("I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time. I hate being made to feel hateful for saying so, and I hate being told to immerse myself in them ")

Who exactly tells you to immerse yourself in them? You simply either enjoy it or you don’t!
You do not so why try in influence a major business markets interests by waffling on with your own negative thoughts and in my personal opinion lack of intelligence in this area? Stick to what you know wind, rain, tents, mountains and fresh air. Prehistoric man I’m sure also liked all of these as well, I’m even sure he would also have found gaming as frustrating as yourself too. But what you seem to over look is the skill and intelligence it takes to not only play these games but to create them.

Mark Farrelly, Newry , Ireland

"It's because, compared with everything else on offer in a kid's life, video games and heroin and teenage pregnancy are a colossal waste of time."

What Mr. Whittell fails to realize is one man's waste of time is another man's salvation. Playing video games is no different than playing chess, watching sports, camping and many other activities. They are all a waste of time to someone. However, they are ways that some people enjoy themselves and spend their "down time".

I spend my "down time" playing video games. They help me to escape reality and "re-energize" so that I'm ready for the following work day. People have criticized me for playing video games and then they spend all weekend sitting on the couch watching American football. To me, that is a colossal waste of time, but to them it is a viable use of their "down time".

How do you spend your "down time"? No matter how you answer, it's probably a waste of time to someone.

Matt Crackel, Denver, CO, USA

I have to say I disagree with Whittell, but not completely. As a former teenage dad I can say, you need something to do with your spare time. And gaming is a "modern" way for kids/teenafers to play. I managed to raise my kid (now 16 years old, and proud of her), stay happy with their mom (married for quite a while), finished school (I'm an accountant working for a BMW dealership) and be happy. And I played enough games.
The thing is, I believe: Parents must learn their kids to focus on important issue's like school, real-life friends, nature and off course sports. There is a thin line between it all on witch you can walk on, and have the best of all those things.

My kids (also my second daughter, 10 years young) are playing videogames. But not 7 days a week 3 hours a day, that is to much. But these day's, gaming is hot, esp. videogames. And it can be great fun.

Ido, Almere, Netherlands

Given the choice which would you prefer your teenage daughter to come home with; a baby, a physically addictive drug habit, or a copy of Baby Pals?

Niko, Liberty City, USA

Video games are being deamonised in the same way rock and roll, films and countless other harmless things and activities have been throughout the centuries. This whole issue will eventually die away as the ignorant find something new to waste there time deamonising while the real ills of society spriral out of control unchecked as far to much time is wasted on pointless rows fulled by a dangerous mix of ignorance and fantatisim that will not allow either side to back down.

Joshua Rowlinson, Midlands,

After reading your article, I don't think it's the kids who are out of touch with reality.

Tony Heugh, Manchester,

Why is it that people like you always put games in THAT corner. I guess you read books, at least a paper (since you work there), watch a good movie and listen to music. If someone can tell me for once and for all why this is good and gaming is compared to drug use and teenage pregnaties I will stop gaming.

Wanna know my situation, I work with kids, 28 to be precise. I teach them math, dutch, english and so on. When at home I like to go sporting, read a good book and, don't get an spasm right now, GAME. Sometimes practise my lap times in a racing game, other times experience a very good adventure (like being inside a movie or a book) and I even adore a shooter like GTA and Call of Duty on and ofline. I never had the thought of killing someone in real life, don't hyjack cars and I pay for all my goods.

On the other hand, I drive better then the non gamers since my resonce time to events is shorter, find solutions to difficult problems and, instaead oif you, I AM ALWAYS HAPPY!!

Rick Hendrikse, Hoogvliet, Netherlands

These debates about the merits of video games are often exercises in futility. The combatants tend to be professionally outraged journalists who are completely ignorant of the subject and hardcore gamers who champion every supposed benefit of gaming as if it were indisputable proof that video games are not only good but necessary.

However as a 20 year old raised on games, I know what gets me the most: it is the intellectually dishonest attacks on games. They are accused on the one hand of creating a generation estranged from nature, which in Mr. Whittell’s telling takes on the sinister aspect of an appeal to “blood and soil”. On the other hand, video games are compared unfavorably to opera and Shakespeare, which I think strikes this generation as arch hypocrisy as we watch our parents eat up spy novels and trash TV, as well as the apotheosis of rock and rollers who were once accused of destroying culture in the same way as video games are now.

Richard Wood, St. Davids, United States

I wouldn't say it was "weird" to want your kids to enjoy the outdoors. Then again it must be nice to have so much time to take said kids out to see mountains and stay in tents.

Stacy Kidd, Glasgow, Scotland,

And that's why I hate books, too.

Jesus, what a hooliganism....

Laszlo, Madrid, Spain

Funny: That is exactly why I hate the opera/theatre/movie/tv: "I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds!"

Sean Gruen, Hannover, Germany

Are you hating all forms of virtual worlds? Imagination? What about this:

"I hate books, new or old. I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time"

Martin, Stockholm, Sweden

I think that very young children (under 7 or 8 yrs of age) should not own video games. Above that age, I think their video gaming, like their TV watching, internet use, and phone calls, should be monitored by their parents. I'm 28 years old now, and I play video games on a regular basis. I also enjoy the outdoors, books, music, & social activites with my friends, family, & coworkers.

Video games are a part of today's pop culture. To rally against them only ensures you will be regulated to the rubbish bin alongside those now-hysterical old videos of stodgy professor-types decrying rock & roll or comic books.

Video gaming contains some material that is briliant and even educational. It contains some material that is filth and of little value to anyone. But to deny your children access to it does them a disservice. Nobody says you need to buy them every game they want or let them play at all hours of the day, but you shouldn't separate them from their peers's cultural world.

Joe, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, USA

These games are part of the fabric of modern childhood, whether you like it or not. It is in much the same way comics were to mine. To deny your children access to this culture is to deny them a world of imagination and wonder, and also deny them the social interactions brought about discussing them with their peers. However, the worst thing you are missing is the chance to join in the fun and experience these things with your children. In our household we happily mix outdoor activities with indoor games, and both provide a window to share familial experiences. You don't know what you're missing until you try - buy a Wii and see for yourself.

Dave, Cardiff, Wales

I play games, I read, I also experience all the natural wonders the author describes. My free time is spent how I choose and how I enjoy (which changes with mood). I don't care for this "notebooker" looking down his nose at other people's hobbies.

Jensen, Glendale, USA, Arizona

Oh yes, "game-induced homicide". Because we all know how violent people get will hopped up on Pong. Immersing yourself in video games is the least terrifying experiance one could have. Video games boost reflexes, inventive problem solving, the ability to focus, memoriazation, etc., and these are all long term effects, that a lot of normal activities provide at a slower rate. The whole, "I won't buy my kids video games" point of veiw, I don't mind. I have to buy my own video games except on the rare occasion of holiday gifts. But I'm pretty sure it's nigh impossible to play a video game "decades at a time". Mainly because of bodily functions, things to make it function, etc. Video games are interactive stories, at least the ones with a story line, and some are so immaginative, brilliant, and overall good that if they were other media first, they would be called classics.Some are. Plus,it really is a parent's responsibility to approve of what they get, as many have mentioned.

Matt Wildschuetz, Odessa, USA

I'd had a look at his books and must say: A waste of time compared to what? Playing Monopoly, watching films or, like Mr. Whittell, touring around the world. All this stuff is a waste of time ... of 'course, it's what we do in our spare time.

But to compare gaming to something like smack and teenage pregnancy is hurtful and shows a lack of respect for other people and there loved hobby.

Sorry, but i think Mr. Whittell don't know what gaming is.

Michael, Erfurt, Germany

Everyone mentioned books already, but what about. . . dreaming? It takes you to an alternate place and GASP you're stuck there for the night! Do you stop your kids from dreaming? I guess they don't read. Or watch movies. Or listen to stories on tape. Or paint, since some artists like to imagine what they're painting and subsequently go to their "place". God forbid your children have an imagination, where they could spend an afternoon pretending to be pirates or princesses.

