The aesthetic and feel encouraged me to come to the conclusions that were expressed by the first blurb. After getting that spoken/written message so explicitly, I lost some investment in this idea that there is such dread in Pac-Man. I imagine that for some, the messages and even the silliness finish the job when the game-scenes don't manage to communicate the idea in full; but for me each one of them felt more and more insincere, taking my personal reflections on consumption, nihilism, and constant awareness of death away.