John Coogan

See if he can get to Prestige on Cod before he hits his flight.

It was something only parents in this digital device era could appreciate, unfettered access to their phones.

Their kids, eight and 12, were busy playing Mario Kart and Crash Bandicoot at the lounge's video game stations to commandeer their phones for some pre-flight screen time.

The Portal Lounge is, by design, not your grandfather's airport lounge.

Yes, there is a small buffet and bartenders, robot and real.

that pour that lounge libation staple an old-fashioned.

But the focus is on entertainment.

They're gaming.

It's the latest concept from a husband and wife team on a mission to amp up airport downtime.

Emma and Jordan Walbridge, with backgrounds in hotels and medical device sales, respectively, opened their first airport video game lounge at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in 2014.

called Gameway.

There are now 11 of them at airports across the country and two more due to open this year.

Portal in Minneapolis is the latest iteration of a concept with a few more bells and whistles.

They zeroed in on video games after regularly visiting lounges on business trips and finding them too staid.

I always felt like I was in a library, Emma says, with some guests slushing others and throwing, shushing others and throwing PsyDocs.

This picture makes me feel like I'm a television screen.

What do you mean?

Oh, because they're looking at you like you're... With the controls.

You're the game.

Yeah, interesting.