If you had told my 15-year-old self that I would one day be trying (and largely failing) to copy an on-screen dancer while a games console judged my every move, I'd have probably been a little disgusted.
If you had added that a few weeks before, I would have been singing a karaoke version of Bleeding Love in an attempt to top trump my wife then I'd have probably been questioning if the future was any good at all.
But I have a fair slice of affection for both Zumba Fitness and Lips – the two games in question – because they have finally made a games console an acceptable part of my marriage.
To be fair, the next time I personally am willing to step foot in front of my Kinect to play any form of dancing game, I expect Beelzebub to be donning ice skates, but Zumba Fitness now occupies a crucial slot on my shelf alongside Fifa 12 and Portal 2.
And this isn't a battle of the sexes thing either - it's not men and women, just hardcore gamers and casual players.
Understanding
It's not that I've had to go without a games console (or two) since I've been married, but there has been the odd wifely glower cast in my direction when gaming has meant that vacuuming or lawn mowing has taken a back seat.
Now that there's not one but two Xbox Live accounts on the console, justifying spending half an hour unlocking another virtual pro trait is that little bit easier.
And discovering that the girly nights that have me scurrying for the welcome embrace of a local pub are being partly spent on Just Dance gives me a little more leverage when I've spent an evening accruing a head-shot streak on Team Fortress 2.
The upshot is that although my gaming nature had me screaming furiously about expanding consoles from the hardcore to the casual and family audience, I have to confess I was wrong.
Suddenly the little black boxes that 50 per cent of my partnership would have liked to condemn Harry Potter-like to the cupboard under the stairs are welcome friends for all.
The arrival of nieces and nephews allows me to roll out Kinectimals, (and a lint free cloth for wiping fingerprints off of the television, but that's by the by).
The arrival of my in-laws can offer up party games, quizzes and the chance to prove that what I lack in DIY prowess, I more than make up for with a virtual tennis racquet.
About face
So my view has now shifted 180 degrees; once I was ready to fight tooth and nail to keep family gaming well away from my console, but now I embrace it.
While my other half perfects her El Amor, El Amor dance, I can rest easy that when the Xbox 720 and PS4 make an appearance, it's going to be much easier to persuade her that we need to upgrade to the next generation.
And if someone could work out a way for me to play Fifa at the same time as she Zumbas then even my 15-year-old self would think the future's okay.
But he'd still draw the line at the Black Eyed Peas Experience.
