Is there any way to convince her?

Make her read Extra Lives by Tom Bissell.

If she has no time for reading (opting instead to watch people fall over into a lake in Argentina on Total Wipeout), there's always making her play a game that's rich with themes, intelligent dialogue and gameplay, and things that would in a way be comparable to other activities that she does consider a "culture".

No...

I bet that your parent is using a different definition of the word culture when she says that it isn't a culture. Explain to her your full and complete and detailed definition of the word culture in this context, and then explain (how under your carefully defined definition of the word) gaming is a culture.

Then she can define the word in her own way and using the same method as above, can show you how it isn't a culture using her definition of the word in this context.

Introduce to her the ideas of "connotation," "context," "semantics," etc. to explain how you can both be using the same word but intending a different meaning, and that both of you can each be right under your own definition while wrong under the other's definition.

Yes, take her to a contemporary art exhibit. Or show her pictures of penis vases from ancient Greece.

"Art" isn't really all that high of a bar, the only kind of high bar in art is "art that I like personally." Unless you're amazingly conceited you won't think that applies to the entire universe when described in such a manner. There's CEOs of major corporations (not gaming corps) that play WOW. Bill Ammend (of Foxtrot fame) also plays WOW (or did). That's someone she may recognize as he's been syndicated for years.

Video games are "for kids" in the same way that rock and roll was "for kids". I.E. it wasn't, and people who simply had no reason to like it justified their lack of interest (or even venom) by saying so.

I think it requires a different type of person to play video games. I took a 4-day break later and realised how much "Smarter" I may have seemed afterwards (yeah bad use of words but i couldn't think of anything else) . I think it's a case of the fact that Gaming can probably chop a digit of most peoples IQ's since its fairly brain-resource consumptive.

I mean this politely, but I don't understand how what you wrote responds to what I wrote. I guess I would have to hear the arguments both of you are making in order for me to really understand what you are talking about.

Frankly I don't feel the need to convince people that gaming is a "culture" or that it is an adult activity or that it can be artistic or whatever.

There has always been a push to making gaming a more "legitimate" activity and all it has resulted in is mass market appeal and the dumbing down of our hobby.

Maybe we should go back to a time when gaming was more underground, no big profits involved. It existed just to creating great games and gaming experiences. Kind of like the current indie scene.

Hey thanks, I finally got off my ass, added that to my list and ordered a bunch of geeky books off Amazon that I'd been meaning to get.

Why would you feel the need to convince your parent gaming is a culture?

Yes, dammit. It's an incredible book and I am trying to convince everyone I know to read it.

Ask her to define, specifically, how the content is inferior to books or films and don't let her wriggle out with vague references to mario jumping on monsters heads or pacman gobbling pills. Offer to show her the highlights of your games, the bits that have the best story or most gorgeous graphics. Ultimately if she doesn't want to learn, she never will and you're not going to escape the inevitable discussions/arguments on the subect.

Dare I ask, does she watch A Current Affair regularly? Worse still does she actually believe any of the shit they broadcast? Sounds like she might have hit one too many 'society gone to the dogs' stories

Because parents often have no idea when to shut the hell up, constantly getting pissy that you're wasting your life playing kids games instead of performing some more parentally approved recreational activities like playing football or reading books

I won't believe Picasso's paintings are art. So is there any way to convince me?

Culture? Eh I've a hard time considering gaming as culture, mostly because I'd consider it to be only one part of a whole culture not a single part of it. I can certainly support the argument that gaming is part of many modern nations cultures and that for those living in America or most of Europe its certainly a fairly big part that we take for granted. Gaming involving things from your mobile phone to your computer to your console - heck even TV's have their own digital games (I'm not including the poker games here they are, I'd argue, more into gambling games than "video" games).

As for the "games are for kids" line - eh I can see many parents of certain generations holding that view. They never EVER grew up with games at all. The whole field of electronic entertainment was never a part of their upbringing and has only appeared in the latter part of their lives. It's a massive shift in the culture of the nation and its something not all of them are a part of (some jumped right on into it others not).
So for them games are for kids - and yes their definition of "kids" includes those who might be over 18 years old (its not a strict definition).


I could accept that some limited major games might become a sub-culture of their own - most MMOs attempt to build toward this, though I'd argue that most only get there partly since its still only a passtime for the majority of players.

I always find it amusing that many of his more traditional (and generally what I'd consider more skillful) art isn't his "popular" work that is always shown and repeated around the world today (at least in common spots).
I do agree though that many of his - great - works look more childish or lesser in talent to my eyes. They might have led to a revolution on new artistic forms of expression but I still don't like them.