How to Get Your Girlfriend to Play Video Games

[Jujubie]

This was on my homepage "How to" this morning.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Your-Girl...ay-Video-Games


Many men, at some point, will be forced to part with their beloved game console by supreme order of their female counterparts. This can be avoided using proven game system/girlfriend social activities to gradually introduce gaming culture to our loved ones. You may not get her into Resident Evil, but she might end up playing some games you both can enjoy.

Steps

Find out if your girlfriend has ever played video games before. She might not be a full blown gamer, but maybe she played Mario games when she was younger. Or maybe she likes playing an Internet game from time to time. If you know her gaming history, you'll have a better chance of finding a game she'll enjoy now.

Remind your girlfriend that if you both enjoy playing video games, you'll be able to spend even more quality time together.
Pick out a game she might like. If you're not 100% sure she'll enjoy it, you can rent it.

Try to choose a game or game system that isn't too confusing, and doesn't require high reaction time. Many non-gamers are intimidated by button combinations. If you've ever gotten frustrated to the point of throwing the controller in a game, don't start with that one.

If you can, get a game that is multiplayer or, optimally, co-op.
Consider your girlfriend's personality when picking out a game. Some girls may prefer the cute, brightly colored, all ages games like Katamari Damacy, Bust A Move, Lego Star Wars, The Sims, or just about any Mario game. But remember that your girlfriend is an individual, and could just as well go for Halo, Resident Evil, or Grand Theft Auto.

Don't get games that involve things like strippers, prostitutes, and sex. Unless she has a really good sense of humor about such things, she probably won't like it.

Have fun when you play with her. If you make it a good time she will enjoy it, even if she's not that "into games." Crack jokes, make her laugh, and focus primarily on spending time with her, not on winning the game at hand.

Be understanding and supportive. When she first starts out, tell her that it's easy, and that she will catch on. Make her feel like this is something that she can do. Let her win. Try not to show any signs of being annoyed that she can't pass the 1st water zone for the 76th time in a row. As she keeps playing, she will get better and may enjoy the game itself.

Next time you and your girlfriend are in a game shop, casually walk by the video game section and ask her if there is anything that catches her eye. She will probably say no at first without looking at any game, but coax her into it.

Tips

If you're just starting a relationship, don't assume your girlfriend knows nothing about video games. Some girls love video games. Some girls even love first person shooters. Some girls can probably even make you look like a complete moron in first person shooters.

Teach her how to uncramp her hands, because they will get tired during her first few sessions. Show her how you usually stretch out your hands, because if she equates video games with sore and stiff hands, she won't want to play any more. Maybe you could give her a hand massage to make her feel better.

Recognize that she probably doesn't want to play for 8 hours at a time. When she wants to do something else, don't make her continue to play or make her feel guilty for only playing 2 hours.

If you are playing an MMORPG, let her create a character on your account. Allow her to choose the look, style of dress, everything. This will let her feel as though she is playing with something she created herself.
Eventually, she may want to try more advanced games. This is not a given, though. She may become a pwnzor at Mario but never want to pick up a shooter. If you want her to play games like that, try getting her to play co-op with you. You may be able to "ease" her into these kinds of games, especially if she can play with you instead of against you (though she may get a kick out of blowing you away in Halo).

If you do manage to get your girlfriend playing video games on her own, be prepared to help her out. As a gamer, you know one of the most frustrating things about video games is getting stuck. Even if she's only playing easy games, your girlfriend may get stuck and frustrated. Be ready and willing to help her through some of the harder levels or boss battles. This will not only avoid her getting frustrated and fed up with video games, but it will foster a sense of "playing together" and cooperation. (I thought this funny as when I started I was a 14ish WHM in the dunes and so frustrated I wanted to quit that stupid game. My husband (at the time boyfriend) was understanding and made me understand that the reason people were dying wasn't my all my fault!)

If you can get a girl who started out with no interest in video games to enjoy a co-op shooter, you've done well, exceedingly well. Eventually she may play multiplayer with you, or even against you. Maybe. One can dream.

Warnings

If you try to get your girlfriend into something you're into that she's not, she may feel justified in doing the same with you--attempting to show you the glory of shoe-shopping, for example. If she's a good sport, you should be, too.

If you get her into gaming, you might never get access to your computer or game console again.

If you're the kind of person who shouts phrases with extremely violent cursing after losing a video game, try not to do so. It may show her that you're not a very civil person.

[Syn]

Women belong in the kitchen, not the internets.

[Demosthenes]

here is something easier, date a woman who already plays video games. I've always won on that end.

[Kael]

This question is easy!


Put a TV and playstation 2 in the kitchen.



Seriously though. Good thread, Luckily my girlfriends a bigger gamer then I am.

[Po]

Wii

[Vedder]

Cunnilingus.

[Swatt]

make me a sandwich.

