London Mayor Boris Johnson, aside from being an upper class village idiot, is also apparently a hypocrite and a liar. In a press release issued regarding the upcoming London Games Festival, Johnson had nothing but good things to say about interactive entertainment:
“I’m delighted that that the London Games Festival is back in our city for its third year. It demonstrates the creativity and range of the gaming industry, which, as an important part of London’s creative sector, and makes a vital contribution to the economy as whole. With events across the capital, the festival has something for everyone and illustrates the popularity of this thriving form of entertainment.”
Sounds great, right? Sure, until you read what the wild-haired laughing stock had to say about games in 2006, where he claimed that they rotted your brain and seemed proud to be a man who would “say ‘no’ to Nintendo”:
“These machines teach them nothing. They stimulate no ratiocination, discovery or feat of memory – though some of them may cunningly pretend to be educational.
“The more addictive these games are to the male mind, the more difficult it is to persuade boys to read books; and that is why it is no comfort that Britain has more computer games per household than any other EU country, and, even though they are wince-makingly expensive, an amazing 89 per cent of British households with children now boast a games console, with distribution right across the socio-economic groups.”
He also called videogames a “cause of ignorance, under achievement and yes, poverty,” and has also linked them to knife crime in the past.
So, are videogames vital or nothing but a source of crime and poverty? Or maybe Boris is just a typical politician who’ll say anything to make himself popular. Perhaps he should stick to hosting Have I Got News For You? At least when he makes a prat of himself on there, I can laugh instead of shake my head with total contempt.
Published: Oct 16, 2008 09:10 am