Talk about bad timing! GamePolitics returns from a few days in Jamaica (where Internet access was definitely a problem, Mon), only to find it's - horrors! - TV-Turnoff Week, which of course includes video games.

The TV Turnoff Network cites figures indicating that the average American child spends 1,000 hours per year in front of a television set. Actually, that figure sounds low to GamePolitics, representing less than three hours per day. There also seems to be an assumption that all programming watched by children is either mindless or excessively violent.

The fact is, there is a lot of good stuff on T.V., and a lot of good video games to be played, both on a television screen, and on a PC monitor. There are also a lot of good books to read, good ways to exercise, and good times to be had with friends and family. For a good counterpoint on the topic, see Watching TV Makes You Smarter, a terrific feature by Stephen Johnson in Sunday's New York Times magazine section (reg req).

The TV-Turnoff is a well-intentioned idea that seems to be based on an unfortunate paradigm: that TV and video games are bad. The organization doesn't consider the realities that modern families deal with. Kids - and adults - often multitask these days. TV on in the background, they may be reading, surfing the 'Net or even doing homework. Parents in poverty-stricken neighborhoods where crime and drugs are constant threats may prefer to keep their kids safely at home, even if it means letting them watch some extra TV or play video games. And there are plenty of shows and games that are educational, carry positive messages, or portray real-life choices. Would a kid be better off watching The West Wing or playing Civilization than hanging on the mean streets of urban America?