The new President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, has been slammed for saying video games damage kids' imaginations.

He gave the warning when attending an event at The Ark in Dublin’s Temple Bar.

The newly sworn-in president stated: “We must encourage all citizens, particularly children, to, as Raymond Williams put it, ’Be the arrow, not the target’.

“It is possible to form the impression that many of today’s children no longer fully appreciate the joy of taking refuge in their own imaginations, preferring to spend their time on computer games, or watching digital television or playing with pre-programmed electronic toys.”

Pete Haas of Gaming Blend magazine disagreed strongly with Higgins statement, writing, ’Reading years worth of stupid quotes from politicians has desensitized me."

“I’ve been hearing this ’kids have no imagination these days’ all my life. The rise of the gaming industry hasn’t put an end to novels painting ,to songs?

“What takes the edge of of Higgins comments is that he is 70 years old,” he wrote.

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