A good 'first' game

[DoctorObviously]

Imagine somebody you like (family, friends, significant other, ...), but doesn't play video games or has only played maybe one asks you to recommend him or her a good 'first' video game?

What would you recommend and why?

Personally I couldn't come up with one title because there are so many games and I have never played stuff like Mario or Zelda so I would have to think really hard to come up with one title.

EDIT: The Ratchet and Clank games, maybe?

 

[HydroFire]

I would probably show them a popular game like minecraft.

 

[madwarper]

Something REALLY simple.

Maybe Wii Sports, because it has a variety of games and their controls are stupidly simple.
Or, Tetris. Again, really simple concept and controls.

 

[Zhukov]

Mario Kart.

Fun, colourful, can be played multiplayer split screen, "family friendly", easy to pick up and play. Also, easy to understand and explain, after all, everyone knows how a car race works.

For something less kiddy and more action-y... perhaps Assassin's Creed? One of the later ones, they're a lot easier. They're relatively easy to control games and they do a decent job of tutorializing in the beginning.

I would avoid anything with a first person perspective. It might seem strange to us with our years of experience and muscle memory, but first person takes a certain mental readjustment. A first timer is going to struggle with thing that seem like second nature to us, things like turning to the side to expose enemies that were previously firing at you from off screen.

 

[DataSnake]

1. have them run through the Black Mesa Hazard Course to get the hang of the controls
2. once they're familiar with the basics of first-person movement and aiming, introduce them to Portal.

 

[WendelI]

Here are a couple:

Platformer: Just about any kirby game other than maybe SuperStar have a nice difficulty curve and great at teaching mechanics of platformers to first timers. Mario games are also a competent introductions to platformers while climbing slowly the difficulty, the "New Super Mario" series more so than lets say "mario 3" or "mario world".

Fighting: Probably Super Smash brothers, mostly because of the simplified fighting mechanics and how easy is to get special moves out.

Racing: Kirby Air Ride, The one button control is actually kind of hard for veterans of the genre to get into but for starters is a great way to get into games of this sort.

Exploration & Adventure: Journey is a good start for older children around the age of 10 it has a great sense of discovery with out all the painful puzzles to work through.

FPS: Borderlands makes a great first fps, sadly its covered in swearing and lots of really fucked up scenarios. The metroid prime games are also nice for FPS starters mostly because of the auto aim, but if you get the "Metroid prime Trilogy" on your Wii, you can play it with somewhat assisted aim, as your character will always face the threat but you have to aim at the weak spots or heck even hit it at all. Those games also are great adventure games, but have allot of puzzles for the better or the worse, so supervision is recommended.

RTS: C&C Red alert 3. Yes its full of really lame jokes for adults and barely clothed women, but if you can get around the cutcenes there is a very simple yet fun RTS to sink your teeth into here. If not then well halo wars is also a great game for people whom want to start playing RTS games.

 

[Corax_1990]

Something pleasant like Amnesia : The Dark Decent.

Ha, probably not. That is a hard question for a gamer to answer, I honestly can't give you anything unless you tell us some details of this person. Age, interests, set up (PC, 360, ps3 etc).

Without knowing any of that I'd just straight up go with Half Life 2 as a good start point.

 

[Doom972]

I got my girlfriend into gaming with Plants Vs Zombies, Worms Armageddon and House of the Dead. After these three I let her play all kinds of games to see what she likes.

Also, Portal is a good game for someone to get adjusted to a 3D environment in first person.

Something pleasant like Amnesia : The Dark Decent.

Ha, probably not. That is a hard question for a gamer to answer, I honestly can't give you anything unless you tell us some details of this person. Age, interests, set up (PC, 360, ps3 etc).

Without knowing any of that I'd just straight up go with Half Life 2 as a good start point.

I can tell you from personal experience that it's not good as a first game. It seems simple to us gamers, but for someone who never played a first person game, getting adjusted to the environment while getting shot at isn't simple. That's why I recommended Portal as a first first-person game.

 

[BraveSirRobin]

Journey would be a great start. You can sit down and play it in about two hours and it has some of the best atmosphere that really anyone can play. It's good enough that while I was playing it in my living room, my grandparents sat down behind me and watched the full duration. It should do a good bit to at least spark further interest in games, as well as showcase how varied games can be from just popular shooters.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

What about something like Skyrim? Very easy to play, very simplistic, but exciting and interesting, and someone who's new to video games won't recognise its many gameplay flaws.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Something very simple and linear that uses no more than 3 buttons maximum its hard enough to get some people to play games with 2 buttons believe me I have tried.

