Where a kid can be a kid?

I went to Chuck E. Cheese last week with Gracie and her niece and nephew for some pizza and fun, fun, fun. The place is a bit different than the last time I had been there approximately 20 years ago. I remember the first time I went, when it was Showbiz, and that place rocked. I was seven and it was located in Milwaukee. It was wall to wall arcade games and teenagers, who at that time were the coolest ever. It also may have been just gray with cigarette smoke, if I remember right. It was the best overstimulation a young boy could have. I played that game where you drive a moon rover and jumped over craters all night. It was great. A few years later, Showbiz turned into Chuck E. Cheese and the next time I went at 10 in GB, it had totally changed. There were only about 10 games and they were like, "Barbie's Dream Party." and "Constructively Solve Conflict." WTF? So, we all went and had a good time but I noticed something a bit disturbing other than no more Rockafire Explosion. While Grace and I were standing by the bowling game, watching the kids throw the ball into the lane five rows over, I saw that virtually every other adult was madly playing every game where tickets could be had. For their kids. So that they could get a more valuable worthless plastic trinket. We saw adults walking around with 20 foot long chains of tickets. It seems that is not the biggest issue at the CEC. Again, what the fuck? At the risk of getting all Andy Rooney on your ass, I really hate this new parenting style that is occurring all around me. It is very, weird and scary with all the helicoptering and "new discoveries". It is not even any more about, "All kids get a trophy." This is, "My kid is the best and I don't care if I have to cheat to make it so." All these poor children are going to grow up acting like they have goddamned Asperger's syndrome because of their stupid, overprotective parents. Dorks.