I am an adult female gamer who believes in moderation of ALL aspects of life. Too much of a good thing and all that jazz. I really think you are taking your ignorance out on the wrong topic and should probably have "video games" replaced by "bad parenting". Just sayin'.

At any rate, you, sire, fail the internet, and the Internet, thusly, feels sorry for your kids.

Darya Hance, Longview, TX

I guess he also hates TV, movies, books, and any other kind of media that needs you to focus on it for more than 5 minutes,

Kristian, Santiago, Chile

"I hate video games, on or offline. I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time."

Following this reasoning, there would be necessary to hate also the literature, which has done the same thing for centuries, and the cinema, which has done it for something more about 100 years.

Any form of art does not have major role that of entertaining and captivating the attention of the people, if it was necessary to hate the video games because of it no form of art would be acceptable.

Certainly, the comparison of the video games with the drug is a complete madness that escapes to a coherent logical reasoning and only shows irrational distaste. Fear and condemnation towards the unknown thing, the same history repeats itself again and again...

Alejandro, Madrid, Spain

I hate books- paper books or eBooks. I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time. I hate being made to feel hateful for saying so, and I hate being told to immerse myself in them before passing judgment, because it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them.

So my children will never be allowed books.

I want my kids to overdose on wind, rain, mud, gravy, tents, mountains and overcooked bacon. (Oh, and do their homework.) Why is that suddenly so weird?

(Hope that didn't come across as a trollish rant, intended just to get people's backs up because- just like the original article- it's obviously not what what intended…)

Scott, London, UK

People Walk
People Read
People Sky Dive

I play a lot of on line game's with my partner, and friends, i could not think of anything more dull than sitting in a tent playing happy "this is what your ment to do" as a family.

People are Different
People have there own chioce
People (thank the lord) are not all the same.

(a april fool indeed)

Southampton

jason, southampton, hampshire

In response to Kris Henleys comment, I'd just like to point out that I'm 17, I've been playing videogames since I was 6 and, oddly enough, I'm achieving A's at A level English Literature. Funny for someone who 'cant string a sentence together'.

If we want to play games, we WILL play them. If we, as student-gamers want to get away from the stress of being a teenager of late, we play games. Read a book you say? I'd much rather be part of an interactive story that jumps out of the screen for the most part. And then you have the cheek to call videogames anti-social. Thanks to services such as Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, I regularly play a game with my friends, talk to them about school work, and even use video cameras to show them my latest CD purchases. Thats pretty social.

Basically, I'm saying you should bask in the intelligence of modern technology. Lets face facts, things have changed a lot in the last few years. Did you still like rock and roll when your parents said no?

Jack Hart, Upminster, Essex

As most games are played during a period allocated for leasure activities doesn't that automatically define them in the same bracket as books, films, TV and other hobby activities? Maybe the issue isn't so much with the games themselves as your view of the people you see playing them. In the 2 examples people have provided these people are using these devices to immerse themselves away from a boring reality of waiting to reach a destination. I would much rather see children playing these devices than run around an airport or fidgeting on a train. In both cases all that happens is everyone suffers through the frustration that child is already suffering. Once again it is easier to blame the game than to offer a better solution.

Maybe you should look at the wider situation rather than close your mind, for a parent these devices keep the child happy and still. Or maybe you are the type that would prefer to moan at the technoligical changes that seem to have left you behind.

Rob Brown, Oxford, UK

By what you're saying, books must be a waste of time too?
There's a difference between playing video games (which, by the way, are proven to improve hand-eye coordination and thinking skills) and obsessing over them, in which case the parents need to grow up and realize that it's their fault for not learning how to draw a limit without having to take the easy paths of either letting their child do whatever they want, or -completely- take something away.
I don't see what's so wrong with video games, especially comparing to books and movies. God forbid you should have to be able to think a little in your entertainment.

Ashley, Upstate, New York

Being totally immersed in a book counts as a virtue. I can't see why this couldn't be the case with games.

If you only make a distinction based on the electrical part of games, then your world view is, I think, dumb.

Books aren't all the same. Games aren't too. Old fashioned (and more popular than ever, including among the youth) board games are said to be stimulating children and adults in their development an well being. Being totally immersed in a book that promotes suicide, is a virtue? Is an electrical book a no go in your household? Who knows, maybe the children mentioned in your story were reading one. And very fast too, according to the mentioned thumb activity.

If you make statements about things in the world, then please be specific in what you try to point out.

Information processing is a key human activity. The information provided by websites and computer games, has a lot more bandwith than just linear reading. Or just listening to some form of music.

Jochem Niezen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Ignorance at its finest.

Kim, Richmond,

This is the WORST article I ever seen! This is a April Fool' Day joke????
Please dont do this with your childrens

Luis Alberto Paiva, Curitiba - PR, Brazil

Oh come on Mr. Whittell, you sound far more petulent and hateful than virtually the entire generation that you are attempting to tar with this brush.

Clearly you're an intelligent man, not without a sense of irony; and it's so sad therefore that this appears to be eluding you here.

Anyone born since 1970 will have been exposed to some form of computer gaming as a part of their childhood, and you might as well compare your attitude to that of the previous generation or so, demonising Rock and Roll music and the culture of the teenager.

Of course, you are entitled to your opinion, but I think the level of spite you display here and your utter refusal to engage on any level with what is considered to be a relevant and perfectly acceptable cross-generational passtime, makes you sound like quintessential reactionary old spoilsport.

To compare this with drug abuse and unsafe sex is irresponsible and sickening.

Ben Jewitt, London, UK

May I also please draw people's attention to the distinction between generational violence and deliquency among under-18s and the computer games that they are legally entitled to purchase under British law?

Please take note; IT IS NO LONGER JUST CHILDREN THAT PLAY COMPUTER GAMES. Two generations have grown up with them now. Well-adjusted children continue to play games. They are a viable passtime like cinema, with according age-relevent content.

Ms. Byron's report quite rightly pointed out that the "problem" titles, such as the oft-bemoaned Grand Theft Auto series are rated 18 by the BBFC. This means that it is illegal for anyone under that age to play such games, and anyone who does so is breaking the law. The Byron report emphasises the responsibility of parents to prevent children from playing these games, otherwise THEY are breaking the law.

It is naive to assume 100% adherence to this law, but you might just as well ban 18 certificate movies or alcohol from the UK....

Ben Jewitt, London, UK

You know, this is getting really silly. According to people like him, games should be banned because some contains murder and such, as well as having a little bit of adult material.

So, in theory, they want to ban
Games,
Books,
Movies,
Social interaction (ie, parties, group meetings etc),
News media,
Journalism,
Toys
and pretty much our entire lives.

All of the above has some form of murder/adult material that children shouldn't be subjected to, and thus mst all be terminated.

Oh, and just to mention..

"Meanwhile, I want my kids to overdose on wind, rain, mud, gravy, tents, mountains and overcooked bacon. (Oh, and do their homework.) Why is that suddenly so weird?"

So, you want to subject your kids to tornados, hailstorms, landslides, get drunk on gravy (what does he put in it), tents (with all those deadly sharp and pointy objects?), mountains (oh yeah, lets push little timmy off, noone will know) and meat things full of fat? and you don't think this is weird?

Matthew, Borehamwood,

Giles Whittell, do not lose your nerve! Unlike, say, opera or classical music, studies have shown video games reduce the clarity, precision and functionality of your mind. My children (already deprived of tv and and forced to earn their pocket money) will never, ever have one either -- and if I ever start to weaken, I will re-read your column, which will be, from this moment on, stuck to my fridge. Bring on the filial hatred; someone has to stand up to the little ratbags. They'll thank us for it one day, when they are among the few still able to string a sentence together, interact with other humans, and therefore get a job and earn a living.

