Boris Johnson decides games are good

Boris Johnson, the semi-hilarious mayor of London, has had a change of opinion and decided that games are a good thing now.

While the much-ridiculed politician who has appeared on shows like Have I Got News For You may have previously said that games are to blame for "ignorance, underachivement " and "poverty", and turning children into "blinking lizards", it seems he's had a change of heart.

Boris announced via a press release that he was very pleased and proud to have London host the upcoming Games Festival for a third year and that the festival is a demonstration of the creativity and range of the industry. Johnson later went on to claim that the games industry is an important part of the UK economy and London's creative sector.

"With events across the capital, the festival has something for everyone and illustrates the popularity of this thriving form of entertainment," he added.

The comments were the exact opposite to remarks he had made a year or two previously when writing for The Telegraph. Boris's article, titled "The writing is on the wall - computer games rot the brain" said that it was time for society to "garotte the GameBoy and paralyse the PlayStation."

That said, this must be the only slightly stupid thing Boris has ever said, right?

Are games an important part of society, or just a mindless distraction from real problems? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.