I used to play outside until it was dark when I was in elementary school. I would only be inside after street lights were on or during rainy or really cold days. Those Canadian cold days where frostbite without a face mask or smearing your face in vaseline (really hated that) was an issue, not sweater or snow pants cold.
I had a Nintendo, too. It just didn't excite me as much. It wasn't until high school that I got into computer games, but I still always prefered hanging out with friends.
I wonder if the world is actually more dangerous? Crime statistics say no and the things that pass for bullying or peer pressure today compared to 30 years ago is cute. I think video games and social networking services are just getting too damn good. They've finally found a way to beat reality and it's not virtual reality or total recall stuff, it's just the Internet.