Children of the 1980s, we have arrived. For most of our lives the Baby Boomers enjoyed the attention of advertisers and entrepreneurs, but that time is fading like an overused tie-dye T-shirt.

How do I know we’re the targets of big business? Simple: American Airlines has installed “Ms. Pac-Man” and “Galaga” arcade machines at the baggage claim and at some of the gates at La Guardia airport. The tall, boxy machines stand along a blank wall near baggage claim C, tempting blue-suited former slackers to plunk in 50 cents and regain a small chunk of wasted youth.

Actually, the plunking isn’t necessary, as the new models have slots to handle dollar bills, which is nice considering the price has doubled. But that’s no big deal, because finally, we can afford it. Which is fortunate – maybe if we dust off our childhoods we won’t have to confront the fact that those balding, harried-looking business travelers aren’t our parents, but us.

The new machines aren’t identical to the old ones. They’re mute, for one thing. Killing the sound was a concession to airport employees and nearby nongamers waiting for their bags, but it’s kind of a bummer to lose Ms. Pac-Man’s death gurgle. The new machines, rereleased in 2001 as a 20th anniversary edition, have a faster processor chip than the originals, so they don’t play like they did in the 1980s – now they’re a little faster, a little more challenging.

On my inspection tour of the machines (three games; Ms. Pac-Man high score 38,592; I stink) I ran into analyst and fellow Gen-Xer John O’Brien.

“When I was a kid you couldn’t find a gas station or bowling alley that didn’t have these games,” he remarked in the middle of a 60,000-point performance.

Mr. O’Brien, who once dedicated an entire weekend during his 18th year to Ms. Pac-Man, reaching a high score of 200,000 points, had some advice for rusty Gen-Xers looking to kill some time at the airport: “The bananas are worth 5,000 each, so make sure to eat your fruit.”