Dear Future Gamer

A quick retort to Simon Kirrane's feature in FG43.

Videogames have no payoff. Unless you created it.
Videogames cannot teach us. I never learnt anything in school anyway.
Videogames cannot make us healthier. My index finger is remarkably strong.
Videogames cannot bring us wealth, fame and admiration. Unless you're John Carmack.
Videogames cannot touch our souls. I sold my soul to the ice-cream man to complete Doom 2 on Nightmare.
Videogames cannot inspire. My girlfriend (I've got one!) was inspired to find a means to distract me from Final Fantasy 7.
Videogames cannot make us better people. My rocket launcher skills have improved amazingly since Half-Life.
Videogames cannot feed the starving. No, but you can house them in the packaging.
Videogames cannot reverse the inexorable march of capitalism. Even Stalin failed.
Videogames cannot turn water into wine or lead us not into temptation. I've spent so much time online with Diablo I haven't had a chance to get tempted (that was until my girlfriend got inspired...).

Great article by the way. Interesting - even my girlfriend liked it. So I've been wasting all these years? I'm off to join the army. See the world, they've said. (I have been told to get out more.)

Sammi, Lisa and Markus

FG: Thanks for that, people. Jon Palmer eloquently rounds off his counter-argument to Simon's feature this week. You'll like it.