<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=8947" rel="attachment wp-att-8947"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8947 alignleft" title="photo" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo3-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>What better way to celebrate the New Year and The Year of Play than with a very special playdate!  On January 1<sup>st</sup>, I asked World’s Most Precious Niece if she would like join me in my playful quest.  Since she’s a kid, she’s a natural at this sort of thing.

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I asked World’s Most Precious Niece for ideas.  When you ask a digital native for play ideas, there is a 99.9% chance that they will choose some sort of video game.

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“Just Dance 3,” was her suggestion.

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“What’s that?” was my obvious question.

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She then rattled on about a video game on Kinect where you follow dance moves, yada, yada, yada.

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I had limited Kinect knowledge.  I knew it was a streaming device, but what makes it different from Xbox, Wii, and all of those other streaming boxes/video game thingies?

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World’s Most Precious Niece explained that Kinect senses your body movements, and so . . . .  This is still incomprehensible to me . . . . Your body is the joystick/controller.

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Toto, we’re not in Atari-Land anymore.

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I know, I know.  I’m certainly (minimally) aware of changes in video games in the past 30 years.

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<strong>There was that one summer circa 2000 out when my sister and I stayed up late every night playing The Sims. </strong> We spent countless hours locking grunting virtual people in their virtual rooms to see what would happen without virtual potty breaks and food.  How mature.

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A couple of New Year’s Eves ago I played Rock Band with friends.  I was the lead vocalist and was booed off the stage by a rude cast of virtual characters.  As a trained singer, I found this terribly amusing, although the virtual me was miffed.

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O.k., o.k.  So the real me was equally peeved.  Surly cast of virtual characters, <em>excuse me</em> for living and showing expression while I’m singing rather than popping out notes like a robot!

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And then there was that trip to Fiddlesticks last winter <a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/01/day-94-i-play-a-real-guitar-but-i-suck-at-guitar-hero/" target="_blank"><strong>when World’s Most Precious Niece attempted to teach me Guitar Hero</strong></a>.  Young Brendan kicked my bootie to Foghat even though Young Brendan had never touched a real guitar while I own and play an acoustic.  Go figure.

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As you can imagine, I was more than a little skeptical about this Just Dance 3 nonsense.  My possible saving grace was that I’m a clueless dancer in real life, so perhaps I might bring it for Virtual Dance Fever.

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<strong>Makes perfect sense, right?  Good at things in Real Life = Sucky in Virtual World.  Sucky at things in Real Life = Fabulous in Virtual World.</strong>

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World’s Most Precious Niece and I took the virtual stage in my sister’s living room.  I watched WMPN wave her arms about in spazzy kid fashion.

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=8944" rel="attachment wp-att-8944"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8944" title="photo" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>

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Video games may be child’s play, but it takes a controlled, seasoned professional to set the stage.

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=8946" rel="attachment wp-att-8946"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8946" title="photo" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>

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I was mildly concerned when 10 year-old World’s Most Precious Niece wielded her arm to select the first dance selection of our Dance Off:  "Promiscuous".

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I turned to my sister.  “Promiscuous????”

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Sis shot me a mixed look of exasperation, disgust, and resignation.  I feel for the parents of today.  I really do.

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World’s Most Precious Niece blurted, “I know!  I don’t know what it means either!!!!”

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“Oh, I know what it means,” I muttered under my breath.

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The music started, and I was pleased to see that WMPN and I were assigned the more child-friendly alter-dancing-egos of "Happy" and "Jazzy".

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WMPN danced jazzily while I danced awkwardly.  However, I was indeed happy over the fact that I was sweating and elevating my heart rate after a week of Christmas gorging.  A video game that gets kids <em>moving?</em>  Yessssssss!!!!!!!

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The next selection was my choice:  "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" by The Scissor Sisters.

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If a picture tells a thousand words, then a video must tell a million.  How did I do?

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Video of me and chloe set to scissor sisters.

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As you may or may not have noticed, I was forgot to wear my belt that day and was in grave danger of revealing plumber's crack to the world.  Thank goodness for small New Year's miracles.

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