Pokémon and Yo-Gi-Oh and iCarly! Oh my.

Last night I dropped by a well-known toy store to research possible Christmas gifts for my kids.

Upon entering the electronic game portion of the store, I was quickly pounced upon (figuratively!) by an employee who really looked like he wanted to help me. (That's sort of unusual, no?)

Me: I just need to look at the DSi games to see what's available.

Brian (early twenties, vivacious, has never heard of Tom Waits, but loves John Mayer): Games for you?

Me: No, games for my kids. I have a six year old and a four year old.

Brian: AND THEY HAVE DSi UNITS?!?!?!

Me: Not yet. But they're getting them for Christmas.

(This is where I continued to let my mouth flap to Brian. I confessed that I was lucky enough to attend two DSi parties over the summer which means I now own two DSi units that I didn't pay for, and I'm the luckiest girl in the whole USA (and surrounding areas, perhaps), and I immediately put those game units into the closet so that Christmas this year would seem a lot more wacky than it should be.)

Brian: Adopt me.

Over the next fifteen minutes, Brian bombarded me with questions such as "Would they like Pokémon?" (They don't know Pokémon.) "Would they like iCarly?" (Yes, but I try not to encourage it.) "Would they like Scribblenauts?" (Ooh. Now we're getting somewhere. Maybe. I don't know.) "Would they like Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator World Championship Tournament 2009?" (Brian? Are you flirting with me?)

I left the store with a game that allows your kids to play with a dog. An electronic dog (you choose the breed!) that doesn't require feeding, grooming, or resting. Seriously.

At approximately 3:42 in the morning, I woke up thinking, "If I want my kids to play with a dog, perhaps I should get them a dog. And a board game."

It's overwhelming, no?

How do you choose an electronic game for your kids?

Do you jump right in or do you, like me, just sit in the corner of the store eating your own hair?