To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pac-Man, Chicago will host a special exhibit.

I enjoy playing video games. Not the new ones on game consoles like Xbox and Playstation. I am all about the old-school arcade games. If I am somewhere that has one, I immediately have to play it.

I also get excited to hit a retro video game arcade. There are quite a few of them in and around the Chicago area. The best part, they are usually one fee to play all day. Now, that is what I call fun because I can play those games for hours.

I was all about the video game arcades as a kid. Most malls had them. There was one that was within walking distance from where I grew up. My friends and I would go there all the time. I even had a couple of birthday parties there.

Every Friday, my dad would take us out to dinner. There was usually a wait to be seated. Plus, my parents wanted to take their time and have a couple of drinks after a long week of work. Many of the restaurants we went to had games and they would give me a pocket full of quarters to keep me busy.

I think the reason why I was a big arcade fan was because my father would not let me hook up a game system to his television because he said the videos would ruin it.

Looking back, I would have to say that Pac-Man was my favorite game. It was really the first one I got into playing. Plus, it was such big a deal they were everywhere. The spin-off games were cool too like Ms. Pac-Man, Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man, Pac-Man Plus, Baby Pac-Man, and Super Pac-Man to just name a few.

Nowadays, if you are lucky you can run into a World's Largest Pac-Man game at a bar. You can even pick-up a handheld version of it.

It is hard to believe that Pac-Man is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Chicago is hosting a special exhibit in its honor.

According to timeout.com,

"You've probably played Pac-Man before, but did you know that the iconic video game character was introduced to American audiences by Chicago-based Midway Games? Chicago Gamespace's latest exhibition explores the history of one of the most popular digital characters on the planet, considering how a yellow group of pixels became a beloved part of pop-culture that has jumped from arcade cabinets to home consoles and movie screens. Collecting games and Pac-Man ephemera (including soap, lunch boxes, and clothing), “Nom Nom: 40 Years of Pac-Man Design and History” is an interactive tribute to the hungriest video game icon."

That is something definitely added to my must-see list.

For more details and to order tickets, HERE.

Pac-Man was so popular there was even a song about it. The band that wrote it played it on American Bandstand. Check it out.

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