I celebrated my 19th birthday at Nickel City. The next day I woke up with pink eye. True story. I don't blame the arcade though, the experience just taught me the value of keeping my hands clean. 

I had my 10th birthday there too, helped celebrate plenty others, not to mention the countless nights I went there at midnight to play Street Fighter with strangers. I remember when the place was called Super Just Games and had bumper cars.

When I got hired to run Northbrook Patch, my first thought was, "heck yeah I can go to Nickel City whenever I want!" And yet, for the last few months, I've been just a bit too busy to stop by my favorite arcade.

So when I stumbled upon a random Facebook status on Wednesday, announcing that Sept. 12 was National Video Games Day, my heart skipped a beat. At last, an acceptable reason to visit the ol' nickel arcade even though I'm on the clock. 

Got the high score in Galaga at a pizzaria somewhere? Share your fondest arcade and video game memories in the comments!