Reply to Science Proves Games are Good, or Why the Dark Side ROCKS!

by Michael "Mushi mushi mushi!" Pitcher

One way to convince parents how nifty these video games really are is to play them yourself (although this might not work for you in particular.) That's how our father got involved. He knew next to nothing about the games, but he was open enough to check out the things with which his children were involved. His first game being Super Mario Brothers, he slowly made his way to an absolute pinnacle with Bomberman. It's like Usagi Vindaloo said with his/her mother, if one of your friends is an ardent fan of something new, you have a tendency to try it yourself.

A second way is to specialize the games a person plays and find things that they might like. Our mother was pretty bad with action games, but that changed when we got Crystalis (the original.) She saw that and noticed such things as story, experience building, item finding, etc., just general things that somehow or another had to do with everyday life. She was actually the first to beat that game, and same with A Link to the Past (111 deaths.) Give them first-hand experience with something, and they might get hooked.

You could also say that they promote family togetherness. Our parents would sit and play linked Game Boy Tetris for hours, nobody ever gaining a true upper hand. The conversations held over such games generally continue long after the system has been turned off. And, with the Multitap (we're a Nintendo family, in case you couldn't tell,) all of us could get in and learn from one another while bantering back and forth about such things as school and work. Stress the intangible aspects of gaming. (i.e., increasing typing speed by playing Street Fighter. It works!)

A fourth way, although it might be too late, is to find somebody with little or no opinion on the subject and win him or her to your side. We did this when our sister was born. By convincing her that video games were as fun as they are, she began to play, giving our parents a third reason to be involved. Maybe your parents have friends without bad opinions of gaming to whom they will listen.

My overall point (yes, most of that stuff does pertain to something) is to never give up hope. Even those against video games (a number of friends, don't get me started) can be turned to the dark side. Hand them a Game Boy when they're stuck in traffic or show them the editorial and talk about joining the debate team, I don't know. Just know that a whole bunch of somebodies out there feel like you do, and that's where to go if all else fails.