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Pac-Man record set by local fan with own machine

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Dave Race, 40, of Beavercreek set a world record for the fastest perfect original Pac-Man video arcade game. Race broke a record set 9 years, on his upright Pac Man game, by 42 seconds. Race, who has been playing since he was 11, is the 6th person to ever break this record on the original Pac-Man video arcade game.

Teesha McClam/Dayton Daily News Dave Race, 40, of Beavercreek set a world record for the fastest perfect original Pac-Man video arcade game. Race broke a record set 9 years, on his upright Pac Man game, by 42 seconds. Race, who has been playing since he was 11, is the 6th person to ever break this record on the original Pac-Man video arcade game.

By Christopher Magan, Staff Writer Updated 11:21 PM Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Dave Race has one of the most coveted records in classic competitive video gaming and he didn’t even need a fist full of quarters to do it.

Race, 40, set the record last month as the fastest player to complete the arcade game Pac-Man with a perfect score.

“Growing up Pac-Man was my favorite game. I always wanted to have a Pac-Man machine,” said the Beavercreek postal worker. “I bought it with the express purpose of trying to get a perfect score.”

To do so, Race had to eat a lot of little dots and blue ghosts. His score of 3,333,360 points meant completing all 256 levels.

He finished in three hours, 41 minutes and 22 seconds — verified Sept. 11 by Twin Galaxies, the arcade and Web site that tracks video game records. Twin Galaxies was made famous in the documentary “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters,” which chronicled the race for a Donkey Kong record.

Race set his record on a Pac-Man machine he bought in 2008 that he keeps in his girlfriend Lori Brunsky’s Butler Twp. basement. She insists Race isn’t video game obsessed.

“He’s a regular guy, but instead of sitting watching TV when he has a break he studies patterns,” Brunsky said.

Familiarity with the patterns in Pac-Man, and a willingness to break out of them when needed, made his record possible, Race says.

Now Brunsky’s kids, Molly and Matt, along with Race’s children, Jonathan and Emily, are getting into the competition and hope to send scores to Twin Galaxies.

And Race is developing a fundraising event centered around marathon video game playing while dealing with his newfound fame. His score has traveled the world and appeared in countless print and online publications. “In the gaming community this is considered a big deal,” he explained.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2342 or cmagan@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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