Here is a fun imagination exercise: your 13-year old son comes to you and asks to talk to you about something important. What's the first subject you thought he would address?
If you're like most parents out there, your mind instantly jumps to the birds and the bees talk. But what do you do when he makes a case about you buying him Grand Theft Auto V, a game notorious for its street violence, cuss language and prostitutes-murdering tradition?
Because the youngster understood that driving a point home requires preparation and synergy between voice and visuals, he backed his plea with a skillfully crafted Powerpoint presentation.
"[Our 13-year-old son] said he wanted to have a private conversation with us after dinner," Michael Siemsen, the child's father says.
This is what the parents saw:
He began the presentation by clearly stating the purpose of the family meeting.
He made clear that he understands the age inappropriate factors that are featured in the game and noted that he won't repeat any of the foul language professed there.
The boy further mentioned that his interest for the game relies on the "safe-ish fun part", where he can play online with his friends, participates in races, creates a car collection and builds maps from scratch. In other words, he promised that he will stay away from the obscenities and violence that the campaign designers masterfully pasted together.
The 13-year old promised to maintain a decent atmosphere around the household by wearing headphones to keep the profanities away.
He explained why this is a good time for him to start playing GTA V. The boy said that it has to do with family bonding, relating better with his group of friends who played the game and exploring his interests.
Like all good politicians, he inserted a fake statistic that sounds legitimate.
Michael Siemsen's son took a mature stance and said he expects to enjoy the game for at least a year, virtually transforming the purchase into a long-term investment.
He prepared 3 ending slides, for the different outcomes of the presentation. The following is the ending slide designed in case he got their blessing to purchase Grand Theft Auto V.
"He'd sold us like three slides in ... Initiative and creativity go a long way," Michael Siemsen pointed out.
