LONDON: Anyone who tries to tell you at some point in 2007 that videogames are now an accepted mainstream art form, is incredibly wrong and need to be reprogrammed. A fortnight ago, comedy conservative Boris Johnson used his column in the Telegraph to launch a vociferous attack on videogames. Under the headline “Games rot our children’s brains”, he blundered: “It is about time, as a society, that we admitted the catastrophic effect these blasted gizmos are having on the literacy and the prospects of young males.” Quite apart from the fact that no one has used the phrase “blasted gizmos” since the 1948 book Biggles and the New Radar Equipment, he ignores the masses of research that suggests child literacy problems start way before kids even pick up a joy pad and that their attitudes to reading are influenced most importantly by their parents.

The isolated youngsters of his outdated imagination don’t fit well with what I have seen: generations gathered together for chatting and singing rather than slumping in silence, staring goggle-eyed at whatever visual slurry the nation’s broadcasters had seen fit to label family entertainment.

Doubtless, the interactive element, together with the very word “game” and all the connotations it carries somewhat for those who seek to explore real-world themes through the format. But those responsible for a supposedly progressive arts festival should understand the incredible possibilities of interactive media to educate, inform and challenge in fresh, engaging ways. —Dawn/The Guardian News Service