In the rush of daily news and other pressing affairs, you and I both have overlooked something terribly important. It is fairly essential when snarfing fast food at McDonalds, and lounging there afterward to enjoy the relaxing and attractive environment, that one be able to access a free wireless Internet gaming network on one's handheld Nintendo DS gaming device.

And now, thanks to a special agreement, Nintendo DS-toting patrons of the fast food chain's U.S. franchises can simultaneously snarf Chicken McNuggets and enjoy live online gaming with other players in Singapore, Sydney and Saigon. Only those poor saps will probably be paying to play. Ain't America great!

The growth and market penetration of online gaming communities is an important societal objective; and has been significantly hindered because fast-food emporiums have not, heretofore, offered free wireless Internet connections for gamers. Gamers seeking Wi-fi have by and large been forced to pay for it, and are often cruelly relegated to Internet access points, wireless or otherwise, in their homes. However, it is much less isolating to lock into an online gaming contest with invisible strangers halfway across the country or globe, if you are manipulating your handheld gaming device in a public, as opposed to private space. First off, there is the invigorating sense of being watched and envied, idealized as an avatar of the sleek and stylish wireless lifestyle. And for their part, spectators can subtly bask in the reflected glory of the moment, thinking to themselves, "Wow, I'm hanging out in a place where the guy at the next table is playing Donkey Kong RIGHT NOW with someone in...probably....Asia!"

The expansion here of personal technology's shielding function is also crucial, making it still easier to inhabit public spaces, with less of the risk normally tied to the actual interaction formerly common there. Such "private-public" spaces will continue to expand, until virtually nothing is left to chance in the public square. Faith Popcorn would probably call it "public cocooning." (Wait... ...sawwy 'bout 'dat. Actually it was, ah, me that coined the phrase).

Technology makes a lot of things less messy, not just navigating public spaces. Consider courtship, marriage and child-rearing, for example. All hopelessly fraught with complications, to the extent many are looking for something less, well, taxing. So, as birthrates in the West continue to drop, expect to see paid online porn and online quick-sex-hook-up sites continue rapid growth.

TECHNORATI TAGS: PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY, WI-FI, NINTENDO, PUBLIC-PRIVATE SPACE

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Posted by Matt Rosenberg at October 19, 2005 12:08 PM