Video games and the middle aged

I was at a meeting last night to plan an upcoming harvest activity for the young single adults in the Portland region, when one of the middleaged people who was subbing for some stake high council member who couldn't make it suggested made the following suggestion: "There's a Kinect already set up, and there are lots of flat screens, someone else could bring an xbox or a wii and we could have games going." I thanked him politely, but said, "I'd rather not have any video games happening at this event." He countered, "well do you know what Kinect is? It isn't a video game." Woah there Captain Hostile! It is in fact a video game, just because your body is the controller doesn't make it not a video game.

As tactfully as I could muster I said, "Yes, I do know what Kinect is and does, it's great fun, but we will not be offering a video game as an option at this activity." He scowled at me. He was hurt and offended. He had offered me the greatest bounty of super-fun-idea treasure possible and in my ignorance I had shot him down. Me in my hatred of video games.* I'm sorry that I'm trying to foster interaction and trying to introduce other fun things to this legion of young single men who play far too many video games as it is. I'm just a wet blanket.

*Nevermind the fact that I don't video games. I had sounded out the Mario Bros. theme song on the piano as a kid before I grasped the concept of telling time on a non-digital clock. Once when I was sick, my mom brought home Roadblaster, my favorite arcade game, for me. And I have spent more time playing Dr. Mario, Tetris and that 3d pinball game for the PC than I would care to admit to. Oh, and I used to play kinect sports or just dance with the kids I nannied to get them off their duffs on rainy days.