Cabinet Office Minister Tom Watson reckons kids should be urged to spend more time playing games, even going as far as to say that violent games can help boost intelligence.
Watson, whose role is to promote new technology across Government, told Mirror.co.uk that, "basically, I think playing games is a good thing.
"I'd rather my boy be playing on his Wii than passively watching telly.
"Most games are educational. They make you think, focus, challenge and change - 500 years ago a medium that did this would be called art.
"Even the fun stuff has serious real-world applications," he added.
It's a refreshing change to hear the government backing games so strongly, rather than linking them to child obesity.
I just wish these people would get their story straight. Either it's damaging our kids and turning them into knife wielding psychopaths, or it's good for them. Seems like once a week they change their minds...
i think they need to realise that gaming is like any opther form of entertainment. On the whole its good, However there are cettain games that are and aren't appropriate for kids.
Its like Movies are good, but you wouldn't want your kids watching hostel.It's a terrible film i'd much rather they watched ichi the killer, far more violent and has a bit more of a point to it.
I think it'd be fair to say that all these different opinions come from different organisations or people. But it's nice to hear games getting some good press for once!
Although I'd like to state that I made this point about ten years ago to my dad when he told me that Zelda was bad for my brain!
My mum once told me I should play games less, because of "the rays going into my brain," and when I burst out laughing, she hit me. Proof that games cause violence.
My mum once told me I should play games less, because of "the rays going into my brain," and when I burst out laughing, she hit me. Proof that games cause violence.
What! You mean its not true? Next you'll be saying the little cameras hidden in tvs that the government use to spy on you aren't real!
I think it's kinda funny how as soon someone actually tries to defend videogames for once at least a couple of people still attack them (I'm looking at you Marty). It's like some people want videogames to be seen as bad for you or something
At least Godlike Ape seems to have the right idea: different people - different opinions. Would of thought you'd have understood that from all the people *cough*fanboys*cough* running around these forums
In my opinion videogames keep more killers from appearing. For gods sake people already know how to kill a person however GTA gives them a chance to do it without consequences or costs. It is much easier to go shoot a battalion of stormtroopers than the police.
I love it! It's always refreshing when someone in a respectable position has something good to say about games!! Problem is tho, bad press comes and goes for all forms of media I think. I hate to drag this stuff up, but when Jamie Bulger was murdered they blamed it on the film Childsplay. When all that stuff was kickin off in the US with kids blowing away their school mates and toppin themselves, music took the blame (mostly Marilyn Manson) Don't particularly like the bloke myself but seriously? So it was kind of inevitable that games would eventually get a go! All it takes is one person to point the finger and it breeds hysteria among people. People take it 2 seriously and over react. Like the boy in the US recently, whose parents thought he was playing 2 much COD4. They took it away, he ran away and turned up dead. I know it sounds callous but if they'd just let him be, he'd still be coming home and playing 2 much COD4. But they just reacted to what they'd heard and read in the news. In fact I think Jack Thompson should be held responsible for that as his vendetta probably made them paranoid about it in the first place. Anyway, the way I see it is if you're sitting at home playing games, you're not out in the street stabbing people. That said, games and films do come with age ratings for a reason. Even music comes with a warning, but I think you've gotta be a bit unhinged in the first place for any of that to have a detrimental effect on your state of mind! I really didn't mean to bang on this much lol! Sorry!
I think it's kinda funny how as soon someone actually tries to defend videogames for once at least a couple of people still attack them (I'm looking at you Marty). It's like some people want videogames to be seen as bad for you or something
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad someone in a position of authority is seeing games as a positive force, it's just I wish we'd get one story from them. One week they are a cause of knife crime etc, and another they make our children more intelligent etc. So, which is it?
how can you expect one single story to come out of the government? its made up of hundreds of politicians, all with their own thoughts and opinions. you cant expect all of parliament to agree with the same thing when the whole world is split up into probably an infinite amount of groups that have different views on gaming.
we just have to be glad that there are at least some, even if its just one person, in a position of power that thinks gaming isnt the work of the devil.
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