Another sign of the times

The other day I passed two kids- each somewhere on the young side of ten- playing in their front yard.

One had a huge toy broadsword; the other had two sticks. They were engaged in mortal combat.

As I passed by, they stopped fighting and started arguing about whether or not the one with the sticks had been killed. "I used my shield," he asserted. "No," the other replied. "You don't get a shield until Level 5."

And then it hit me. These kids were outside, enjoying the fresh air and getting their exercise by pretending to be inside, playing a video game.

Sigh.

ADDENDUM: Actually, Daniel Hinton of CTS, Fort Wayne tells me that it's a new fad: a kind of live-action Dungeons and Dragons. Interesting- and perhaps a trifle less discouraging.