Tetris is probably a good first game and then something like Super Mario Bros.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

That is a good question. Unfortunately there is no single correct answer. It would depend on the person.

I recently started seeing a woman who has basically never touched a video game. She's a nurse and pretty career focused so she just never really had time or desire to play a video game.

One date night she asked me about why I like video games so much. She knew it was my hobby, but had no ideas about what games are or what they can do from a story telling aspect or how games can engage a person. So I told her my little shpiel about "Games are art" and "Storytelling by experience" and whatnot. She then asked if I'd have a problem getting serious with a person who didn't follow the same hobby, which of course is a silly notion but a fair question considering the passionate way I speak about our passtime.

Over the months that we've been seeing one another I've introduced her to a few fun casual games. I knew she liked pop music so first I showed her Elite Beat Agents on the DS. She took to it pretty quickly. Later I showed her my Animal Crossing town and let her pick some fruit. I told her how the mayor role worked and how the town had grown over the weeks. That one is a hard sell though, especially when they're just playing in your town. Lastly, I showed her Plants vs Zombies on my Vita. This one, she has loved. Been playing it daily on her phone since I showed it to her. She says it has often helped her relax after a stressful day on the job. To which I just give a knowing smile.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Considering they were many people's first games, any main series Pokemon game is simple to play, and learn how to play games in general at the same time.

Mario platformers are easy enough to get into. I would suggest a 2D Mario first, then move onto the 3D games since they are a little more complex.

 

[Cabisco]

I tried to get my mother to play minecraft, it went hilariously wrong. She couldn't get to grips with the movement mechanics in a 3d environment so I'd suggest you pick a side scroller.

 

[vIRL Nightmare]

Either Journey, Walking Dead, or something from the tales series. I'd start with something that offers a good story and is entertaining to fiddle with.

 

[Kotaro]

This happened to me once. A neighbor had a lot of time on her hands so she came to me, the building's resident "game expert" (how I came to be known as such I have no idea), and asked if she could borrow a computer game from me.
She said she'd never played a video game before, but I showed her what I had, and she thought Diablo II looked interesting. A week later, she was hooked and even bought a copy for herself. I'm not sure if she's ever picked up any other games, though.

 

[The White Hunter]

Something REALLY simple.

Ghosts N Goblins then?

You run, jump, throw spears/knives. Simple as can be.

Also baptism by FIRE >

Alternatively something less maliciously difficult and easy to get into, maybe a simpler RPG to get into like the Mario & Luigi games or Pokemon. 2D Mario platformers are pretty easy to get into too.

 

[pyrokitsune777]

I would recommend looking not approaching it from the one great game but from what might be a good starter for them.

First: Figure out what movies, TV Shows, Magazines, or books they most like. this will clue you into what type of genre might appeal the them most. Avid chess player will have more fun playing a real-time or turn-based strategy game while someone who loves a rich deep Sci-Fi novel will probably enjoy a Sci-Fi themed Narrative focused action or tactical Role-Playing Game. (oh if they enjoy playing board games of some kind or tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder all the easier)

Second: Look for a game from the most recent generation of games usually a year or so old that really delivers on the what they enjoy. You want something that is approachable -- has a good aesthetic, is fairly easy to pick up and play, and has a central well-round character or characters.

Third: Introduce it to them but be close by to support them if they need it. In other words, it's okay if they take forever learn the controls just don't chide or criticize them or take the controller away. Only offer suggestions or comments if they ask and make sure you're not delivering the info in a way that screams "fracking noob."

Fourth: If they enjoy or hate it, talk about it. Make sure it's in common language -- don't utilized game jargon they may not understand. This is helpful in two ways: (1) if they liked it then they'll likely continue through it and finish it and you can clue them into other games like it they can try next. (2) if they hated it you can understand why you may have chosen the wrong game and figure out a better suggestion for them to try another time or worse if you ended up coloring their experience.

Good luck, op and I hope this helps.

 

[Hazy]

Demon's Souls.

Go hard or go home.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

http://youtu.be/wNfzsJhRWl4

As is often the case, Extra Credits has a pretty good take on the matter.