How do I convince my dad that games aren't "Evil"?

[AuronLeonhart27]

You could have him watch this
http://gameoverthinker.blogspot.com/2009/06/finals-episode-25-violence-is-golden.html
Sorry if this doesn't help.

 

[tmujir955]

Right, here goes.

There was once a man named William A. Higinbotham. He was a nuclear physicist, who worked on the Manhattan Project, and later became an outspoken supporter of nuclear non-proliferation. In the 1950s, while working at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, he recognised that visitors to the laboratory sometimes found the experience somewhat tedious. As an avid and self-confessed pinball player, he decided to work on a little electronic amusement for the visitors. In 1958, he designed the first multiplayer video game, Tennis for Two.

Now, if your father thinks he's better than this nuclear scientist, who held the power of the atom in his hand, and who wished for it to be used to construct a better world, rather than blowing it into bits, and who still decided to make a little electronic curiosity for people's amusements, come back to me, and I'll work on something to knock him out of his delusion.

I've got plenty more ammunition (pun not intended). I'm not going to let ignorance get in the way when I have the upper hand.

 

[johnman]

Well as long as he is not trying to stop you playing I dont see the issue

 

[tmujir955]

You can't change his mind. You CAN firebomb the Faux news building.

I would include a link to "the makeshift arsenal" list of home made weapons, but i think it would be frowned upon.
Image shack is being a *****... i'll be firebombing them too.

FIRST POST proves your dad right on a theoretical level

Ay...*facepalms*

OT: Just start up a conversation about it when you're not in the middle of playing it. You could either change each other's opinions, or have a deep, engrossing debate about it.

He sounds like he's opposed to it but will let you play, so he's not a bad guy. The bad ones are the ones who think it's righteous to oppress you, even in a small thing like playing games

Just have a chat about it

LOL. First post proves about 3% of the Escapist population doesn't have a sarcastic irony detector.

I originally thought you were being sarcastic, but going into the "I'd give you a link to some homemade weaponry" thing kinda killed the joke, so I assumed there was none. My mistake

Also, I'm fairly sure "Sarcastic Irony" dosen't exist. I think it's one or the other

Quoted from Wikipedia:

A fair amount of confusion has surrounded the issue regarding the relationship between verbal irony and sarcasm, and psychology researchers have addressed the issue directly (e.g., Lee & Katz, 1998). For example, ridicule is an important aspect of sarcasm, but not verbal irony in general. By this account, sarcasm is a particular kind of personal criticism leveled against a person or group of persons that incorporates verbal irony. For example, a person reports to her friend that rather than going to a medical doctor to treat her cancer, she has decided to see a spiritual healer instead. In response her friend says sarcastically, "Oh, brilliant, what a genius idea, that's really going to cure you." The friend could have also replied with any number of ironic expressions that should not be labeled as sarcasm exactly, but still have many shared elements with sarcasm.

 

[DemonicVixen]

Say... "Guess What Else Makes You Violent" then Kick him in the nads and continue with "Yeah I bet you're feeling pretty cheesed off right about now.

lol... Yeah that could work but would probably just give him more fuel to say that it was the videogame's fault for teaching his kid how to kick him where it hurts.
I would purposly buy a couple of games that are soft (eg, Sims collection, erm can't think of any others only because i usually play violent games not soft ones) and show him them instead. Then get him to say that games are violent.

 

[tmujir955]

Your dad seems somewhat annoying.
Tell him he's just wrong. Period.

I like this idea. Counter his complete lack of evidence with a complete lack of evidence of your own. After all, if we didn't have hypocrisy, where would we be today (The correct answer is switzerland)?

Switzlerland is the land of neutrality(except when it comes to minarets).

 

[SamuelT]

My father owns half my xbox, has bought three quarters of the game we have and we often play together.

I think the best thing to do is try to involve him in your games. Let him play a few, and show him they aren't inheritently evil.

 

[FinalHeart95]

People like that are usually the people that are really stubborn in their own beliefs and won't give any the light of day. That's why they don't change with the times, and stick with what they first thought on a subject.

It's going to be really difficult to change his views, especially with the media backing him up all the time.

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

Ask him to prove that they make you violent.
Point out that they lower stress-levels thus meaning you're less likely to do something violent.
Brainwash him.
Mess around with the TV so he can't watch fox.

 

[SeanTheSheep]

Mine buys my games for me if he gets to play with them first

Wanna trade. Please. I'll do anything.

Are parents the new trading cards now?
Because all I have are a crappy smoking, drinking mum, but my dad cures cancer, so I'm not sure what I could get for those...

OT: Make him play it for 10 minutes or so, let him see that it isn't real, and you don't get any influences from it, if anything, it calms you down by letting your anger out on other people.
(Warning: If your dad becomes addicted to games, it isn't my fault)