So as much as I am obsessed with TV, I have to admit, I have another love.

Yes, I've been cheating with another, videogames. Ever since I was a kid and got hooked on the world of Mario and Sonic, I couldn't shake this bug. I don't play as much as some that you will see on MTV's True Life series or even as much as the kid down the block. That is I don't until the 29th of this month when GTA IV will finally be released. I've got my plans for a half day or work, followed by a drive, with the new Madonna disc, also scheduled to drop that day, and then some serious hours of gaming. The wife is on board, I just need to let her get her fill until then.

So it was with great sadness that I read this week's 'King of Pop' talking about the new bill in my great state of Massachusetts. Sure the debate about violent videogames will probably never end, but in the interest of research I sought out the exact wording of the bill.

"depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community, so as to appeal predominantly to the morbid interest in violence of minors;"

And this was the line that stuck out at me. Now when I go back to the top of the bill to see the sponsors of it, I see the names of many inner city reps. Some of these same reps are spending their time banning videogame violence while the death toll in their neighborhoods is skyrocketing. 

It's a sad fact of life for some of these kids that when one of their friends is shot, it doesn't even make the news or paper, unless he/she dies. Even then it's likelier that it will be buried in the back of the local section, just below the celebrity gossip for the day. 

There is no way that I'm going to let my kids play the games that I play. Any parent worth their salt knows about ratings for movies and tv. Now learn them for games! There is a rating system and many stores do enforce that system. Sure not all of them do, but that's where parents come in. Don't let your kid buy something called Condemned 2: Bloodshot and not question what it's about. For the record, don't buy that for your kids...

Games today are not the games we played as kids...they're better! It just takes a little sifting to get to the redeeming ones. For Lost addicts, the new Lost game is worth a look. Condemned was a great way to pass time until the 29th, but if you're not a fan of survival horror (resident evil or silent hill being the biggest and still best) then pass on this and save your cash for the special edition...