Getting someone into mainstream gaming

[Ferdy Hoefakker]

Doesn't this screams lack of interest? I get that they are a couple looking to share activities, but... it is quite patent she is not into playing video games

No, it is not "quite patent".

Well... it might be just me but if you don't do a very accessible activity common for your generation for 23 years or so for me it is obvious you didn't had interest in doing it. I don't see how this is cherry picking or using preconceived knowledge about myself, would say the same if he said "my gf has never been big to reading/clubbing/biking/etc", and find what you said quite less likely, but whatev.

How is gaming a very accessible activity? It has quite a steep start up price, which she may not have been able to afford. When I was little, I was lucky that my parents were into gaming and bought a NES and later a SNES. Same with the computer, my parents bought one because THEY found it interesting.

I was lucky when the N64 came around. I just received a ton of money from my birthday and someone wanted to sell his plus a bunch of games, all barely used for dirt cheap. And by the time the gamecube came out I had a part time job allowing me to afford one.

BUT! In all that time, out of all my friends. Only 1 other than myself had a console. And most of them did not have their own computer either. Yet all of them were playing video games every chance they got.

But yeah. Buying a console or computer can be expensive. And that's not even the end of it as you also need to get the games you like. This may require more funds than she has or is willing to spend on a hobby.

 

[Tanakh]

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Nice walk down the memory lane, but given the first posts it is reasonable to conclude the girl in question is around 30 and childless. That usually means video games are a very accessible hobby.

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Humm... yeah, well i read that, but what i read is that he likes artistic expressions. If you see there she says she likes every aesthetic part of the videogames, but not especially playing them.

 

[Ferdy Hoefakker]

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Nice walk down the memory lane, but given the first posts it is reasonable to conclude the girl in question is around 30 and childless. That usually means video games are a very accessible hobby.

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Humm... yeah, well i read that, but what i read is that he likes artistic expressions. If you see there she says she likes every aesthetic part of the videogames, but not especially playing them.

At this point, yes I agree. I tried to point out that for those earlier years it might have been inaccessible for her and thus never really got into it. Also, I am near my 30's and childless and living in reasonable wealth. Doesn't mean I can just fork over cash to buy a console or new computer.

 

[Lilani]

So for the past couple of months I've been trying to get my gf into mainstream games (for example: Deus Ex HR, Bit Runner 2, Injustice, etc.).

Despite her being interested in the trailers, aesthetics, and story, she has a lot of difficulty with the controls. I remember Deus Ex was particularly saddening as I saw how into she was into the world, and story up until she got into the first gun fight. Then after repeated tries, she got very frustrated and said she wasn't having fun so we stopped.

For her own part, she's very adept at puzzle games (she destroys me in angry birds and Candy Crush), but she hasn't physically played a console game since the days of the NES.

I was wondering if you guys any advice as to how to help her ease her way into mainstream, particularly for someone with weak hand-eye coordination.

So far, the only success we've had to date was with Divekick which we have a lot of fun playing together.

Portal and Portal 2 are good games to start her on PC. Also, Braid and Limbo might be good if she likes aesthetics, and I've always found Bastion very easy to play. Also, if you have a DS, the Professor Layton games would be good.

Just give her a variety of games and see what she likes. Bear in mind that she probably isn't going to like exactly what you like, and that includes mainstream games. And nor should she. I've never played nor had any desire to play Deus Ex, Bit Runner, or Injustice, yet I still enjoy games just fine. Just not those sorts of games. Your goal shouldn't be to get her into the games you like, it should be to find some games she likes so she can be happy. And also be aware of the fact that she may not be particularly fond of any kind of games beyond what she likes right now, and that that is perfectly okay.

 

[Tanakh]

Guess I am being too negative here, and tough i think it's a mistake here are some suggestions (without knowing the platform):

- Hook her up with super cute indie adventure titles, like machinarium or botanicula.

- You don't need to teach her 3D right away, fuck that, go and play stuff like Trine 2 or Castle Crashers they are great fun in CooP, even DotA or LoL (but only against bots).

- Give her "alternative artistic vision indies" like zen, dangerous high school girls in trouble, custom quest, world of goo or braid.

- Give her stuff that requires zero reflexes, like Cthulhu saves the world or Greed Corp.

Almost all the games I listed are amazingly easy to play and can barely if at all fail (except DotA), while still having very high quality (except LoL).