Conservative MP Boris Johnson has attacked video games, claiming they stunt reading skills and do no good at all.
In a soapbox rant for the Telegraph , the infamously candid Tory says "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."
"Garrotte the Game Boy and paralyse the PlayStation," he writes.
Johnson sites figures claiming the proportion of primary school children who don't like reading rose to 35 per cent in 2003, from 23 per cent in 1997. The figures are quoted in a clear dig at the ruling Labour party, who came into power in 1997.
Too much of anything...
David Amor, creative director of Relentless - a company which recently announced a collaboration with the Government to produce an educational version of its hit Buzz video game - is more openminded.
"While it's not healthy to spend endless hours in isolation playing video games, I'd say the same about reading books, playing football, or hanging around the street," says Amor. "As parents we have a responsibility to enforce moderation."
Amor goes on to say that the Tory MP would be suprised to find there are a good number of popular games that have proven merits.
To read Johnson's diatribe for yourself, it can be found on the Telegraph website . Let us know your views on the subject.
