A strange little side quest
The fun part of looking behind Butterfly Kyodai Mahjong is seeing how many older ideas are still alive in modern play. The first crossword puzzle book appeared in 1924 in a cautious initial printing of 3,600 copies, complete with a free pencil. And then there is this: Pac-Man went on sale in 1980, and its creator Toru Iwatani famously linked the character's shape to a pizza with a slice missing. It is a good reminder that simple game mechanics can carry a surprising amount of history.
