While everyone's favourite gluttonous yellow orb, Pac-Man, prepares to turn 30 this Saturday, his creator, Toru Iwatani confesses that Pac-Man was originally designed for women.

Speaking in an new book entitled Replay - the History of Video Games, written by Tristan Donovan, Iwatani spoke of Namco's early attempts to woo female gamers.

Iwatani says: "I was trying to come up with something to appeal to women and couples. When I imagined what women enjoy, the image of them eating cakes and desserts came to mind, so I used "eating" as a keyword. When I did research with this keyword I came across the image of a pizza with a slice taken out of it and had that eureka moment. So I based the Pac-Man character design on that shape."

He continued: "Unlike the other exciting games that were around at the time, Pac-Man was designed for people to play easily and when relaxed, without excitement. So, when it was launched, we didn't get the kind of reviews other games did. I guess Pac-Man didn't have the sensational image. I myself could not imagine that it would be loved by so many people and such an international hit."

The book, Replay - The History of Video Games, is out later this month.

Thanks Eurogamer.

By Ewan Aiton