Kris Henley, Guildford, UK

Nothing like a good bit of hyperbole to end the week. Although I could've sworn this was the website for The Times, not the Daily Mail...

Andy, Cambridge,

Sorry, but following your opinion, gaming is the same wasting of time like listening classical music for hours. It is the same wasting of time like visiting opera. Then, the classical music is the same drug like gaming.
The effect of gaming is the same: pleasure.
And please, do not do from all gamers people who are taking drugs. It is the same like I say, that all journalyst are liars.

marek , Kosice, Slovakia

Whoops,, for a minute there I thought I was reading the Daily Mail. Yes, you are indeed right Giles. Video games are an insufferable evil and will eventually become classed as illegal along with Class A drugs and Handguns. Probably the best thing to do is to sterilise all teenage mums, execute all undeprivileged or badly parented kids and clone you and your family so the world can be populated by the righteous. Go away....

Virgil Samms, Wonderland,

Nice to see objective journalism at it's finest! =)
Nothing rant-like about that at all, oh no..

Craig, Glasgow,

This is like saying you hate books and movies too, because games are just a media form like them, just interactive!

Matt, Amsterdam,

I'd not worry, anything criticising games and gaming is met by outrage from gamers.

Most games are a waste of time, and MMO genre games are deliberately designed to soak up as much time as possible. First-person shooters, racing games, beat-em-ups and sports games are stuck in a rut and the gameplay of almost every game is identical these days, so you can also steer clear of those until they get their act together.

However, indy games, puzzle, adventure and strategy games (preferably the older strategy games which haven't been simplified or turned into graphics-engine displays: as unfortunately happened to the Total War series) are still good.

I had my first games console 18 years ago. I'd like to hear someone convince me games are becoming better, and not duller and easier.

Q.R. Smith, London,

If you desperately want your children to sit in the woods and look at trees all their life, fine. But I often find when debating on gaming that these ideas are just gut reactions to the unfamiliar.
Games are terrible because you sit still (just like you do when reading a book) or because you engage in something that is not real life (just like watching a movie). The list goes on and on. At least try to pin the same arguments you put on games on to other forms of culture and see if you use different yardsticks. Do you judge them the same way?
If that is the case, I pity you but accept your stance. If not, then you're a hypocrite.
I tend to down play the benefits of gaming. Sure, they're a great bonus, but that's not why we play. We play because it provides emotions, experiences and plain joy.
Come on, do we only read books to learn how to read, or watch movies to learn facts about other cultures? An art form must exist on its own terms, whether it makes us "better citizens" or not.

OS, Malmo, Sweden

I learn English by playing video games, I guess that is a really bad thing. Well, if it makes you feel better Im sure I can start with drugs instead, since there apperantly is not mutch difference.

PM, Kongsberg, Norway

After reading the better part of all the comments on your article all I can hope for is that you read them too and that you are willing to reply. If you would still be convinced you have a point and that you're 100% right in your view on video games after reading the comments, then that would be just plain sad, but not a surprise..

The Dutch Don (gamertag), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

I take offense at your comparison.

My mother had me at 17.
My uncle spent 6 months shooting heroin before going to rehab.
I have worked at both Planned Parenthood and in a public rehab clinic.

My sister, most of my friends, and my father are all avid gamers. I live about a 100 miles from most of my family and friends so I play World of Warcraft online with my sister, an old college friend and a few of my sister's friends every Friday night. We play for a few hours. We laugh. We talk. We bond.

Only a lazy writer or a bad parent (both?) would compare video games to drug addiction.

Mark, olympia, Washington

It might be this Dr. should get himself a consultation with a shrink.
To some this is a stress relief and in some cases actually a mental cleansing. There are good games, role play, that in many cases are able to help a person to get trough thoughts and feeling that are a problem for them.
Roleplay as a therapeutic tool have been used for a long time, and there are good results to it. So dear Dr Byron. Before you deem the gamers to the guillotine, please do consider this little side of it.

Rene, NY,

What do you expect from a conservative newspaper? Of course their journalists hold antiquated upper-middle class views.
I bet this fellow has no problem with books or film as both were popular pre-war which is roughly about the era he is living in.

Mike, Derby,

Do you let your children watch TV? In a few years time your mind will change about this too.

Daniel, Oslo,

Last night my daughters and I had a discussion about your column, as I am of the same opinion and they never had computer games of any hue. They are now undergraduates and, although at the time thought I was the wicked witch of the west, last night said I was right to stick to my guns, that these games eat time, that their time was better spent reading, walking the dog etc. Your 'friend' may tell you that you have to give in in the end, but you don't, they are your children and you must do what you think is for the best. My daughters thank me now and, far from feeling deprived, say they have an advantage on their peers who are still stuck in front of the screen.

Megan Butler , Bridgwater , Somerset

I like ... so my kids must too . Hmm , perhaps give them the chance to decide for themselves . You might find they are smarter than you give them credit for .

It is also amusing that others agree with you after having the chance to find out for themselves . I wonder if they would have felt the same having faced a similar dictatorial approach to their leisure time .

What time is inspection ?

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,

what's weird is feeling so threatened by a HOBBY!
For example, I will never understand the game of golf. It seems silly to me, and i'm not interested in playing it. But do I rail in poorly written editorials about how no one at all ever should play golf? Do I sneakily try to conflate golf with freaking HEROIN ADDICTION? No, I realize that other people enjoy it, and there's no reason for me to try to prevent them.
Why, then, is it OK for Giles here to claim some nebulous moral high ground simply because he likewise fails to fathom another's choice of pastime? Games are a hobby. If you don't want your kids to experience them, fine, that's your choice as a parent, and I respect that. Just don't try to convince me that your choice is the right one for everyone.

nick, san francisco, CA

I'm an adult with a degree, I also grew up on video games in the early 90's I still play videogames to this date, even online with friends and workmates, like racing games, or shooting games. It's social and more importantly it's very inexpensive (once u've bought the kit) and far more stimulating than watching easteners or home decorating programmes.

Most parents can't constantly afford to lavish horse riding lessons or give their kids money every day to go to the cinema, fair, or shopping malls. There comes a time; around 13 years of age(for me), when kids don't want to climb trees and get muddy anymore. And there's not much to do if you have no money and your parents are tired from working all day. Hate videogames all you want, for most kids living with single parents, dealing with bullying, School, poverty and all the other negative sides of being a kid, they are an inexpensive, stimulating and reliable form of entertainment. I suggest you go research some more.

James, Aberdeen, UK

There is nothing to stop you passing judgment on the the allegedly soul-sucking qualities of video games and buying a DS at the same time. You don't have to physically prevent your children from doing something in order to impart an opinion, and it won't be meaningfully persuasive, either. It's like the difference between issuing a strongly-worded complaint and imprisoning a dissident.

_Felix, Nottingham,

This is the same as the age old declaration by some parents that their children will never be corrupted by TV programmes, or by attending sex education lessons at school.

Personally I found online andhand-held games a godsend. Despite our best efforts my son did not learn to read properly until we signed him up to the online game Runescape at the age of nine where he can play with his friends and peers. The game provided the motivation he needed to read, and he jumped several levels in his first 6 months. Now aged 11 he will happily read adult-length novels. I would recommend it to anyone with a 'slow reader' in the family, especially if it is a boy.

Parent, Reading, UK

I'm glad that you are so ready to castigate something that you do not wish to understand. Why? Because it shows my generation so readily what is so wrong with your generation so we can learn to deal with it while you run the world into the ground.

Many things are good in moderation. I'm sure you're not very interested in hearing about the benefits (scientifically proven, but then again, your generation, barring actual scientists, isn't much interested in science, either) of moderate video gaming for the mind, so I won't bother to waste my breath trying to convince you.

Why, if video gaming is much like heroin, have I managed to get through university, and manage to do that and hold down a part time job wherein I worked 20+ hours a week, while reading a rather large number of books. Mind you, this is after I scored highly in all levels of school, all while playing video games.

If I had been doing heroin all this time, I would be dead.

