In a series of short films, Caterpillar Inc, popularly known simply as CAT, has been showing off the capabilities of their machines by playing a variety of larger-than-life versions of popular games. This time they teamed up with Bandai Namco and built a real-life Pac-Man maze over the span of 26,296 sq. ft. in order to play the game with a variety of CAT vehicles. Just in time to help celebrate Pac-Man’s 40th anniversary, this entry of “The CAT Trials” sees five professionals from the worlds of esports, social media, and their own customers manning construction equipment to live out their arcade dreams.
To recreate the arcade experience on a real-life construction site, Caterpillar utilized 6,880 yards of cut dirt from which to dig out the maze and berm (a horizontal surface acting as a fortification). In the end, a total of 5,300 tons of earth was moved, resulting in a maze with walls measuring 4 ft. high and overall dimensions of 162.4 by 180.4 ft.
The Power Pellets were represented by four key Cat Services they provide, such as Customer Value Agreements, Repair Options, Cat Financial, and Cat App. The fruit bonuses are represented simply by Cat part boxes. The participants controlling the Cat 236D3 skid steers using remote control systems were:
PAC-MAN™ – Played by Jim Kosner of JIMAX Landscaping & Demolition, Peoria, Ill.
BLINKY – Played by Joey Stone, NASCAR/Richard Childress Racing (RCR) eSports driver of the #8 Virtual Cat car
INKY – Played by Alfonso Farjardo of Horsepower Site Services, Charlotte, N.C., a Caterpillar Global Operator Challenge regional finalist
PINKY – Played by BLITZ, social media influencer, YouTube gaming content creator, and civil engineer
CLYDE – Played by Tom Gardocki, The Dirt Ninja, social media influencer, professional heavy equipment operator in landscaping and construction
