It’s been much longer than a fortnight

I’m in an unknown land.

I just jumped off a flying bus, skydived for a while, and go-go gadgeted on a glider to a soft landing into this no world.

This happened, but in a virtual world so it’s not real. (You’d never catch me skydiving… or in a glider… or a flying bus.)

I’m playing Fortnite, this year’s hottest video game, the free download expected to make its parent $2-billion this year.

And I feel hip again.

It’s been a long time since I played a video game.

Too long, especially since my generation were video game pioneers.

We had the first Atari games, making us the first to play Pong, Asteroids, Breakout, Centipede and Pac-man.

We were masters of joysticks, hyperspace and evading ghosts.

We thought we’d be playing video games forever.

We believed we were never going to grow up, at least we weren’t going to act like our parents.

But we did grow out of video games and into adulthood.

Sigh.

Yes, we bought the first Nintendo consoles and mastered Mario, but we pretty much said goodbye to gaming, excluding a few hours of Candy Crush and Angry Birds.

But, as I play Fortnite, I’m saying hello again to video games.

It’s quite fun.

I completely suck at it, but it is challenging and brings me back to my gaming childhood.

Happy memories.

I’m quickly hooked on the game — it’s like a time machine that transports me to the carefree days of childhood.

After a few cracks at it, I have to leave my new addiction and attend a family party.

I’m quite eager to talk about Fortnite with anyone who’ll listen, a break from adult discussions about the parenting, the provincial economy or Donald Trump.

The get-together is great, but Fortnite is on my mind.

And my kids are having a blast and want to stay.

I’m thinking that’ll tire them out, make them fall asleep faster and give me more time to play Fortnite.

Sounds like a plan.

So I wait until they seem tuckered, walk them home, get them asleep and beeline for the basement to play Fortnite.

But the game asks me to punch in a passkey with strange symbols on the controller.

I’m confused and can’t figure it out. I google but still can’t solve it.

I no longer feel hip or young.

It’s now, more frustrated and ancient. I’m in an unknown land.