Instead, I played video games.

Jordan Louis, Ottawa, Ontario / Canada

No doubt this relentless torrent of criticism will only harden Mr. Whittell's curmudgeonly resolve to deny his children anything but his antiquated Victorian-era picture book notion of what childhood should be.

What might crack him is his children's endless choruses of "Can't we please get a DS, all our friends have 'em and they all play this really cool game together where you have to solve puzzles and collect artifacts etc etc" ad nauseum/

But perhaps his resolve will remain strong and he'll tell them "Not a chance young pip! You go outside and play with the mud and the wind!"

Max , Brighton, England

A gamer: one who plays games on a regular basis or uses video games for any reason

A notebooker: one who uses a laptop computer on a regular basis or uses a computer for any reason

Someone can disappear into a room for days at a time for a game and it's bad, but if they are reading a book, the most solitary thing imagineable, it's fine?

--Before you ask someone "Why?"
Ask yourself "Why not?"

William G Switzer, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Wow, lovely. So where is the story about the parents who let their TV raise their kids? Or the bombardment of Alcohol and Phone "Chat" Line commercials that can be seen any time of the day on most air channels?

Far-be-it for me to remind everyone that adolescent alcoholism and sexuality is a far greater problem then violence. And most violence starts in the home with PARENTS, NOT video games.

So sure, games provide an alternate world for people to lose themselves in... How is that different from TV or Alcohol? Dont people use THOSE as means (primary means I might add) to escape from the reality that is their life? Far less people have been hurt by a video game romp then by a drunken stuper or even a sporting event!

Perhaps these things need a good hard look at long before gaming. Or may parents need to start being parents and actually turn off the idiot box or put down the bottle every once in a while and spend some time with their kids!

Verkinix, MPLS, MN

I play games, does that make me a heroin addict?

Andrew, Bucks,

wow.

you HATE that video games suck "real people" into "fake worlds" - this, from a WRITER!!!! hah!

i guess we need to get rid of books too. we don't want those capturing our beloved children's minds "for decades". movies: gone. tv: out the window. music? nope, that magic dragon ain't real. Let's squash those imaginations and kill those emotions - Who needs those in the real world?

let's just get our kids into a mine or a factory as soon as they're mobile. That sure will keep them immersed in the real world. Heck, a couple years on an assembly line will improve your motor skills, so what do we need video games for? You want to teach real problem solving, get some of those kids in a mine shaft only large enough for them to crawl through and tell them they can't come out till they've got their quota - that'll teach em how to solve problems real quick.

I love that your children's choices come down to "play video games, do heroin, get pregnant, or be productive." what a life.

Steve Reed, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Video games can be immensely worthwhile, intelligent, entertaining, educational and not only equal but superior to more "traditional" media like cinema. Their 'fake worlds' are no more fake than the worlds of film, novels and comic books- but I'm sure you wouldn't deny those to your children on the grounds that they would cease to pay attention to reality!

Your opinion comes across less like a call to arms for parents and more like the desperate rambling of a hopelessly out of touch old man. Of course you should play some video games before passing judgement! To criticise something you have no knowledge of is ignorance at its best. Video games, unlike teenage pregnancy and smack, can be experienced without any risk. The analogy is ludicrous.

Feel free to distance yourself from video games, by all means, but it's your loss.

Alan Williamson, Edinburgh, UK

I hate sports, on TV or at a stadium. I hate the way they suck real people into useless statistics and hold on to them for decades at a time. I hate being made to feel hateful for saying so, and I hate being told to immerse myself in them before passing judgment, because it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy (let’s ignore that your notebooker is old and male) before passing judgment on them. I also hate music, movies, art, hair gel, gay people, and pistachios.

This is not because of anything wrong or bad about sports or art or pistachios. It's not even because of sport-induced homicide or crooked gambling rings - serious problems, but statistically low-risk. It's because, compared with everything else on offer in a kid's life (your notebooker doesn’t like grammar), sports and music and hair gel are a colossal waste of time.

I want my kids to overdose on camping, which is highly useful. Oh, and they should use lots of straw men.

Keegan, Provo, USA/Utah

How have people not learned that you can't insult games on the internet, it doesn't work like that.

Mealf, Mankato,

I'm afraid I disagree with this article. I was under the impression that the Times represent informed opinion. While the cultural merits of video games is still a hot topic, I believe the majority of its critics have little or to no exposure of this newly emerging media.
This is quite frightening, mainly because many of the older generations including the baby boomers have been revered for their accomplishments and making informed decisions. I grew up with the internet and its technology. While I have been a gamer from the age of 5, it hasn't stopped me from traveling to New York, gain life experiences, and be the first in my family to attend college, which I will be graduating from soon.
It seems to be a generational gap at this point. I believe that we should embrace this gap and learn from one another, for the young now have something to teach the old, and the old will always be there to help guide us and offer insight, that is hopefully derived from logic.

Christopher, Santa Cruz, CA

It was posted on April 2nd. Therefore, sadly, I guess not.

GA, Glasgow,

I hope that I'm as enlightened as you when my children start endulging in hobbies which I don't understand.

By the way, I found that reading this article was a "colossal waste of time". Maybe we should ban you too.

Greg Moniz, Coulsdon, Surrey

"I hate being told to immerse myself in them before passing judgment, because it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them."
Would it rather be... "I hate to tolerate the fact, that I might be wrong"?
I know nothing about teen pregnancy or heroin. I haven't tried them, and I most likely won't. But I've tried video games, many, many times, and their suck to fantasy worlds has actually never been so strong as stories of Lovecraft, Tolkien and Gibson. This makes some books more dangerous for me to approach than games, for they totally take my attention from "important" things like studies. Same goes with music. I sit relaxed, listening music and doing nothing. Daily.
And yeah, I've already mentioned that I'm a gamer. I'm escapist in this world ruined by middle aged men in their suits, just trying to live on. Should all this "unimportance" be officially declared bad for peoples souls?

PJA, Tuusula, Finland

The truth is this guy has probably been handed a game controller before and completely embarrassed himself. It happens to all middle aged guys at some point. Nobody wants to endorse an art form where they can be outperformed by the average six year old.

I know so many people that used to hate video games and now love them. Why? Because there are loads of easy games around now to cater to them.

Of course games should not be the only thing in a kids life, but they have a role. I can't respect the naysayers unless they can at least finish a game themselves. The writer obviously has only the vaguest idea what he is talking about, hence the need for hyperbole.

Dave, London,

I think it’s interesting that your major argument against video games is that they ‘suck real people into fake worlds.’ I hope you realise that’s exactly what books and plays have been doing for centuries; allowing a reader, an audience member, a gamer to escape to another world. I can’t help but wonder if you would be annoyed if the children in scene one, absorbed by their Nintendos, had instead been lost in the world of a novel. I also find it strange that you are annoyed they aren't taking in the sights and sounds of Gatwick Terminal. Do you often sit around there, just enjoying that cheap flight atmosphere?

You are not obliged to enjoy this new art form, of course, nor are you obliged to approve of it, but I beg you to let your children try them. I've just been accepted to read English at Oxford, and video games were a boon to me intellectually and socially that I can only beg you to see with clarity and not demonise something that could give your children hours of pleasure.

Jack Hackett, Penarth,

"...it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them."

The ignorance of this article is astounding! It's a grossly inaccurate comparison that Giles has made here. Teenage pregnancy is a specific with one dimension. Gaming is a widely varied industry with multiple dimensions, outcomes, and intentions.

By Giles' philosophy, I could blanketly say that letting his children do outside-activities is bad parenting simply because there are drug dealers out there. Naturally he'd disagree, because that's his interest.

You can't blame a vastly varied action or industry for societies ills - drug dealing and violence was around long before Grand Theft Auto hit the shelves.

It's always amusing yet disappointing when people take a 'holier than thou' attitude without trying something that has vastly more positives than negatives.

