It’s not every day I get to run around with my friends, trying not to be eaten by ghosts. At least, not at this age. But here I am at Active Games UAE (also home to Chaos Karts) in Al Quoz, Dubai, trying out their newest attraction, Pac-Man Live Experience.
As the name suggests, it’s an immersive, real-life version of the classic arcade game where my friends and I step into a glowing maze and become Pac-Man. Before we enter the arena, we register by inputting our names (feeling clever, I go by Eve-Man) and get suited up in a “Pac vest” that will track our every move.
The Pac-Man game master – dressed in a yellow suit, of course – gives us a colourful rundown of the rules. The format follows the original video game: we score points by “eating” pellets and collecting as much fruit as possible, all while avoiding ghosts (unless they’re blue) and steering clear of other players (for our safety) as well as the projected walls because we lose points if we touch them. There are also symbols worth more points that we need to grab before another player does.
While the explanation is helpful, it’s still not immediately clear how the game plays out. Other people are joining our session, so we have some lingering questions. Are we on teams? Are we competing against each other? The instructions don’t spell that out clearly, so my friends and I spend the first round figuring it out as we go.
We step into the arena, where a Pac-Man maze is projected on to the floor. Each of us is assigned a starting point. The walls around us display an animated audience of tiny Pac-Men (and women), and a giant leader board shows our points after each round, revealing that we are playing as individuals.
Taking the game off-console means moves are not restricted to the original Pac-Man's strict four directions and we are able to dart around.
A session runs for about 30 to 40 minutes, broken into roughly two-minute games. After the first game, I realise this will take more physical effort than I expected. While we’re not exactly sprinting, there’s a fair bit of movement involved in chasing down pellets and fruit before anyone else does. For fitness tracker fans, my Whoop Strain was 9.3, registered as 45 minutes of physical activity with five minutes of Zone 3 heart rate.
Luckily, there are short breaks built in. During the session, players are randomly selected to become ghosts – so they sit out that game – while the rest continue racking up points. The idea is that this rotates, and everyone gets the same amount of rest time so it's fair. We also play mini-games for a chance to boost our scores.
After a few rounds, I come up with a strategy to maximise points but apparently, so does my friend, as we nearly crash into each other more than once. In the end, I beat him (barely) and joyously come out on top as the overall winner. However, I won’t reveal my winning tactic. I’ll leave that for future players to figure out.
Pac-Man Live brings out everyone’s competitive side, but in a good way. Whether with friends, family or even co-workers, it taps into a playful energy that’s hard to resist. There’s something genuinely fun about chasing dots, dodging ghosts and trying to climb that leader board – especially when trying to beat people you know.
For those who want to give it a go, I’d recommend wearing trainers and perhaps packing a change of clothes in preparation for working up a sweat. This game works just as well for adults reliving childhood arcade memories as it does for children seeing Pac-Man come to life for the first time.
Pac-Man Live Experience opens Wednesday; tickets start at Dh160
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The five pillars of Islam
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
