The Future of Fun

As I was meandering toward consciousness this morning, the following thought occurred to me: why would you go to a real place to visit a virtual world? Couldn't you just stay home? I'm not a video game person like my buddy Doc, but I've grown increasingly impressed with the level of graphics available in the games coming out now. Put them on a big TV, and you've got the "parlor" in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 or the holodeck on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I see variations of this at Disney World, where guests can get put into larger, more impressive virtual environments than they might get at home. I suppose the theme parks can try to keep up by providing the bigger, badder environments that can't be replicated at home--yet. But really, I think theme parks are fighting a losing battle with the virtual games. Kids need to experience fun in the real world, whether it be a unique, "conveyor belt" ride or a roller coaster. Get 'em out of the house, for gosh sakes! Likewise, I wonder and worry about the future of non-electronic games, like cards or Yahtzee. How well do kids used to non-electronic games adjust to power outages? The outdoors? Long car rides? I guess I'm still not wired for the 21st century.