Lloyd Jenkins, London,

This is an irresponsible article. Of course games can be a negative influence but that's why you have to do your job as a parent and make sure they're playing good games and playing in moderation.

Video games can be thought provoking, imagination stimulating, exciting experiences that enrich people's quality of life just like music, books, movies and art. Also, studies show video games help develop critical problem solving skills in kids. You'll find most people who play video games grow up to be socially capable, well-adjusted adults.

If you're so determined on forcing your kids to take a step backwards in time I would seriously prepare for some intense rebellion by your children. They're going to be out of the loop because of you. Video games are a key part of their generation and this is an exciting time for the industry. What you're suggesting to do is like not letting your kids listen to rock music in the 70's.

Your kids will not appreciate this ignorance, like me.

Logan Smith, New York City,

"I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time."

Hmm try and asking me something when I'm really into a good book and see if you can get trough :) Same goes for video games, it's all about balance.

Games are just the "new" way of entertainment and everything new is bad for kids. Indeed like tv in the early days, it would rot your brain and you'll go blind when you are too close.

My point is just that too much of anything is bad for you (even water or oxygen ;). Just keep a good eye on what your kids play and governements should keep a better eye on the sale of games, like they do with alcohol and tobacco.
"our friend to all gamers" mr. Jack Thompson does make one good point, kids in the US (and elsewhere) under the age of 17 can usually buy any game they want and thats just wrong because ratings are there for a reason.

Greetings from a Dutch gamer.

Kameeni, Groningen, The Netherlands

Your penchant for hyperbole is borderline ridiculous:

"I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time...

...It's because, compared with everything else on offer in a kid's life, video games and heroin and teenage pregnancy are a colossal waste of time."

Decades? And equating video games to an illegal drug? Do yourself a favor and actually research what kinds of games are out there. I suggest you stop obsessing over the violent games (designed for older gamers) and check out things such as the brain training games for Nintendo DS, I'd be more than happy to help you find games more suitable for your children, honestly. Until you actually know what it is you speak of, you're just another voice of unreason.

signed,

a very dedicated gamer, who also just happens to have a large vocabulary, a college career, and an interest in politics, arts, and world affairs. Go figure.

Vaughn, Kutztown, PA

I support your idea of exposing your children to nature and outdoor physical activity, but if you are going to ban video games why not ban television as well? Is it any better for them to sit there glued to the television watching cable tv? Why choose video games as the root of children's problems? Most video games use problem solving, puzzles and integrated learning curves. They require two way interaction and I guarantee there is much more brain activity used by a child playing games then staring slack jawed at nickelodeon.

My parents got my sister and I a Nintendo when I was 9. They also took us on frequent vacations, hiking trips and exposed us to culture and science. When I have children I will let them play video games when they are old enough, but will not let them watch cable TV. I think cable TV is awful, but I wouldn't resort to making the fallacious connection between that and heroin or teenage pregnancy. Give me a break!

Jesse Cline, Baltimore, MD

It's sad that in your closed-minded view of an entire medium, you will be sentencing your children to social alienation, ridicule, and probably even to the extend of retarding their social skills later in life, having missed out on such a widespread, common experience.

Perhaps for lack of basic entertainment, they may even turn to drugs.

So do you also hate movies, TV, and books? Do you despise literature's ability to captivate people for decades at a time?

Matt B, Red Deer, Alberta

I can't say much that hasn't already been said 68 times above, but I feel it necessary to add my voice to strengthen the chorus. What an ill-conceived article, with a central thesis (that video games are equal to heroin and teen pregnancy) that is so absurd and ignorant that it borders on offensive. Mr Whittell apparently believes that video games so thoroughly corrupt a person that it renders them incapable of developing interest in anything else - I'm a regular player of video games, and I also enjoy travel, the outdoors, and experiencing culture in all its forms. I read books, I visit the theatre, I'm physically active and educated. The solution, Mr Whittell, is in your parenting skills, which should be to teach your children responsibility and balance, and most crucially, acceptance and understanding of things that are different. I very much hope you're reading the comments left here, and would be very interested to hear a response.

CMS, Toronto,

Stick to your guns big guy. When I was that age it was houses without televisions out of principal. Read a book. Thankfuly, it wasn't my house :) On the other hand these parents raised good kids. Nobody died. They turned out alright. All occasional television watchers now. Their kids play with the same games as the others. They probably decided that they wouldn't put them through what they went through. Still, if you feel that strongly about it, stick with it.

Larry, Stratford,

@ Liz, Leamington Spa:

Your statement is just as ridiculous as me saying "Funny how the lone irrational comment here comes from a woman! What a shock."

Jay, Surrey,

The journalist raises a terrifically important debate. First, I work at a school where kids 5-18 can do as much gaming they want (or anything else within the rules the students and staff have devised.) And boy do they game! My questions, after months of watching and playing, are what experiences of mind are advantaged and what are being displaced? What kinds of imagination (strategy, physical simulation versus metaphor and meaning making) are predominant? Gaming offers completely proscribed environments - complete worlds. Films, books and other old media are relatively brief and are heavily integrated with meaning, experience and realities in real life. Very different, for sure. With gaming ,the left brain currently reigns. Control, dominance, acquisition, strategize, managing resources. Wisdom sees the limits of this, the unending hunger of the left brain and our fundamental human vulnerability to the left brain coup.

Danny Mydlack, Baltimore, MD

Wow, I think that my I.Q. just dropped sharply after reading this article.

John, Denver, CO

"Meanwhile, I want my kids to overdose on wind, rain, mud, gravy, tents, mountains and overcooked bacon. "

How are all those not a waste of time? Sure they might look fun to you but in the end you don't gain anything from any of that stuff. You can actually learn something from some games. An overdose of rain and wind might actually, unlike games, kill your kids so I would watch out with that.

I often wonder why old people don't game and i honestly don't know. I guess most have your oldschool mentality and are simply afraid of it/ think it's bad or a waste of time. These are ofc the people who spend most of their days in front of the tele, knitting, reading, gardening or waiting for their next vacation which their life seems to revolve around.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with that but from the young generation's point of view those are all a waste of time.

DaFreak, aardbei, france

So because *you* don't like something, you're depriving your kids of it too? Congratulations on being a truly fantastic parent....

Excellent point mate. Thats like saying, because a one doesn't like Ice Cream, so he won't buy it for his kids.

What a muppet.

masi from Australia, Sydney, australia

Are you honestly comparing video gaes to heroin? Seriously!?!
Maybe you should try and play one, it might give you something to do other than complain about things you obviously know nothing about.
Grow up

Matthew Green, Emsworth, Hampshire

As a 34 year old man, I remember my Grandmother (she came to the U.S. from Ireland in 1907 and lived to be 93 years old) saying T.V. would rot your brain. It was technology that had not been around when she was growing up. She didn't understand it. Therefore she didn't like it. It seems like this old man is in the same boat as my grandmother. Just because it wasn't around for you to enjoy early in your life doesn't mean there is anything wrong with video games. Granted, you need to balance your life. How do you feel about board games? Playing cards? Poker? Blackjack? Monopoly? Get with the times old man. Adapt and overcome. Forgive the spelling. I have trouble without spell check.

Respectfully,
JBF

James Finn, Buffalo, USA / NY

I strongly suggest that all non-gamers who read this article take the time to read the Byron Report. It clarifies many unfounded beliefs that people have about the industry and will demonstrate how lacking in intelligence and judgement the above article is.

Elliot Rayson, Street, Somerset, England

I hate video games/nintendo/playstation etc too; but my children don't. For a long time my husband and I would not buy these items as we did not like them or the idea that the children would be constantly playing on them. Then again, my children's friends had these game consoles and much as I disliked the idea of buying them, I also did not want my children to be the ones without - in comes peer pressure making things even more dofficult. Eventually we did buy a Play Station and Nintendo - but there are rules - NO Games during the week during term time; NO games that are inappropriate for their ages. The children respect the rules and in return they have these things that we dislike so much. We like the wind and the rain and tents and mud and thankfully so do the children! Surely it is all a question of balance? And, respect.

