Introducing my girlfriend to gaming.

Hey everyone, i have a situation, and i thought i would check here for some advice.

Im a gamer, and my girlfriend isnt. She told me that she just doesnt "Get" games. I tried to explain to her that its just another form of entertainment, etc, etc. I got her to agree that she will play one game from start to finish.

Im trying to think of one good game that will leave a good impression on her. I want one that will show off itself as an interactive storytelling experience, but is also fun.

Some ideas i had were maybe mass effect, one of the metal gear solid games, maybe even bioshock.

ANy ideas for what game should be the leader in convincing my girlfriend that gaming isnt just mindless entertainment?

Thanks

Hey everyone, i have a situation, and i thought i would check here for some advice.

Im a gamer, and my girlfriend isnt. She told me that she just doesnt "Get" games. I tried to explain to her that its just another form of entertainment, etc, etc. I got her to agree that she will play one game from start to finish.

Im trying to think of one good game that will leave a good impression on her. I want one that will show off itself as an interactive storytelling experience, but is also fun.

Some ideas i had were maybe mass effect, one of the metal gear solid games, maybe even bioshock.

ANy ideas for what game should be the leader in convincing my girlfriend that gaming isnt just mindless entertainment?

Thanks

Micsunderland2

How old are you guys? What systems do you have? Are you whipped?

Maybe some RPG's such as Final Fantasy 10, Kingdom hearts, and Tales of Symphonia games that are easy to make progress in.

Try Demon's SoulsNerd_Man

Uncharted 2 is how i solved my dilemma which was exactly like yours

No, no, no. Most girls arn't going to like shooting things. Try the sims2 or 3 or DS brain training or Wii fit or Wii sports or somethin.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Or

Riviera: The Promised Land

RPG/Dating Sim how can you go wrong?

RPG like FF or Dragon age for sure. If not that then go cute, like Pokemon, Kirby or Mario kart. Super smash brothers is what hooked me.

Hope that helps,

mouse

It really depends on the type of person she is. If you want to prove that games are more than just entertainment to her, how about Ico or Shadow of the Colossus?

Little Big Planet is my suggestion. I've yet to meet a girl that didn't love it. raven_squad

Get her The Sims 2 or 3 or some RPG like Dragon Age or Final Fantasy.

one answer would be an RPG, maybe a final fantasy game, or a platformer style game.

Get a Wii.

If you two live together then play tons of story heavy games like Uncharted, ME2 etc. and she might sit next to you and watch you play just for the story.

The current control schemes for shooters and action games are just too tough for girls to get into. No need to waste your time getting her to play. Just hope that she doesn't have a problem with YOU gaming.

Maybe try something simple first but not too violent like any Bioware games or Psychonauts999realthings

The current control schemes for shooters and action games are just too tough for girls to get into. No need to waste your time getting her to play. Just hope that she doesn't have a problem with YOU gaming.S0lidSnake

Uncharted 2 is the game for your girl. It has charismatic characters, good cinematic presentation, and is a very easy game to play, one of the easiest this generation. It will show her that games can be engaging and entertaining like a movie at the same time.

Get her hooked on guitar hero or rockband, maybe she'll want to venture to other games.

How come nobody mentioned Tomb Raider?

Girls tend to like those games, according to my personal experience!

I heartily recommend Prince of Persia. I played Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time a few years back (you could play the most recent one), and my girlfriend really got into watching me play. It's a very pretty game, and the acrobatic climbing and swordfights were really fun for her to watch. She didn't like to be around most other games (shooters in particular), but PoP was visually appealing and action-packed enough to keep her entertained. From a gameplay perspective, it's pretty easy to pick up, and the whole rewinding time thing makes it pretty forgiving.

I would be wary of a larger RPGs because they take so long to complete and often have complicated inventory management stuff. If you really want something meatier when it comes to story and characters, I would definitely pick Mass Effect 2. It is long, yes, but it's also very engaging, and the gameplay is very accomodating for a new player. She won't need to learn fancy controls to have conversations. And in combat, have her play as an Adept. She can just take cover, select a power the paused radial menu, and then unleash it. She won't have to worry about run-and-gun controls, and ME2 doesn't have extensive inventory management like a lot of other RPGs mentioned in this thread.

The more I think about it, the more I'm confident that Mass Effect 2 is your best choice. Good luck!

