We've been empty-nesters for years, and none of our children lives nearby. I work at home, don't watch a lot of television, and confess to being out of touch with some (okay, most) of the latest trends. However, this past week, I've been staying with my son and daughter-in-law and new grandson (have I mentioned that enough lately?) which is heightening my awareness of the thirty-something generation.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my daughter and son-in-law who also live in Colorado. They insisted I move with the times and play Wii games. To be honest, I really had absolutely no clue what they meant when they said, "come over and we'll play some we." So, "we" is really Wii. I remember Pong, Space Invaders and Tetris. And the original Mattel hand-held football and baseball games with moving red blips.
I was ushered down to their home theater with its overhead projector and their hundred-inch television screen for some serious gaming. First, I had to have an identity—my "Mii". Once that was established, we went bowling. Now, I bowled on the occasional date back in college, so at least I understood the game. Once I got the hang of bowling with a remote, I didn't fare too badly. After that, it was boxing, where my son-in-law had the rare opportunity to whack me around. We tied on that one, and the game was a very nice workout, requiring a beer.
After a short stint at tennis, where I had trouble figuring out how I could play doubles and be both players, we moved on to Guitar Hero. HUGE generation gap here, because although I once played a mediocre folk guitar, like everyone else in the sixties, I think I recognized two of the playlist offerings. My lack of coordination surfaced again – all that right and and left hand stuff, plus my dim muscle memory wanted to "play" the left hand, not just keep fingers on buttons.
Later, we met another couple and their fifteen-year-old son for dinner. The men talked about work, my daughter and the other wife talked about mutual interests, and I, the oldest at the table, was engaged in conversation with the son about my exploits of the afternoon.