I'll have my say, England,

Like books, there are good and bad games. There are vulgar and violent games, but then there are games which are truly literature. Go and play Mario Galaxy and then compare it your average football sim or run-n-gun. - The trick is to find out what is great, and encourage the consumption of those games (and not the tedious brain-training type drek either).. Advance Wars is the chess of the 21st century; just because you don't know that, doesn't mean it isn't an incredible leap forward.

Tom Breslau, Worcester,

I've never seen someone so proud of their willingness to judge something whilst admitting complete and total ignorance to it.

Flipside, London,

You rightly consider most things which kids do a colossal waste of time. So why single out video games and place them in the same breath as heroin and teen pregnancy?

Might it be because you are just simply jumping onto the video game-bashing bandwagon? You satisfy all the criteria - a complete ignorance is really all that's required!

James, London,

"I hate being made to feel hateful for saying so..."

Easily the most telling statement in this entire bizarre diatribe. I'm sure members of the Ku Klux Klan are also just *SO* annoyed by the stigma of being a racist. Just because your emotions are genuine doesn't mean they're not completely idiotic.

This "argument" is just begging to be picked apart (enjoyment of the outdoors and of video games not being mutually exclusive, to start), but it's clear that you're uninterested in anything that resembles rational thought. In fact, you reference a colleague in this article, a doctor whose career is focused on the education of children and who is undoubtedly FAR more informed on the topic than yourself, and his urgings fall on deaf ears.

Your mind is made up; Any ways in which the childhood experiences of your offspring differ from your own are terrifying and unacceptable. I don't really care what your kids do, I just hope they don't grow up to be as ignorant and closed-minded as you are.

Ryan, Los Angeles, California

The problem is that games are just as much of a waste of time as the likes of films, tv, books or music. They're generally considered a leisure activity, something unproductive to do as a distraction. However, not one person with two or more braincells to rub together would refute that these mediums can be, and are regularly, used for more than simple mindless diversion. Games (although let down by that title, alluding to a frivolous pursuit with no real gain) can be every bit as thought-provoking or expressive, with the possibility for user-interaction taking this beyond what's capable in other, non-interactive mediums. I'm not going to pretend every game is a powder-keg of artistic enlightenment waiting to explode, but neither is every film or novel. It's simply pathetic to dismiss this as a waste of time.

Sam, Oxford,

too be honest the playing of video games are this generations version of a book. Our minds may be able to wrap around reading, but some of us are just not able to have the ability to have the imagination or need further help to understand. Why do you think they have taken the Lord of the Ring Books and are turnning them into movies? It's because we needed more, we wanted to see what it would look like in "Real Life".

Video games are an ecape from the real world just like books and movies and any other kind of entertainment. It gives us something to do in case we don't like nature. I think nature is beautiful, but nature honestly hates me, that's why I stay inside with my video games.

D. Weaver, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Wow... what an irresponsible, half-baked, uninformed, biased, and poorly researched attempt at journalism.

How many hours a day do your children watch TV, Giles? Do you endorse that medium, which involves close to no interaction or thought on the viewer's part?

"I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time."

What entertainment medium does not do that, Giles? Did you never read a book you couldn't let go of? Watch a film? Catch an episode of a TV series that still, to this day, you remember?

There's nothing "suddenly so weird" about not letting your children waste their time and lessen their experiences, but a reactionary, knee-jerk statement like this sounds like a judgment call made by a man who believes in nothing but absolutes.

I think that sort of thinking is scary, repressive, and draconian... and more dangerous than any video game could ever be.

Geoffrey Sperl, Harper Woods, MI, USA

If you don't like video games then fair enough, thats understandable. However, you cannot make sweeping statements about something you know nothing about.

Many games contain a narrative that is just as good as, or if not better than many good novels. In fact, video games are probably a better medium for distributing creative work as they incorporate visual, textual and aural content - enabling the creator to really bring his original vision to life. They allow for a huge level of depth, levels that could never be reached in a film or even a book.

Take a game like Grand Theft Auto for instance, enjoy the story, entertaining voice acting and rich environment. You'll find a lot more in there than just mindless violence.

Daniel Ring, Norwich, England

Wow, are "journalists" really running out of issues to comment on? What this chap appears to be missing is a balance. He seems to have sucked in the media hype, and regurgitated it in a similar form, but with a view that having a walk is the pinacle of entertainment. Seriously, get over yourself.

Jean, London,

So because *you* don't like something, you're depriving your kids of it too? Congratulations on being a truly fantastic parent.

Nick, Gloucestershire,

I hate books. I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time. I hate being made to feel hateful for saying so, and I hate being told to immerse myself in them before passing judgment, because it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them.

I hate films. I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds...

I hate theatre. I hate the way it sucks real people into fake worlds...

I hate music. I hate the way it sucks real people into fake worlds...

Phil Jefferson, Manchester,

Why does video games get thrown under the busy all the time. If your a good parent you will let your child experience as much as possible in life. most kids addicted have no parents setting up time limits or rules. am i the only one who had a limit to tv watching, do the same. heck some of my best memories of my dad is playing Nintendo or watching Sunday mourning cartoons.embrace the games and get involved.

J S, brooklyn, Ny

"I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time" - kind of reminds me of a good book...

Fiona, York,

What a hilarious article. The author must've had a really bad day to actually publish such a vapid piece.

This really smacks of the "You darn kids!" syndrome. I don't understand video games, therefore they MUST be a "waste of time". Along with Heroin use. And teenage pregnancy.

Some gain wisdom with age. Seems as though Mr. Whittell has only gained bitterness and resentment. A shame, something like games could bring him closer to his children as another fun activity they could do together. But I suppose that would be another "waste of time".

Clay Moore, Charlotte, NC United States

I have grown up playing computer games all my life and enjoy it as a fun hobby but i also have other interests.
My kids also play computer games but still like to play football in the park or ride their bikes.
Nobody is saying that you have to play computer games but if you don't like them don't play them - it doesn't mean you have to slate them or other gamers for their pastime.
It would be interesting to know what hobbies or social pastimes you have so that we can mock them.

darren jones, dagenham, essex

You don't have to lose the values of seeing the world, traveling, taking in a new culture or just nature itself simply because your kids play video games. I've traveled to all 7 continents of the world, seen everything from France to Africa throughout my childhood and into early adulthood, all the while maintaining a healthy fascination and enjoyment of video games.

This emerging medium only cheapens the effects of good parenting if you're already not a good parent to begin with, in addition to treating them to advanced problem solving and planning skills and excersizing their cranial muscles, your kids will love the fact that you're not some cagey old has been who dismisses something he knows nothing about.

Good parenting always trumps refusing to keep up with the times, nothing says that gaming cannot be a very desirable reward for finishing homework, hanging out with friends, or going camping. Parenting is about teaching kids values, not isolating everything you perceive is bad.

Vlad, Las Vegas, NV

Get over yourself Liz! Teams of men designed and built the computer you're using right now. Go out and buy yourself some shoes, i'm sure you don't have enough. Anyway, my fiance and I love spending time together whether it be at a concert, mountain biking, or apparently this evil new trend called video games. How does spending time with one another doing a fun activity indoors or out a bad thing?

chris, tulsa, ok

Nice and biased. Just the way good reporting should be.

jeff, chicago,

You can't generalise about game players but you can generalise about poor parenting, the ones who buy their children games to keep them quiet than forget that they are in charge.

My children play games and enjoy them, but they don't forget that I'm in charge, they understand the certification and they do their homework first before playing.

If there is a breakdown in youth behaviour I'd blame the government for the pressure they put on Women to go back to work, leaving latch key children to take care of themselves.

VJB, London,

People never cease to amaze me..... The author of this sad excuse for a column apparently doesn't value the development of their offspring's imagination. Books are probably next in his firing line as I know just as many people that immerse themselves in a good book for hours at a time as I do that immerse themselves in a good video game.

