All of the has happened before....

http://news.spong.com/gateway?Games+Addiction+Researcher+Admits+%22I+Made+an+Error%22/%2Farticle%2F17790%2FGames_Addiction_Researcher_Admits_I_Made_an_Error

People with an agenda trying to do research to suit their needs. Jack Thompson probably spooged his shorts when he read this paper initially.

This has always been a great frustration for me as a gamer. People want to see video games as a child's toy, instead of as a legitimate entertainment form like theater, cinema, and television. Since the days of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972 There has been a niche market of adults that has gotten progressively bigger. the reason why is that children who were playing Colecovision, Intellivision, Atari, the Sega Master System, or Nintendo grew up and continued to game.

and what is the number one criticism. "well video games are just escapism"

Yes, of course they are. just like reading a book, or watching a movie. Video games are at least slightly more constructive then either format, because you control the circumstances. you as a player get to determine the path that the stories protagonist take.

Gaming is a culture, and just because some idiots out there do not agree with it does not mean it does not have a right to exist.