We've all fallen victim to technology that's moved so fast our favorite new toy has seemed to become obsolete in just a few weeks. It's times like these that we could all use a little good news. The faster technology moves, the more stereotypes are busted into smithereens. Even calling someone a gamer these days doesn't have to conjure the typical image of the couch potato with a Cheetos gut and adult acne.
Thanks to the advent of the workout video game, tell someone you just bought a Wii or an Xbox with Kinect, and they're just as likely to think "uncoordinated chick who feels awkward getting her Zumba on in front of a whole class but still wants to take off the pounds" as they are to think "loser dude who still lives in his mom's basement at 33." That, my friends, is progress. And I know about progress.
I married a dude I met on the Internet. In 1996. Yes, that was the dark ages of Internet dating, when the only people going online to find a mate were trolls and circus freaks. Or that's how it felt anyway. It wasn't until everyone and their divorced mother had fessed up to meeting a guy on JDate or Match.com that I finally felt able to tell people where I'd found my hubby without my cheeks turning the color of my favorite Campbell's soup. Changing technology made finding a mate on the Internet cool. I finally felt like technology had caught up with me.
And as I busted my butt to the new Zumba Fitness Rush* in the middle of my living room this week, I had the same feeling. I am that klutz who blushes furiously when she's forced to move to the front of my Zumba class because all the other oafs are hiding in the back. With a husband who is as dedicated to his Xbox as he is his computer (I did mention I met him online), popping a game into the console and getting my sweat on at home garners no judgment. I'm not a loser unless you count the pounds I'm very desperately trying to lose.
But the real marker of how far we come is that I wasn't embarrassed to tell my friends what I'd done either. I posted it right out there on Facebook. Yes, I'm a gamer, and so are all the ladies from my girls' night. We're working out and losing weight, but the title still applies.
Gamers are not just the dudes living in mom's basement anymore, and society is giving us all a break. Thank you technology! I can even be cool with my kid's new burgeoning obsession with her Nintendo DS -- this will not mark her for life!
When did you get hooked on gaming? Were you ever wary of telling people about your obsession?
Image via cipolla/Flickr
* A copy of Zumba Fitness Rush was provided by Majesco Entertainment