Hobbies of any kind, much like so much else in life, require balance. I've played video games much of my life, as have my friends. We're all highly successful professionals with very active social lives and a range of hobbies that are both indoors and out. Video games have exercised our creativity, our reasoning, and our dexterity in the same way that our outdoor hobbies have exercised our bodies.

I do feel for the children whom you refuse to provide exposure to the myriad of new media that could do the same for them in addition to providing a great deal of enjoyment. They're the real victims here, as your ignorant views don't affect us.

J, Maryland, MD

It should also be noted that even if hypothetically you were right about video games, the fact that by your own admission you haven't bothered to truly learn about them before forming your opinion destroys all credibility your argument might have had.

James, Canterbury, England

I'd hardly class this gentleman as ignorant - I wonder what you all do for a living or have achieved?

If we spent a little more time exercising and appreciating what nature, people and places have to offer and a little less time looking at a screen, we'd all be much, much fitter, healthier, and probably more balanced.

The watchword is moderation. Always has been, always will be.

Simon, Worthing,

Wow, The Times is really getting good at this "trolling the gaming community" thing. Sad, really, to see the depths formerly great newspapers have sunk to.

Ben Roe, Norwich,

Which videogames are you talking about? There are a huge variety of videogames spanning simple puzzle games, action games, edutainment games, in depth story-based games and many many other types (limited only by imagination). Physcial exercise and breadth of experience is to be encouraged for children and adults alike but to limit that experience when it comes to videogames could appear to a neutral observer as narrow minded....

Adrian, Solihull, UK

Funny how the the comments in defense of computer games are from men! What a shock.

Liz, Leamington Spa,

Every generation has its thing. It's up to the older peeps to trash whatever is new because they don't understand how it could be beneficial or fun for others. It's happened time and time again. Books, Comic books, radio, film, TV, and the list goes on and on. What is a waste of time to one person might be a great joy for others, why judge? You don't like video games? Don't play them. You wanna put the whole hobby down as a waste of time? You're out of line. Heroine/teenage pregnancy is NOT comparable to what is by and large an innocent hobby.

Paul, atlanta, ga

Not all children who are given games become nerds. I've had computers since I was 8 and at 34 I still play games now and then. I also love the great outdoors, a myriad of hobbies and a huge collection of books. Playing games in moderation, is not going to turn you into a vegetable. It's just something else to do on a rainy day, or in my case a way to make friends all over the world and have a laugh with my partner. Who I met playing a game...

I had some wonderful times with my parents, all 3 of us sat round our Commodore 64 taking turns to play something. Other times we'd play board games. My dad has actually been the one who got into trouble for playing games late at night!

Donna, Middlesex,

What an amazingly simple old man you are. Do you outlaw movies, books, magazines, and toys as well in your home, or is your ignorance limited to only 1 medium?

Josh, Edina, MN

I love the way someone has a pop at geeks and then puts "lol" at the end of their sentence.

julian D, Colchester, UK

The writer of this story should consider that video games damage the enviroment less that the short haul flights he takes in order for him to escape his life

chris, dublin, ireland

One could easily argue by the same measure that sex for recreation is a colossal waste of time too.

I can only assume that Giles Whittel stopped getting any a long time ago.

I also have to admit to chuckling at his assertion that teenage pregnancy and heroin are a "colossal waste of time" too. He seems confused over what "waste of time" really means, believing instead that the term means "a bad thing I disagree with". I wonder if he thinks war and rape are also colossal wastes of time?

Gary , Liverpool,

The blustering and blundering rantings of a crazy old man.

Lets see if I can get under his skin.
* I'll never watch Antiques Roadshow
* I'll never watch Last of the Summer Wine

or basically what hes saying
* I'll never allow escapism

Books, movies... they are all the same... The difference with video games, is writers like Giles Whittell, in their advancing age, is scared of things he doesn't understand.

Don't worry grandad, your kid's will teach you.

Paul Kerton, Birmingham, West Midlands

Amen to that. I can't stand video games. My ex, however, bought my son a Wii. How can I raise my son one way, when his dad is busy turning him into a certified nerd?

M.R., Stockport,

I love all the comments from geeks saying they're not geeks. Lol!!!

Syd, Cambridge,

Replace all video games references in the article by book reference and you realise that the author have a really poor view of the world.

Books and video games is escapism, and great way to train imagination.
The big difference is the books are an accepted part of the culture.

Nic, Frankfurt,

For God's sake, it's like you said you'll never let your kid watch a movie, read a book or consume any other media. Just because video games are a new way of emerging into an alternative reality, doesn't mean they're any more or less appropriate. Reminds you of a "rock and roll" phenomenon a few decades ago, doesn't it? Rock and Roll was the major scapegoat for everything that was wrong with children.

It all started when one guy painted animals on a wall of his cave, thousands of years ago, and will not end until we achieve total immersion into an imaginary world. We, the human race, are not satisfied with this real world and it shows and is clear as day. All we're doing is trying to get out of it. Your city is a virtual world, your house, growing crops, digging for oil, your cars, theaters, books, movies, video games, it's not real. Africa is real. And we ran out of there a long time ago.

Vlado, Banja Luka, Bosnia&Herzegovina

i see your point where would we be now if we had turned our noses up at every vast technological wonder?

Rodd Thomas, London,

My parents bought me a Spectrum 128K for Christmas when I was about 8. I played and learned to write simple code. In school I disliked every subject but excelled at computing due to my advanced level of computer literacy compared with other children. I now have a well payed job in the IT industry and a great work/life balance. I am no geek.

Have you ever used a simultor such as MS Flight simulator (I am eagerly awaiting the new driving one GT5). These allow access to a world of opportunity normally available to a tiny % of the population.

Finally - check out what the ps3 is doing in protien folding in the search for cures for diseases.

Iain Dobson, edinburgh, uk

youn all need to get out more!

J, London,

what is with these ignorant people....just because they dont get it... games are supposed to be bad for you. Wait a minute, I dont get cross stitching, and it could be dangerous as my kids could poke their eyes out. Lets ban it!!!

And to parents who are concerned for their kids, well its your responsibility. If your kids are playing a mature game....you as a parent have not done your job. Dont blame the game.

Paul meet, london, U.K

These fake worlds people get sucked into are normally better than the world we are living in, when I turn on the news all I see are children being abducted, people being killed, raped, mugged & of course the Iraq war. I cannot remember the last time I saw a happy news story. 1 reason I enjoy video games is because the fake worlds get me away from the horrendous things going on in this one.
There is another medium, which immerses people into fictional worlds… films.
Are they a waste of time? I find them equally enjoyable, but you are still sitting for a few hours in front of a screen.
Perhaps you have no qualms with films because they are not interactive & therefore do not influence anyone’s actions, this I cannot believe as it’s a real person (role models in fact) involved in the violence rather than a digitally created character yet the game industry seems to have the stereotype of being the only contributor to peoples violent actions.
I’ve never understood this view on gaming.

Samuel, Wallington, UK

I can imagine being a parent, and feeling railroaded in to providing expensive consoles, games and the time to play them to your children. Seeing them so totally absorbed and not 'getting it'. The trouble is every generation has this - early in the 20th century people frowned on younger people reading popular books and not the classics, i could add films, television, rock music, dungeons and dragons, raves - need i go on? However it's our responsibility as families to help our children understand the technology around us and of course to teach them self control in it's use.

Games also have some amazing benefits few people highlight - terminally ill children using xbox live to socialise in worlds they could never explore for real, kids in abusive homes getting counselling from friends online in Xbox's Halo2 and new developments such as a game for kids with nervous disorders where their character races faster, the calmer they are [Relax to Win, MIT, Dublin]

Chris, London, UK

What if edutainment were to be promoted above pure entertainment - through significant grants, subsidies, licenses taxation?

So these consoles got our kids addicted to education...

