Away from the nonsense spouted by concerned "experts" like Keith Vaz¹ there's been some interesting commentary following the release of Grand Theft Auto IV in the mainstream media.

I've particularly enjoyed the following piece from Catherine Bennett published in today's Observer newspaper. She's by her own admission not a gamer and her initial attempts at the game's supposed ultraviolence were rather thwarted.

Were it not for its fearsome lewdness, many parents might prefer to help their children, too, to explore GTA's satirical universe, rather than waste time on CBBC's ever more dismaying offerings, from the dystopic filth that is Tracy Beaker to those twin triumphs of moronic nihilism, Prank Patrol and Hider in the House

In fact, if a new book on gaming, Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Video Games, is to be believed, there may exist hardly anyone in sound mind who might not, from time to stressful time, benefit from an hour or two of moderately violent gaming. The authors, two Harvard psychiatrists, Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K Olson, were told by many young players that they played violent games to 'relax' or to 'get my anger out'. Should we not, as a matter of urgency, implore Gordon Brown to escape into GTA IV over the bank holiday? Or would the experience make an already vulnerable and solitary Prime Minister more likely to aim his car, à la Niko, at cyclists such as David Cameron?

You can read the whole of Catherine's editorial at The Guardian website.

_{¹Vaz doesn't even know what a PSP is, which was demonstrated when he was being an "expert" in a House of Common committee.}