Building 6 is a huge, sprawling, 1-floor building in the center of our campus and that’s where all the other writers and many of my engineers sit. There are sections, thru-ways, crevices, and passages to nowhere. Building 6 is a giant maze, and it’s an adventure every time I visit.
Although I lack a giant pink bow, I am the ultimate anthropomorphic Miss PacMan. I start my journey through Building 6 at a healthy speed… feelin’ good, eatin’ some dots. I hang a right, then a left, and I’m in John’s cube. He gives me a donut. 300 points!
Then, because it’s Tuesday, there’s fruit strategically placed throughout my course, so I grab an apple (200 points!) and some grapes (500 points!) and then head over to Carol’s cube. Before I make it there, I hit one wall and have to back-track, and then I accidentally get stuck in a crevice with nothing but a printer and some garbage cans to fend off the four ghosts that are totally closing in on my ass.
Luckily, I make it out alive and run like hell to Carol’s cube. She gives me a piece of cake (300 points!) and then Tracy gives me a power pill so all the ghosts would turn blue and run away. We talk about some new features for a little bit, but then I tell them I’ve gotta split because the ghosts are about to change colors and eat me.
I head toward the exit but stop short and walk into a dead-end by mistake. The ghosts start blinking and I say “crap.” I get back on the main path and finish eating all of my dots, finding another power pill at the end, just as I’m about to exit the maze and finish the level. I didn’t kill any ghosts, but I got some tasty grub so I’ll be ready to kick some ass in the next maze.
“Video games don’t affect kids. If Pac-Man affected us as kids we’d all be walking around in dark rooms eating magic pills while listening to repetitive electronic music.” -Karen Price, Nintendo Representative