I hate you. Here's why:
Right now I live in a house where the living room is set up for viewing pleasure. Perfect. Only problem is, video games get played way way way too often. I own a Nintendo DS and have been addicted to Tetris and Dr. Mario since before I was born, so I'm with my roommates as a partner in crime. But gaming is an inherently singular experience. This, I like.
I made dinner at the house last night, and as we were eating, Tomasz and I picked something random to watch on Netflix streaming (my new favorite thing in the whole wide world). Yes. We eat dinner at the living room table. Judge away. Stuffing goolash into my face, I kept hearing:
"What is this?"
"She's my favorite character so far."
"Do girls actually say that?"
Kids kept pouring into the room, sitting down, attention grasped. But hey—people were eating—so there's no need to be overly intense.
Having a TV in the living room is never a bad thing, but it should be used to invite conversation, ideas, exploration. A video game only entices the player, leaving the rest of us in the dust. Or worse. As tag-a-longs. Gross.
I prefer capture the flag. Or kickball. Then we all get to play.
Oh, and the movie we were watching (I know you can hardly contain your excitement), was
Trust, by the Amazing King of awkward play-like movies,
Hal Hartley.
Trust Trailer