It's a common gripe of the older generation to say that kids don't spend enough time outdoors because they're too busy dedicating their free time to computer games inside.
However, an innovative company from Austin has managed to carve itself a profitable niche and receive valuable online exposure in the process by coming up with a solution to the problem in question that keeps all parties appeased.
A recent CNN Money article featured a franchise that brings trucks mounted with video games consoles and other entertainment to people's homes.
The company in question will have no-doubt benefitted from the advantageous online PR gained as a result of the piece.
The article - entitled 'Rent you own mobile video arcade: Two entrepreneurs score big with a new gaming franchise' - focuses on Games2U, a company started by David and Stuart Pikoff.
The idea is simple. Computer games are an unavoidable pastime that kids will dedicate a considerable amount of time to - a trend that is highly unlikely to go away.
Equally, many parents will not want their children simply lazing on the sofa all day playing with the latest forms of interactive entertainment; they will want them out and about, getting as much fresh air as possible.
Up until now, the two ideas have been largely mutually exclusive - bar perhaps the more determined families that settle for a compromise with an outdoor television.
For $300 to $350, families can hire a gaming truck from Games2U for a two hour party.
On offer are a variety of screens and video-game consoles that allow 12 to 24 people to play at any particular time.
So far, the idea has been a huge success and the Pikoffs project revenues of $15 million to $20 million this year through 38 franchises placed across 113 territories in 16 states.
Perhaps the only recession-related obstacle that lies in the owners' way is the start-up fee that franchisees must pay to run a Games2U truck.
A $35,000 up-front payment is mandatory to all new companies taking on a truck and for each new territory the franchise must buy a trailer from the Pikoffs, taking the overall start-up costs to somewhere between $89,000 and $200,000.
There's no doubting that this is a lot of money, but with the evident popularity of the idea and parents' desire to please their kids, those who can afford the initial costs could well reap the rewards in the long run.
David Pikoff said: "I wouldn't be so bold as to say we're recession-proof. But franchisees are hearing that while people aren't purchasing big houses or cars, they won't cheat their kids out of a childhood memory for a few hundred bucks."
Childhood memories aside, many parents will probably deem the fee worth every cent for it finally getting their kids off the sofa and into the yard.
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