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Before I being, I'd just like to point out that this is my 201st blog post. So yeah, it has been awhile since I've posted and just wanted to thank Kristen and Cory for being such awesome family (and gracious hosts) to me and Logan this previous week. We sure had a lot of fun spending time with them. Plus, getting some of Kristen's cooking was an added bonus! One of my good memories from this trip was playing "bad stingray" with Ian. For those who may be unfamiliar with this game, I'll explain the rules. This game can only be played on a trampoline. Ian is spider-man while I play the "bad stingray." I shoot stingers at Ian, while he shoots "web" at me. Then we both fall over, I tackle him, tell him "he'll never escape." Ian then responds with "I will escape somehow," and somehow he always manages to free himself.

I also enjoyed seeing how grown up Elise and Merry Grace are. Conversations with Elise reach a surprisingly adult level and yet she still is mischievous and fun to be around. Merry Grace doesn't say much, but her smiles melt hearts (and possibly butter, although science has yet to weigh in on the matter).

Overall the week spent in Raleigh was quite awesome. I sure hope they will let us stay again sometime. Or better yet, come up here. And next time we're together, bring on the Guitar Hero Kristen and Cory...bring it on.

Well, here I am again, sitting at my computer and thinking about what to write. I've been pondering about video games lately and whether video games are too violent.

Many adults and parental figured rally around the war cry that video games are responsible for the increasing violence in today's society and that video games are too violent.

I myself agree that on the whole, video games are generally too violent. Many video games out there I would even call disturbing. But just because the majority of movies produced or books written contain excessive sex and violence does not mean that good, enjoyable, and downright excellent books and movies do not exist.

The same is true of video games. Many are of poor quality but there are some that are worthwhile. I wish to give a couple of examples of games that meet my own personal criteria for excellence.

The first is Guitar Hero (and Guitar Hero II). Here are games based completely around music. They contain zero violence. If anything, it could be argued they teach rhythm and provide a stepping stone into other musical pursuits. In fact, I began taking guitar lessons because of playing Guitar Hero II! Very quickly, to those who say video games are a waste of time, I only ask, are video games any more of a waste of time than TV? Video games are interactive, whereas TV is strictly one way.

The second game is Viva Pinata. Viva Pinata is a children's game filled with bright colors, fluffy pinatas and happy music. Viva Pinata is geared toward younger children and shows a softer and fluffier side of gaming.

Now I wish to cross into dangerous territory. My last example of the good of video games is Halo 3, a well-known "shooting" game. The reason I give Halo 3 as an example is to show that perhaps those who rally should reexamine their stance against games in general and some shooting games. So what makes Halo 3 a "good" shooter? Because shooting isn't the focus. Just like great movies aren't great because of special effects, Halo 3 is not good because you shoot. Halo 3 is good because it is social. It connects people in ways that e-mail and phones can't connect people. Halo 3 is about playing with friends and socializing while playing a game. It is not about playing a game while socializing. I won't go into the nitty gritty of how Halo 3 makes this happen, but only that Halo 3 is about playing with friends and not about shooting.

I make these arguments only to help people see the good in video games. Again, I don't deny it, the majority of video games are too violent, but instead of plucking out all the bad apples, let's just enjoy the good ones.