Would you get your kids a computer then?

Mark, Woking, UK

What at ignorant fellow. Replace 'hate' with 'don't understand' and the piece would make a lot more sense.

Tim, St Helens, England

No surprise that this article entirely lacks the kind of logic that many video games teach so well.

Lewis, London,

Do you play golf? Do go fishing for leisure purposes? Do you read fiction books, or biographies? Do you watch non-educational TV shows? Do you go out for lunch with a friend? Do you paint, or sculpt, or make other artwork for fun? Do you spend some time working on the Times crossword, or other puzzles? Do you play cards occasionally? Have you ever been go-karting, or spent a day at the beach?

And most importantly, would you allow your children to do these things?

All of the things I mentioned above are as much a waste of time as video games. Video games are an interactive form of entertainment, which means that, unlike TV shows and movies, your brain is constantly working. Video games serve as a great social focal point, can help train mental reflexes, work the brain better than a crossword, inspire more creativity than painting or sculpting.

Placing restrictions is good - video games shouldn't be the only recreation... but it is not worthless. "Variety is the spice of life".

Glen, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

YOU DARNED KIDS WITH YOUR DIME NOVELS/RADIO SHOWS/COMIC BOOKS/MOVIES

CORRUPTING OUR YOUTH, IT IS! GET OFF MY LAWN!!

In all seriousness, one reason that outdoor activities aren't so popular anymore is because of the alarmist press talking about abductions and plague and all sorts of other threats of the outdoors, because it sells papers. Imagine that!

There's nothing inherently wrong with indoor activities any more so than outdoor activities. Besides, wouldn't time spent sitting indoors in front of a screen make for an excellent training for adulthood in the western world? : /

Greg, Pennsylvania, USA

All video games have done is replace more trditional forms of sedentry entertainment like books, tv and movies. Losing yourself in the fantsy world of a video game is not really any different to losing yourself in Roald Dahl's fantasy worlds or Beatrix Potter's or J.K. Rowling's, the only difference with these games is that they're interactive and of course don't help with your grammer or spelling.

Jamie, Edmonton,

I can't believe what I am reading here. Okay, here's some arguments against what you're saying:

1. More and more videogames are being made nowadays that are helpful to your health. Just look at Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Fit, and the Brain Training series of games.

2. Many videogames have graphics and art style that are just as beautiful as any painting. Just look at Okami, Patapon, LocoRoco, Mass Effect, and any of the Rayman series. of games.

3. Many recent (and not-so-recent) videogames have heart-wrenching storylines with believable characters that are just as intelligent and emotional as any book. Just look at any of the Final Fantasy series of games, and just about any good RPG game.

4.The music in many videogames nowadays are performed with an orchestra for the game's soundtrack, and even many old videogames have great music too.Just look at Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and any of of the Legend of Zelda series of games.

Peter Lcoke, Calgary, Canada

First off, happy April Fool's day.

Second, I refuse to let my children eat out at restaurants for the same reasons you cite for heroin, pregnancy, and video games. I mean, we have to add obesity to the list of colossal wastes of time, right? After all, how can you enjoy the hike up a mountain if you work up a sweat just walking up a flight of stairs?

But you say restaurants don't cause obesity. Lack of exercise, food portions and genetics are the leading causes of weight-gain. While that may be true, if restaurants did not exist I could trust that my children will eat in the manner of my choosing. An added benefit would be a lack of neon signs distracting drivers.

Ok, I'm not putting in as much effort in my aurguement that you have, but its equally ridiculous.

Why can't you place blame where it needs to be placed? Who allows children to play games while on a 'travelator'?

I'll tell you, until my kids are 18, I and my wife are soley responsible for their actions.

Vince, Ohio, USA

One thing you fail to understand is that with anything in life comes moderation. Also, it is the parents responsibility to set limitations on leisurely playing video games. No they do not replace real life, or things that are more important, but in the right situations, and in the right expectations they can be a fun family enjoyment (or solo).

Just because you want to be biased and group the negativety (and how over the top your assertations are) doesn't mean you need to rub off your dislikes on your children. Follow up this article in 15 or so years after rearing them w/o video games and tell us how successful you are at weening them out of their life.

Ryan, Saint Louis, USA, MO

Giles, this is quite a close-minded view. Comparing a video game to teen pregnancies and heroin is ridiculous in itself, but then consider your attitude- you hate being told not to pass judgement without knowledge?

Consider what you are saying. Consider that everything you say ("sucks people into a fantasy world, wastes time") can be applied to a movie or a fantasy novel. If you were giving books horrible reviews without ever reading them, you'd be laughed off the block.

I play video games. I started with the original Nintendo before I started kindergarden. Video games and novels provided me with an outlet as a child, and the games evolved into a social activity I could do with friends. Video games need to be taken in moderation as with anything, but outright banning them from your household simply means you are relinquishing control- your kids will just go play them at their friend's house, and who knows what games their friends will have. Try playing games in a social group.

Chris Hardin, Spokane, WA

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are not the only one.

I had a Nintendo when I was ten or so, although I got bored of it after a year or two and was never much of an addict anyway. But yes - what a waste of time. And now I see kids on the train who can't be older than 6 immersed in these little boxes, plugged into earphones. It's so sad. And these are always the same kids who throw horrendous tantrums on the train at their ever-doting mum or dad, who usually says nothing.

Amy Allen, London,

What a ridiculous point of view.

Ridley, Vigo, Spain

I would rather be playing a fun Video game than freezing outside during a storm or trying to get some sleep in a tent.

Jacob Fidor, Kingston, Canada, Ontairio

A waste of time compared to what? I have news for you - the purpose of a leisure activity is enjoyment. Fun. How is finding fun by camping and rambling somehow less of a "waste of time" than finding it in computer gaming? We gamers are fully aware of the alternatives and know just how much better off we are exploring the imaginations of game-designers than the comical mugs ambling aimlessly about in the cold and cowpats. We are very, very glad of it.

Liam, Stoke, UK

It's not weird to have your opinion. You can say whatever you want, BUT critize other people's life styles.

You may think your children are better than others because they don't play video games, but that's not true at all.

For some people, video games are not a waste of time - "wind, rain, mud, gravy, tents, mountains and overcooked bacon" are. You're the one who can't seem to handle that, and you should review your thoughts.

The ability to put yourself on other people's places, according to Freud, is acquired during the early stages of life. You should exercise this ability more often.

Note: I've learned how to read, speak and write in english through videogames, and I'm a latin-based language-speaker. "Waste of time", huh?

Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe, São Paulo, Brazil

"I hate fiction books, hardcover or paperback. I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time."

"It's because, compared with everything else on offer in a kid's life, fiction books and heroin and teenage pregnancy are a colossal waste of time."

If you had said the above, you'd have been laughed out of town, or perhaps even protested by teachers and other educators.

Moderation is fine. But don't pretend that video games are any different from reading fiction, comics, watching tv, or staring at a field of daisies. All are equally "time wasting".

Colin McInnes, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

So sitting inside playing games is a waste of time, but sitting outside, wet and cold in a tent whilst a storm rages is a constructive activity? People waste their time harmlessly in all sorts of ways - to pick one of these ways out is unfair. To try to equate it with heroin (chemically addictive, often fatal, absolutely illegal) or teenage pregnancy (which saps potential and often is the cause of domestic violence and huge depression) by implication is absurd. I think you're over-reacting here.

Morgan Murray, Glasgow,

Games are an interactive form of entertainment.
An evolution of books and television and films, which you can actually take part in.

If you don't like games, I'm going to assume you don't like these medias either.

Teenagers aren't all dropouts.
I'm 20. I go to the gym 3 times a week, I eat properly, I have a healthy social life, and I work hard at university trying to Get my degree, But I've played games almost every day since I was young, and it's great. It's nice to relax and immerse myself in a fantasy world.
Much like when you read an interesting book.

Sure, casual games like Wii sports and many Nintendo games ar