Early arcade games were made to be potentially perpetual experiences, and ironically, looking at these narratives now makes one realize that the idea of being “unwinnable” has relatively horrific narrative consequence. Again, this isn’t really an intentional goal of game design, just an interesting notion to ponder in retrospect (specifically, from the vantage point of an era where storytelling has become almost intrinsically entwined with video game design). Any player of the arcade Pac-Man knows the ending of the game before going in: Pac-Man will die; the ghosts will win. The “story” is designed that way. In other words, almost all early arcade games had unhappy endings. They spoke themes of doom and inevitable failure. Seen in this light, early arcade plots border on the nihilistic.
Pac-Man Will Die: Cynicism and Retro Game “Endings” < PopMatters

Source: popmatters.com