How do I convince her games have merit?

[Oinodaemon]

benefits to gaming (these are just the ones i know about, im sure there are plenty of others)

1. Improved hand eye coordination --I'll use halo as my example since im not sure what other games you play, having to shoot something before it shoots you obviously forces your mind to react very quickly. As a result, your mind will react more quickly to things in real life.

2. i really dont know what to call this one...um...sight processing...i suppose...yea... ---Ok, so the average person can only count 5 things in a single instant, ie, if you have a bag of jellybeans laid out on a table you will only be able to register 5 at time (a lot of ppl arent even that high) When you have a whole horde of Covenant shooting at you, you need to be able to count them very quickly. This pushes your mind, allowing you to count more things in one go.

 

[pretentiousname01]

Shadow of the Colossus and Heavy Rain. If those two can't convince her that games can be worthwhile then you should probably consider killing your mum.

I'm pretty sure her last words would be

"See I told you so!!! gargle"

 

[omega 616]

snip

Tell her to read

Spoiler: This

http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...fd3b71880926e2fa3cddff61fff61aed&searchtype=a

And when your at home gaming your not out in the big dangerous world, were people can get you on drugs, booze, might fall into a gang and make you sexually active (sorry, just watched "Juno") but at home she can keep an eye on you!

If that doesn't work, sucks to be you.

 

[CrazyMedic]

I would suggest installing something like civ(one where there isn't realist violence) wait for her to call you and say something along the lines "be right there mom once I negotiate this Iron ore pact this china" and if she asks what it is say you were playing civilization.

 

[Oinodaemon]

lol, i hit the button by mistake

3. its an interactive medium ---See, tv actually does make you stupider. Our brains more or less shut down while watching television. With games, we may not always be thinking, but we ARE reacting. There is actually a lot of brain function going on when you play any game.

4. (and this ones my favorite) -----Y'know how playing a musical instrument is supposed to make you smarter? Well, the whole thing has to do with expanding your mind beyond it's programmed limits. Learning to read music teaches you to perceive groups of objects more quickly than an average person. You don't THINK when you play music (at least not sheet music) but you ARE reacting... My pattern seem familiar?



dude, I played trumpet for 5 years, guitar for 6, bass for 5 and piano for 5....playing games for 17 years...I'm not bragging, but I was not only the top of my class but the top of my school. My friends, also gamers, are ALL really fucking smart. I'm not saying video games make people smart, but they help to build on what's already there.

Make your mom read this...or like, write it down and go read it to her or something......

for your mom if she does read this "lady, there is no need for your ignorance. If you're going to hate on something, at least get yourself informed about it. I assume your son plays online...yeah, there are jerks online. Lots of em. However, nothing he hears coming from the mouth of some idiot online could possibly be worse than what he hears every day at school, or on the television."


and with that, i bid you good day...

 

[Nouw]

Useless and just about killing? I guess the last game she saw was Doom. Show her Shadow of the Colossus.

But looks likes she's really stubborn.

*GASP!

I've found a fix. Study really hard until your next exam/test comes out. When you get a good grade tell her you've been playing video games all the time.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Does she watch television?

If yes, follow her method: Tell that's it's unsociable, mindwasting, and useless. If she protests, tell her that's what she's forcing you through.

 

[The Heik]

My mom is dead set in scapegoating video-games for all my 'inadequacies' (no innuendo intended). She feels that all video games are useless and mind killing, even more so than television. She believe I have an 'addiction' which she has to cure, and my modest 10-hours-a-week playtime has been reduced to zero. I usually play Halo and I'm ecstatic about Reach. All my friends love it and we play together every night. Since they live far away it's a great way to spend time together and socialize. On the contrary, she sees it as antisocial and useless, so now my four-player Legendary runthrough is a three-man game and I'm stuck hearing stories of 'epic kills' the next day. How do I convince her it isn't killing my soul?

Well, first tell her that the same feelings she's having were felt about TV, movies, radio, books, plays, painting, and pretty much every other artistic medium ever made. And we would be a far less enriched culture if they didn't exist. And way less enjoyable.

