http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/janice_turner/article3211999.ece

I read the latest issue of NGamer magazine recently and found an interesting article. The writers of this article were pretty furious about everything being blamed on gamers: increase in the obesity rate in English kids, drop in literacy rate in schoolchildren, and even England not qualifying for some soccer cup. The truth is, it is just not the case. There are other factors that may have led to such results, and there is no hard evidence to prove that gamers are the cause of it all.

And then I stumbled upon this article.

I am flabbergasted. I never thought someone would say something like this. We’re living in the here and now. This person must be living in the past. How can this person, Janice Turner of news publisher The Times, say that games are “Satan’s Sudoku, crack cocaine of the brain”? This is so untrue! I have no doubt that she has not been keeping up with the gaming industry.

Games can educate people, you know. We now have games called Big Brain Academy on the Wii, Brain Age on the DS, and even PQ (Practical Intelligence Quotient) on the PSP! There are also games which train people physically, like WiiFit and WiiSports on the Wii. Even FPS games (First Person Shooters) can train a person’s reaction as well as hand-eye coordination. Games like Fire Emblem can teach people about moral behavior (the characters are very godly. There are ultimate good guys who will never do things that are wrong) while games like Metal Gear Solid discuss issues that include cloning and censorship. One can also learn about history and politics through this award-winning series of games. And this game is such great fun!

Games are not always about violence. And even if they are, there is no solid evidence that people who play violent games will turn out to be murderers.  Besides, people who play a lot of games can still do well in their careers and family lives. It doesn’t mean that one will definitely be a failure if one is a gamer.

Despite all the good points about gaming, there is still addiction. Good games are really easy to be addicted to. People can spend days, even weeks in front of the TV, doing nothing except twiddling their thumbs on their controllers. Hence, the main thing about gaming is the need for proper management. One needs to be able to prioritize so that he or she can juggle career, family and leisure successfully. Here’s my advice to you, Ms. Turner. Try to play some games with your kids to understand why your kids would want to play them. (Oh, and by the way, games aren’t JUST for kids. Adults can enjoy them too. )