[QUOTE="S0lidSnake"]The current control schemes for shooters and action games are just too tough for girls to get into. No need to waste your time getting her to play. Just hope that she doesn't have a problem with YOU gaming.muthsera666

I think he's talking about the learning curve for shooter games. If you haven't been plays FPSs for a long time, it's gonna take a while to learn the buttons and be able to do everything you'll need to do. There's nothing more frustrating than repetitively hitting the wrong buttons and dying, and you don't want to turn away from gaming.

it's good to get games that you can both play on together such as Guitar Hero (only if she likes that kind of music) Little Big Planet ... All girls love little Big Planet and Wii Sports then lightly encourage her to play a more less partyish game such as Dragon age ... they like all the chatting in that and then if your lucky Bam you got a gamer girl. I've got a gamer girl but she is not my GF.

little big planet or pretty much any mario game

Contra4 or any Contra game. Although, she may leave you when she realises that the sprites are more manly than you. :P

You could try Rez with trance vibrator. If that doesn't turn her on onto games, then nothing will.

If she's not into gaming and she watches you play, chances are she won't like what you like.

My wife loves those hidden object games from Big Fish. Just the other night I was cleaning up my entertainment center and my copy of the Wii version of Puzzle Quest was hidden in there with all the junk. I showed it to her and told her she might like it. She does like Hexic. Anyway the next day I checked the the Wii to see how long she played it.

5:26

She loves that game now.

Im trying to think of one good game that will leave a good impression on her. I want one that will show off itself as an interactive storytelling experience, but is also fun.Micsunderland2

Easy-peasy mang.

PS3/Uncharted 2. And she'll probably want more after that. Seriously. And then there's always thisfor sheer certainty. LOL

[QUOTE="muthsera666"][QUOTE="S0lidSnake"]The current control schemes for shooters and action games are just too tough for girls to get into. No need to waste your time getting her to play. Just hope that she doesn't have a problem with YOU gaming.nbales07

[QUOTE="nbales07"][QUOTE="muthsera666"] The current control scheme? Why would it be more difficult for females than males?muthsera666

Shooters and other action games require you to use the entire controller (That's 14 buttons on the controller) and that's simply too much for novice gamers. Most guys our age have been playing games all their live, girls not so much. Most girls simply cant use both analog sticks at once, and that is the reason why they cant play shooters. Hell, some GUYS have trouble with the analog sticks.

[QUOTE="muthsera666"][QUOTE="nbales07"]I think he's talking about the learning curve for shooter games. If you haven't been plays FPSs for a long time, it's gonna take a while to learn the buttons and be able to do everything you'll need to do. There's nothing more frustrating than repetitively hitting the wrong buttons and dying, and you don't want to turn away from gaming.S0lidSnake

Shooters and other action games require you to use the entire controller (That's 14 buttons on the controller) and that's simply too much for novice gamers. Most guys our age have been playing games all their live, girls not so much. Most girls simply cant use both analog sticks at once, and that is the reason why they cant play shooters. Hell, some GUYS have trouble with the analog sticks.

I highly suggest you don't introduce her to a game that has a complex story, or a steep learning curve. This will probably just turn her off from games even more due to frustration (since she isn't already a gamer). Why not try an easy game, that's fun, and also easy. I highly suggest any mario games, more specifically mario galaxy or mario on the DS. Or LBP, since it's basically just a very customizable platformer. Just choose something that's easy to start, and remains entertaining throughout. DON'T choose any game that's great because of it's story or one of those games that's good but hard to get used to (such as GOW or Assassin's Creed). Just my opinion of course.

Shooters and other action games require you to use the entire controller (That's 14 buttons on the controller) and that's simply too much for novice gamers. Most guys our age have been playing games all their live, girls not so much. Most girls simply cant use both analog sticks at once, and that is the reason why they cant play shooters. Hell, some GUYS have trouble with the analog sticks.S0lidSnake

I have a female friend that we are trying to turn into a gamer. Her primary frustration is usually the control mechanism. If she can't pick it up and understand the basics within a few minutes, we know it is not going to work. The social aspect of a game is also important. If she isn't playing with someone, she isn't playing. So the games that are a success: RockBand;Castle Crashers; Lego Indiana Jones; &Left 4 Dead. Now, if I can just get her addicted to Borderlands . . .