With Pac-Man's 30th anniversary having just past, it's clear that the Pac-Man franchise has stood the test of time. The little yellow chomper has remained a worldwide videogame icon - recognized by billions - not to mention spawning derivative games and merchandise, as well as a cartoon series, and even an 80s top-ten hit single.

Toru Iwatani,the mastermind behind the original Pac-Man title, recently visited a game exhibition in Holland, and brought along a blue binder that blew the gamers (at least, the gamers that can remember the 80s) out of the water.

What was in the notebook?

Pac-Man concept artwork - featuring mock-ups of the game-screen, character design, etc. Seeing the pictures definitely showcases the simplicity (as well as reliance on addictive gameplay) in one of the most important video games in history.

For those of you who may not have grown up in the 80s, Pac-Man was one of the seminal artifacts in video game history, along with games like Pong, that skyrocketed the gaming business to the scope and calibre that it has today. Without it, we'd all be, er, outside getting fresh air, or, something.

Thank God that's not happening.

I wonder how much those pages are worth? If not millions, they will be one day.

What do you think of the Pac-Man concept artwork? Where are you hoping Namco takes the franchise in the Sound off in the comments below.

Source: Bleeding Cool