When Masaya Nakamura founded his gaming company Namco in 1955 Tokyo, all he offered to entertain the public were two mechanical horse rides stationed atop a department store’s roof.

Years later, he would earn the nickname “Father of Pac-Man,” after his company released the game, which has been played more than 10 billion times in the 36 years since its release. The game’s success would become so great, Nakamura himself would argue that the world’s obsession with the hungry, yellow circle might be detrimental.

Nakamura died on Jan. 22 at 91 years old, though it wasn’t announced until Monday in a release from his company Bandai Namco.  Read more…