I would broadly define two kinds of games: those of eye-hand coordination, which indeed help development of fast reflexes even when some are disgusting, and those of impersonation where the player has to develop intellectual skills to manage a virtual situation reflecting reality or inspired in reality. Those situations could be for example 1) discover a magic powder that sends me to the 4th dimension, or 2) find a corrupt cop who would allow me to sell dope in the corner, (jokes about corrupt cops, appart). It is this second subject that worries me. Today our newspapers tell us that there's a new game downloadable from the net. It is called KABOOM. It's a game of impersonation of a suicide bomber who has to learn techniques and tricks to leave this world along with the largest possible quantity of civilian victims in cities of Israel. Its young author (21) says that he does not know what's happening in the Mid East, that he does not care about it, and that the game is only a game, and people who commit suicide are simply stupids. Obviously he does not AIM to anything, and I think that the problem is not where they aim, but the effect of banalization of terrible things.

(Let me say that WAR games are at least, impersonations of soldiers defending their nations, those same soldiers that we welcome as heroes when they come back home after the battle)

So, the limit I was talking first, seems to have been reached. Ok, I'll find some minutes to download and try those games. If I don't show up for some weeks, please send me some cigarettes and find a good lawyer for me.

Un abrazo - Andrés