Traditional "Gaming" Is Alive & Well at Loria!

       In this age of highly developed satellite-based, digital/wireless technology, it seems that we have a constant source of entertainment at our fingertips, wherever we are and wherever we go.  Smart-phones, tablets and wi-fi are being used for almost every activity in life.  It's an age of unparalleled convenience that, among other things, enables us to satisfy that craving for entertainment in a world where escapist entertainment has become the overwhelming norm.  Whether it's watching those CGI-saturated "superhero" movies, following each other's comments on Twitter, or playing those video games with the epic 3D graphics, we are engrossed in another world - the virtual world.  I'm sure we all visit there from time to time.

       On that point, I specifically address the "entertainment" aspect of technology in the present-day world.  It is as equally amazing to me as it is also the stuff of a cautionary tale. As we have become ever-increasingly caught up in the virtual world, we start to dwell in a world where we seem to be "here, but not here".  You know the scene.  A family of four convenes in a family restaurant and all four family members are hypnotized by whatever wireless device they happen to have - no conversation, no interaction.  Their senses (as well as two of their limbs) are exclusively focused on what's in their smart-phone or tablet.  Will the real "real world" please step forward?

       I know this may be a popular lament among those who predate the technology revolution.  But just as we can marvel at the remarkable level of the technology behind digital and virtual-world entertainment these days (and even indulge from time to time in these forms of entertainment), we end up "virtually" living in the "virtual world", at the expense of valuable moments that we can only find in the "real world".  Like that family of four in the family restaurant, we are foregoing valuable time together when we individually detach ourselves from each other like that.  When we have an opportunity to interact with real friends and family, we need to realize the inherent value in that and forego the "virtual world" for a while.
       Unequivocally, what we identify as the "real world" has been permanently revolutionized by wireless technology - for better or worse.  No question about it.  But we cannot replace the real world with a virtual one, even in the realm of entertainment.   This is the point:  When we give disproportionate time to our electronic devices, time for other things (i.e. basic "human" things) goes down in the process.  Frequently, things like in-person conversations, basic social interaction skills, handwriting skills, real person-to person camaraderie among family and friends take a back-seat in everyday life - if they're not altogether banished.  We've become a very distracted society.  No question about that either.        

       So for those in search of a return to more organic ways of having entertainment in the real world with real people in a real room (the original "chat room" if you will), do not be discouraged!  Loria offers what we like to call "traditional gaming".  Yes, behind this editorial is a pitch for the type of gaming that encourages "real world" camaraderie and competition.

       As a fourth generation family-business, we have a hard time surrendering what we deem important in entertainment - being in the real world with real people having fun together - unlike the virtual world of digital gaming, where too often we're "here, but not here".  I don't condemn the world of digital gaming.  I just know that it shouldn't dominate our lives when it comes to entertainment because then our real lives just become "virtual" as well.  Even in the world of entertainment, making pleasant memories with family and friends means being in the same room with them, and interacting with them.

       So if you're tired of being led around by remote control in the world of digital gaming and wish to play games in the real world, do not despair.  Loria has been a stubborn purveyor of "traditional gaming" for more than one-hundred years, with our wide variety of home and commercial slate-top pool-tables.  Over the years, we've also come offer an extensive array of other "real world" games - such as table-tennis, foosball tables, combination poker/dining tables and bars, with stools and chairs to match!  We have been the "go to" place for over two decades for league quality steel-tip darts, dartboards and dart accessories - as well as the "royal" game of chess (including an LED-lit version), an assortment of plastic-coated playing cards, dominoes and even bingo!  

       For more information on our variety of "traditional gaming", please visit our showroom in Yonkers, New York and our website at:  LoriaPoolTables.com

By Roger V. Loria, Jr.

Like us on Facebook!