Mabel could have played the game herself as a demonstration, but she didn't want to crush Annie's hopes of ever becoming the best player by showing off her own skill. Instead, she moved in closer to her and took her hand, placing it on the joystick.

"When you press this start button, the game begins. Use this stick to move Pac Man. If you move it right, he goes right! Move it left, he goes left, et cetera, et cetera. Your goal is to eat as many of the little dots as you can, but watch out for ghosts! They will kill Pac Man if he touches them. But if you eat one of these big blinking dots in the corners? The ghosts will blink white and blue for a few seconds, and then you can eat them."

She gave her a hopeful look. "It's okay to mess up a few times while you get the hang of it. Are you ready to try?"