5 year old kid with a Sony PSP & an iPod Nano

Sony Playstation Portable or simply known as PSP and the iPod Nano are the latest trend among young teens. The functionality of these devices is astonishing. High quality 3D games can be played on a portable device and thousands of music can be stored in to an iPod Nano which is smaller than your matchbox. These devices really do wonders & you will not get bored when you are on the move. It doesn’t come cheap either because these devices don’t go less than your regular paycheck. Back in the olden days, the only portable entertainment device that I had was the handheld Tetris which is larger than my size 11 foot & heavy enough to be classified as a potential murder weapon. It had only one built in game, which is dropping blocks to clear the rest of the blocks. Though it is repetitive like watching cars pass by, it is highly addictive & still playing till today.

These highly sophisticated devices are mainly targeted to young teenagers and adults, which is a huge demographic. Apparently, it also caught the attention of the even younger demographic as young as 5 years old. To think they would go for action figures like Power Rangers or Transformers, but no. They preferred sophistication of digital cyber age fun. A small step for us "old farts" and a giant leap for them indeed.....

After college & looking for a steady job, I worked at a gaming retail store, selling gaming products, accessories & trading cards. I came across with customer from UK.

Like most customers do, they browse around the store. Then, he saw PSP on display. He asked, "How much is the PSP?" So I told him the price (Price upon Application) & what does it come with. Without any hesitation, this is what he said, "Ok. I take two of these PSPs and 8 of these games you have. Oh you have Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings as well. I take them too. So that would be 2 PSPs & 10 games please." My colleague and I threw a blank face at each other. It sounded like a really bad prank and we were actually shocked when he insisted for them. "Oh, wrap them up with gift papers and a ribbon." he added. So we quickly pack everything. Curiosity ran in my mind and asking him wouldn't hurt, so I asked, "Are these for your children?" "Yes, they are. My 5 year old twins are going to love this." he replied. "They are lucky twins." I said. I don't have any recollection of such colossal gifts were ever given to me.

Being exposed to sophistication of digital world at such a young age. I wonder if it’s really a good thing.................