“It’s a puppy game!” I exclaimed as the latest footage danced across my computer screen.

“A puppy game?” She glanced up from behind her sci-fi novel and, for a split-second, I saw the reflection of her glasses on the monitor. I watched her white socks as she shifted position on the grey couch.

“Yup. It’s a pet simulator. Kinda like those Tamagotchi things that were popular a few years ago, but with little dogs.”

“With puppies. Well, you do like dogs,” she replied.

“That I do, but real ones though. I mean, I need to see some hint of intelligence and affection in their eyes when I pet them. And a dog must be big enough to catch a Frisbee. So I’ve never really gotten into any pet sim.”

“Then why are you watching a video of a puppy game on your computer?”

“Well, uh , I have to write a…”

“What’s this game called, anyway?”

“Puppy Times.”

“How cute. And unoriginal.”

“Well, it was called Nintendogs. Get it? Ninten-D-O-G-S?”

“More original, less cute. I’d say the name change is for the better. So what is it you do in this game?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. You get to raise these three puppies, see, and in this room it looks like we’ve got a beagle, a pug, and a… uh…reddish-brown cute fuzzy thing.”

“Shiba Inu. That’s a Shiba Inu – I’d bet money on it,” she looked up and set the book on the couch beside her. I could see her glasses in the monitor again.

“I’ll take your word for it. Hey, ‘inu’ means ‘dog’ in Japanese, and this is a game from Nintendo…”

“Shibas are a Japanese breed, but are gaining popularity over here. I saw one in the park just last month,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Aww! Look! The puppies are chasing the stylus, leaning up against the screen like it was a glass window!”

“The stylus?” She stood up for a better view.

“Yeah – this is that new system with the touch-screen I was talking about. The DS. It has two screens, and a touch-screen, and a microphone, and wireless, and…”

“He’s petting the puppy now. With the… stylus,” she said, standing behind me, peering over my left shoulder. Leave it to the DS and a few puppies to break down the gaming barrier.

“And the puppy is happy – look at that smile! He just poked the puppy in the paw and it yelped! How cute!”

“Sickeningly cute,” was her reply.

“Oh look – a Frisbee! Yay!” Bigger grin.

“Well, that was one of your real-dog conditions.”

“Apparently you can play with your puppies using items like a Frisbee and a tennis ball – the 3D physics seem a little floaty, but this kind of Realistic Puppy Action just wouldn’t be possible on the Game Boy Advance.”