Colman Noctor: Not all computer games are a bad use of time 

"Trying to pick a movie on Saturday nights can seem more complicated than negotiating the Good Friday Agreement. So, when there is an activity they all enjoy together, I tend to make the most of it."

Pic: iStock

A friend who recently visited me at home commented that the kitchen reminded him of ‘an internet café in the early 2000s’.

He wasn’t wrong. The room has the customary table, chairs, and cupboards, but one wall is lined with two PCs, a PlayStation, and a laptop. The aesthetics are not what you’d see in Room To Improve, but I want to observe the games the children are playing and listen to the dialogue accompanying their online activity.