game history. He felt that this would continue to be the case, believing that the decision was financially motivated.^[8] Nintendo Life writer, Alana Hagues, was similarly disappointed, feeling that Ms. Pac-Man had made iconic appearances at various points in the series.^[9]

Ms. Pac-Man's depiction as a woman has been the subject of commentary and criticism. Pop Matters writer, G. Christopher Williams, discussed the tendency of video games to portray "rather traditional assumptions of heterosexual relationships," specifically men's primary motivation being to pursue women. He argued that the relationship between Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man was tangential to the actual premise of the game.^[25] Kill Screen writer, Rachel Helps, discussed the tendency to represent female characters by redesigning male characters with female features. She cited designer Anjin Anhut's views on the problematic nature of making male the 'default' and limiting girly-looking features to girls, who noted how female characters having derivative male versions was a comparative rarity.^[26] While discussing the design of the gender swap feature in Shovel Knight, developer Yacht Club Games sought to avoid making them designed like Ms. Pac-Man, feeling that the idea of making a female character be akin to a male character but with a bow or dress would be regressive.^[27] The Guardian columnist, Charlie Brooker, noted how, where Pac-Man did not have explicit male identifiers in his design, Ms. Pac-Man had to have female identifiers, like lipstick, a beauty mark, and a bow. He commented that, despite her portrayal possibly coming off as "patronizing," it was a more progressive depiction than many female characters in the early 2010s, specifically arguing that the industry tended to depict women as damsels or hypersexualized.^[20]