That was the advice of Caressa Cameron, crowned Miss America 2010 on Saturday night. Obviously the broadcast journalism student failed to do her viewer background homework when she made these remarks and promptly annoyed 175 million US gamers. Not a bad start to her “love the world” plans. “Take away the TV, take away the videogames, set some standards for our children,” the newly crowned queen of beauty and all-round guru of public policy declared. “Parents should encourage their kids to play outside,” she continued, “playing imaginary games with sticks in the street like I did when I was little.”

I always like comments such as these from people who presumably don’t play video games. My favourite memory of such a throwaway comment was from a politician who said that video games make people ill. Tell that to the gamers on the hospital leukaemia wards who have been encouraged to play video games to manage pain and actually increase their immune efficiency. Now, I am not a beauty contest winner (I know, hard to believe isn’t it?), but I am sensible enough to not comment on such things as I know nothing about. So, for example, you won’t find me commenting on the fact that beauty pageants might demean and marginalize the contestants, or that not many job application processes involve walking up and down in your swimwear and high heels (unless, of course, you aim to work as a lifeguard at a Beverly Hills swimming pool). I certainly wouldn’t even dare suggest that such competitions might promote eating disorders or clinical depression in adolescent children. No, not me. I’ll leave such profound policy decisions to someone who aspires to be a TV news anchor but tells us all not to watch TV. Priceless.