Why are these microorganisms playing 'Pac-Man'?

For a team of Norwegian researchers, a tiny labyrinth modeled on the 1980s arcade game "Pac-Man" provides the ideal environment to study a real-life cat and mouse game involving microorganisms. In a video produced by the researchers at the University College of Southeast Norway, single-celled euglena and ciliates take on the role of Pac-Man as they are chased through a liquid-filled, 3D maze by multi-celled rotifers, much like the original game's hungry ghosts. The researchers say recreating a tiny version of the game – less than a millimeter in diameter – offers both scientific benefits and the additional bonus of being able to better communicate their research to the public. Created with the help of filmmaker Adam Bartley, it's also "tremendous fun," they note in a blog post (translation via Google Translate). The maze's neon blue top-light and lens flare effects make for an attractive visual package, but scientists who create these kinds of publicity-friendly contrivances run the risk of alienating their funders, particularly in the United States, where scientists frequently face skepticism from Congress when it comes to explaining the utility of their research.