In class on Friday, Ms. King showed us an existentialist cat youtube video. I found the video humorous and thought provoking, especially since it is told from a cat's point of view. I then began to think of some other examples of existentialism that might have been hidden in something seemingly simple, such as a cat's life or, in my example, a video game. Pac-Man, for those who are unfamiliar with this arcade classic, is a small game in which you are an incomplete circle eating pellets so that you can advance to the next level while avoiding the mean ghosts trying to get you. This new stage, however, is exactly like the first with the same objective and the same obstacles. The only reason people kept playing through all of the levels was to achieve the grandest honor having their three-character title at the top of the leader board. Pac-Man is essentially a game with no end goal and no real reason other than to keep moving forward, while the player's avatar, Pac-Man, remains in an endless cycle of living, eating pellets and the occasional fruit, and ultimately dying to the ghosts.
Here is an article I found on the topic. Enjoy
http://anamesajournal.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/game-theory-critical-thoughts-about-video-games-existentialism-and-pacman/
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Pacman is a very pessimistic view on humanity. Humanity continues to go on without purpose or meaning in life. Death follows pacman wherever he goes. He is to do nothing but eat snd continue to gain relative score of life. Humanity has no purpose in life just as pacman has no purpose. Why then. are we taking a course named humanities? Is it fabricate meaning in humanity? Quite the opposite however. Our course is designed to prove Humanity's contributions and to discuss certain interpretations of the purpose.
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