We also be a far less technologically advanced society if games weren't developed. it's because of those high processing and visual requirements that our computers are even a tenth as good. If your mother is against that, then tell her that she might as well move to the Dark Ages, as those people shared her same fears of new things.

There are also many social and physical advantages to playing video games. When playing a game like Halo: Reach, your reaction time becomes much faster than normal, so if you were to play it just before going to play sports, you're going to be that much faster on the field.

You're also playing with roughly a million other players in Reach, and at any time you can strike up a conversation with people who you already share common interests (hence why you're both playing the same game). I've talked to other people about politics in tandem with gunning down enemies in Modern Warfare 2. I've discussed philosophy whilst chainsawing the Locust in Gears of War. If that amount of interaction considered anti-social, then I want to know what she classifies as social.

And of course, show her Extra Credit. That show explains so much about why gaming is important.

 

[SilverUchiha]

You have a couple ways to approach this situation:

The Stewie: Simply kill her and move on... just make sure to hide the body.

The Realistic Way: Discuss this over a fine meal at a nice place and explain to her rationally how what she is doing is WRONG and how you two should be able to come to some sort of compromise on the matter

The Insane Way: Flail her with moon rocks until she screams for her Uncle. If she doesn't have an uncle, she'll scream for an uncle that doesn't exist... that is how bad the flailing will be.

 

[Furious Styles]

Yeah, I'm sure showing his mum a game where you help a woman take a shower for 5 minutes (several times I believe) is going to improve the overall situation.

Yeah, that's gratuitous, but the overall quality of the game and the story telling is excellent.

 

[godofallu]

You shouldn't be allowed to play Halo if you still live with your parents.

 

[Woodsey]

Yeah, I'm sure showing his mum a game where you help a woman take a shower for 5 minutes (several times I believe) is going to improve the overall situation.

Yeah, that's gratuitous, but the overall quality of the game and the story telling is excellent.

Isn't it full of plot-holes?

 

[Vet2501]

Tell her that playing games increases your chances of being a surgeon. There was a study done recently here in the UK that showed gamers have better hand-eye co-ordination than non-gamers, therefore would do well in jobs that require fine motor control such as keyhole surgery.

 

[Naota_391]

Grand Theft Childhood. Buy it. Read it. Throw the book at her. You should win.

 

[Furious Styles]

Isn't it full of plot-holes?

Doesn't really matter, its a really well told story

 

[Ekonk]

Fun fact: you use your brain less when watching TV than when sleeping. This is not the case with games. All games require radical thinking, wether it is a quick change in priorities when suddenly under heavy fire, or the portal-esque puzzels.

Feed that to your dingo. I mean tell that to your mom.

 

[Naota_391]

Or play games in front of her that are particularly good at delivering story. Like Heavy Rain. Something really different from the rest of the crowd.

Also, if you're the type that can have a debate with your parents and you're just having a hard time trying to set up your argument, then I'd say take a good look at some of your favorite games, and pick them apart. Legitimately try to find some depth in the characters, story, and see gameplay. See what these games might be trying to accomplish as an art form. Then ask her to explain the significance of TV shows she watches. Or whatever her hobby is. Compare.

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

Make her watch Extra Credits!

I really can't think of anything better.

 

[GonzoGamer]

She'd rather have you watching a form of entertainment (TV) that is PROVEN to reduce critical thinking and decision-making skills and which is the fastest way to atrophy the brain vs. a form of entertainment that improves hand-eye coordination, rapid-fire decision making skills, and overall cognitive function?

Stupid parents in this world. Although you could really do a lot better than Halo. My mom encouraged my gaming habits when I was playing Aerobiz and Civilization and SimCity back in the early 90s.

Yes OP's story is an excellent example of why everyone should have to earn your respect; yes even your parents.

I think you have an excellent point there however. If OP is only playing FPSs(which are still better than vedging in front of the tv), she might have a very stunted perspective of games. Mix it up with a sim... Civ... or a rockband and she might wise up.Force her to challenge the stereotypes she perceives.
But if she's just some religious nut who thinks your soul is in danger because you like to shoot things in halo rather than hang out at the megachurch, you might just need to have her reprogrammed.

 

[Dana22]

Show her Bejeweled by Popcap. Thats all you need to do.