Alternative to "maze" as a description for Pacman's environment?
Pacman's maze
is not a maze in the sense of being a place in which we get lost since we can clearly see where we are going. So what should we call the restricted environment in which Pacman operates?
To clarify: I want another word to describe this rather than maze. Answers claiming that this is a maze by some definition or other aren't any use to me.
In gaming parlance it would be common to call it a 'board'. Though 'board' is most commonly synonymous with 'level', there might be a sense in which it exclusively applies to the system of pathways (ie. the physical facts about the area) and not, eg., the speed at which the ghosts move. <shrug>
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/maze
maze (meɪz) n. 1. a. An intricate, usually confusing network of interconnecting pathways, as in a garden; a labyrinth.
This looks like an intricate network of interconnecting pathways.
MAP
A map is seen as different routes placed usually on a two-dimensional plane.
Each level uses a different map (clarification: the original Pac Man had only 1 map)
This same usage is seen in First person shooter games. Different maps are loaded, which are essentially pathways around a level.
Another common term for the game:
pacman grid
See Chapter 3: Maze Logic 101