Manar Elbaz

DUBAI: A real-life immersive experience of Pac-Man is coming to Dubai on May 7, where players will be able to compete in the iconic Japanese classic game physically. 

Located at Active Games in Al Quoz, players begin by putting on a Pac-Man-themed vest with a vibration sensor that gets activated if they get eaten by a ghost or try to skip parts of the maze. Each vest has the player’s name and their designated ghost color, if assigned one.

Players start by watching a video about the game before entering a glowy, vibrant maze to chase power pellets and avoid ghosts in an entertaining game that lasts around 30 minutes.

To immerse guests in the experience further, the Active Game staff all dress in yellow suits, resembling the Pac-Man character, and the coffee shop offers Pac-Man-shaped food to indulge in after a long gaming session. 

Rushd Mowjee, CEO of Active Games, told Arab News Japan that the purpose of launching this experience is to bring communities physically together. 

“We want to get people off screens,” he said. “We all love to play games in real life so we want to bring these classic games to life, get people playing and socializing like when we were growing up.” 

“Everyone is always on a screen now, so it’s just amazing to bring something like this to life. Gaming is really important but playing it offline is the future,” he added. 

The CEO shared that the company specifically chose Pac-Man due to its popularity in the region amongst various generations. “Pac-Man is such an iconic thing. Every generation has played it. We love the fact that we can bring it to life to make players feel what the character feels. It’s like a workout but you are running away from ghosts.”

Active Games worked alongside renowned Japanese video game company Bandai Namco as well as United Kingdom-based entertainment company Little Lion to launch the experience in Dubai. 

“The Bandai (Namco) guys came to visit us last month. I have such immense respect for them because they focus on the tiniest details. I wouldn’t have it any other way because them being strict makes everything perfect. I really respect the Japanese (team) for doing that,” Mowjee said. 

Reflecting further, the CEO shared that he respects Japanese culture and looks forward to visiting Japan one day. “The Japanese gaming industry is heritage and legacy. Japan has been doing it for so long. Japan just makes iconic games, so I really appreciate it. We would love to bring other Japanese games to life.” 

Taking notes from Japan, the gaming and entertainment industry in the Middle East and the GCC region has been constantly progressing and expanding in the last few years, according to the CEO. 

“I think there is so much happening in the region. The entire landscape is just changing. The Saudi market is very promising. Most entertainment companies are almost all in Saudi markets. We would love to explore options there in the future,” he said.

This is not Active Games’ first immersive gaming experience. Last year, the company launched Chaos Karts—a physical remake of Nintendo’s Mario Kart, which was met with huge success.

“People just love the fact that they can drive a cart in real life and shoot other people. It just immerses you. I think for the first time ever we can play a game in real life without any controller. It is just you. I don’t think that has ever been done before,” Mowjee shared. 

Following the Pac-Man experience, the company is planning to launch a gamified fitness product that encourages players to sit fit while engaging in a fun activity. 

Tickets for Pac-Man can be purchased on Fever starting at approximately 5,046 yen.