[Misterjingles]

If you are playing an MMORPG, let her create a character on your account. Allow her to choose the look, style of dress, everything. She will appreciate that she is playing with something she created herself.

Proven fact.

[Pyrena]

If you are playing an MMORPG, let her create a character on your account. Allow her to choose the look, style of dress, everything. She will appreciate that she is playing with something she created herself.

Proven fact.

Yep, works for guys too. Just be careful, make sure she starts over with her own account the MINUTE she realizes how much she likes it. Oh how I hated having to take turns.

[Lbelle]

wow tldr, just get a girlfriend that plays games with you. Fun two player games aren't hard to find.

[Raineer]

Cunnilingus.

Exactly, my answer was going to be "sit under her desk".

[Maguspk]

I haven't met a girl yet who doesn't like playing with the Wii, Wii bowling seems to interest alot of them.

Wii = Girl Gateway Gaming Console

[miokomioko]

Nintendogs

Animal Crossing

Wii Sports

Smooth Moves

[Huggo]

Nintendogs

Animal Crossing

Wii Sports

Smooth Moves

My current lady interest wants to get into gaming. Her ex was a huge dork for Wii, and Xbox360, and PC shooters. She tells me how pissed off she would get when she would ask him to recommend a game to her and it always was something childish and overly girly like Nintendogs. She says what she really wants is to shoot some noobies in Halo or Gears of War, maybe play Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VI.

[finale23]

Nintendogs

Animal Crossing

Wii Sports

Smooth Moves

My current lady interest wants to get into gaming. Her ex was a huge dork for Wii, and Xbox360, and PC shooters. She tells me how pissed off she would get when she would ask him to recommend a game to her and it always was something childish and overly girly like Nintendogs. She says what she really wants is to shoot some noobies in Halo or Gears of War, maybe play Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VI.

sounds like a keeper

[Huggo]

Oh and I meant to say, (but you probably picked it up out of context) I'd imagine some girls would think they're being babied or patronized if you were to recommend Nintendogs or Animal Crossing to them. Like, example, we all know Kingdom Hearts is a fun game, let her play that too! :D

[Hitoshura]

I would hate it if my g/f played FFXI with me.. I don't want to be like one of those stupid online couples who go anon next to eachother or have gay Bazaar messages when they got hooked up or with their real names.

But like multiplayer games? That can be a lot of fun, especially when we play WarioWare for the Wii.

[Devek]

I'm not one of those people who can "go easy on someone" so I just end up kicking their ass really hard and they don't have any fun and quit.

[Elesirdur]

Katamari Damacy's another great intro game. Most people, gamers/non-gamers/male/female, are usually so confused by the premise of Katamari that they're kind of turned off. But sit them down and have them watch you play for two minutes and they're hooked. What attracted me to Katamari wasn't just the 'z0mg I just rolled up a cow!' factor, but the art, design, and overall freaky factor of the game; the medium is far more interesting than the actual game mechanics. I don't recommend the co-op feature in We <3 Katamari as it's frustrating and awkward at best.

Quite a few girls I've known also really dig racing games. Stuff like Gran Turismo 3/4, Forza Motorsports that kind of thing. In those games they seem to gravitate to a) driving, which is fun, and b) that they can customize their cars (paint them with "pretty colours") and that there's a sense of ownership to it. On the other hand, super-arcadey games like Burnout are good too; but usually only if they have experience with racing or arcade games prior to introduction of Burnout. The game's pretty intense and does throw a lot of information at you so it could be a bit of an overload. But, because you can just go craeening into shit all over the place it's fun like that.

Lastly, any games that tend to leave a good deal of detail up to the players seem to hit well with women. I think the reason they enjoy 8/16-bit titles so much - aside from nostalga factor and simplistic game mechanics - is, due to old technology and lack of realistic graphics, the game world is very iconographic and requires a lot of participation from the player to make up the details of what's going on. With modern hyper-realistic graphics, there's very little left up to the imagination of the player in interpreting exactly what's going on in the game. However, with older games and newer ones that take a more abstract design vision, you get to feel like your imagination is part of the gaming experience which makes it unique. Now, that's not going to work for everyone, but I feel as though that's a bit of a selling point for female gamers. They are looking for an experience that's not just one-way. A lot of titles for the GBA/SP and DS operate on this premise because of technical limitations. But when developers embrace the iconic factor into their design and mission statements for a game then something really special can happen.

I certainly agree with the statements above; fast-paced FPS', complicated fighting games, SHUMPS, etc. aren't good games to start on. After working at and managing an EB Games for over 5 years I've seen lots of female gamers come and go. Of course, the majority of them were picking up JP RPGs, puzzle, and life games but you certainly did see more than a few picking up God of War and a GTA title.

[Exoduso]

I'm not one of those people who can "go easy on someone" so I just end up kicking their ass really hard and they don't have any fun and quit.

Same, it's too hard lol.