Watch as toddler tries to play a Game Boy and is baffled by lack of touchscreen

A video of a toddler who cannot fathom why a Game Boy will not work as she prods the non-responsive display perfectly captures the rapid evolution of technology and how younger generations interact with devices in a world where buttons have become almost obsolete.

The viral video was posted on Reddit by the young girl's father Chris Cohoon who was amused at his daughter's bewilderment as the handheld Nintendo gaming device failed to respond when she pressed the screen.

Unlike veteran gadget users, she bypassed the buttons on the front of the Game Boy Color and instead attempted to operate it like a touchscreen smartphone or tablet only to be perplexed when repeated prods and pushes resulted in nothing.

Her father wrote in a caption on the 12-second video: "My daughter attempting to play a Game Boy Color in the age of touchscreen interfaces."

For some, the comical clip is an endearing example of how modern technology influences the youngest generations, while others are shocked at how touchscreens have changed the way they operate devices, losing the skill of dexterously using their digits to play.

One commenter wrote: "We're all doomed!" while another joked: "She hasn't even gotten to the stage where she has to blow into the game cartridges yet to get them to magically work".

For those who actually owned the Nintendo Game Boy Color, which was released back in 1998 and discontinued in 2003, it is a startling case of feeling one's age as the obsolete piece of tech looks relatively rudimentary and toy-like compared to today's high-tech smartphones.

The Game Boy may be gone but it is certainly not forgotten as fans of the retro gaming unit have turned their smartphones into emulators to play classic titles while companies offer phone cases to mimic the iconic device.

In the ensuing years, Nintendo found success with a touchscreen gaming device called the DS, followed up by the 3DS. More recently, the Japanese gaming giants have released the Nintendo Switch, a 6.2in touchscreen device that also features 'Joy-Con' controllers that actually have buttons – so not all hope is lost for future generations and their opposable thumbs.