Now that the first phase of beta testing for the long-awaited APB is almost at an end, I thought it was high time to share my experiences with it. I've had a whale of a time testing it, so much so I've been shunning other commitments – gaming or otherwise – to make way for the limited play windows. For those of you who haven't heard of APB, it's an MMO from Realtime Worlds, the relatively new software house founded by the chap who invented Grand Theft Auto – and the lazy but somewhat accurate description I've often heard of APB is that it's GTA: The...

The recent Guardian article by Tom Watson on why MPs need to play videogames to understand them got me thinking. If you haven't already read the article, go read it then come back. Done? Good. This sparked a conversation on a messageboard I visit, specifically regarding the comment that kids aren't taught programming any more, they're taught Office. This is sadly very true, and something that led me to another realisation – at one point, kids *were* taught programming, but not by their school. I can only speak from a British perspective on this, so if you're an American...