A Good Game for an Absolute Beginner?

[Tomany2]

Hello! I am an avid gamer, as well as most of my family, but my mother is the only one who doesn't game. We are trying to get her into gaming to cut down on her smoking, hoping that it will distract her from the urge to smoke a cigerette.

SO, the real question is, how should we get her started? We perferably want to start with a free game with not too much action and not too many confusing controls. I do own Basion and Solar 2, which I was thinking of starting her out on. But I don't know if that would be a good place to start!!

Does anyone have any suggestions?

P.S. She played Ghost Recon 2 on the xbox, which made her hate gaming after she fell in a trench and couldn't figure out how to get out. Those controls were too confusing for her. Also, she is much better with a mouse and keyboard than a controller. So try and stick with PC games.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Go for the most basic of platformers.

Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Kirby, that sort of stuff.

Simple mechanics, but good gameplay.

 

[lRookiel]

EDIT: Quite hard since most of my games have a fair amount of action in :/

However, I think Portal(+ Portal 2) is a fun puzzle game that is not too challenging, it's just an absolute joy to play the game(s).

Oh and ofcourse the Nintendo platformers :3

 

[Lever]

Rayman Origins. It's a straightforward platformer that can be played co-op. It uses a checkpoint system, rather than lives. It starts simple and gradually builds up in difficulty. It has a weird and adorable art style. It's got a quirky sense of humor. All in all, it's rather like playing a cartoon and it's awesome.

 

[TheGreatAndPowerfulZOG]

Your best bet is probably The Sims. Everyone seems to love those games.

Gotta agree with Super Mario Brothers, especially SMB3 and Super Mario World. If she just has a PC, there's always emulators.

 

[Tomany2]

Thanks for the replies!! alot of people say SMB3, she said she played that when the first came out, and wasnt a fan :c I tried to get her to play solar 2, but she didnt enjoy that. :c

She played Bookworm, and Mojang, but gets really bored of those fast... i need somthing not too hard, but still entertaining.

 

[veloper]

Maybe better to try something slow paced, like a Lucas arts adventure game, or something in that vibe.

If she's getting stuck in trenches, maybe best not to try action games.
Or maybe Plants vs Zombies. That's a left-click game that's pretty easy to learn, but not too boring.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Minecraft, maybe? Something easy with simple controls that isn't visually busy.

 

[GoaThief]

Botanicula [http://botanicula.net/], The Walking Dead [http://www.telltalegames.com/walkingdead], and Gears of War for something on the Xbox? Can COOP in the latter to boot.

 

[GiantRaven]

The Lego games. They're simple, easy to grasp, huge amounts of fun, and based on extremely popular existing franchises.

 

[The Abhorrent]

The Portal series is a great place to start, as both are known for being 90%+ tutorial for the player and entertaining the whole way through. Not too difficult, and puzzle games aren't too demanding in terms of reaction times and that; controls are quite simple as well, and introduced at a rate that's perfect for gaming newbies. To top it off, the games aren't too violent nor offensive in any way (GlaDOS' scathing remarks aside)... though the humour can be a bit dark at times. Portal 2 comes with a co-op mode as well, though it's recommended that both parties got into it dark (haven't played the co-op mode before); that way you can solve the problems together, not just have one guide the other through it.

For other PC suggestions? Maybe the two recent re-releases for the Monkey Island franchises (for the first two games of said franchise, called "Special Editions"). Point-and-click adventures are a bit dated as a genre at this point, but those are whole-heartedly entertaining and hilarious.

And so far, everything is available on Steam.

---

Now for the mildly tricky part, platformers. While it was requested to keep things on the PC, platformers are a bit rare on it; Nintendo has some of the best ones on the Wii, if you're able to get her on it. The reason you want to look at platformers is because they're more or less pure gaming fun; and as a result, a great way to get someone into gaming (by showing them what it's all about). While the genre definitely has a "for kids" look to it, anyone can have fun playing them; they're just that damn good.

Super Mario Galaxy and it's sequel are probably the best to go with, both of which received near-unanimous praise from both critics and players. Again simple controls are at work here, but they also have motion controls; while that might seem off-putting at first, the game's design knows they're new to everyone and eases players into them. Someone who's completely new to gaming might actually have an advantage here, as they don't have to fight the muscle memory developped from years (or a couple decades) worth of playing games with a standard controller.

 

[Lunatic High]

WELL If she is willing to try Ghost recon 2 but is better at keyboard and mouse games why not start her out on something simple like DOOM 1,2, or ultimate or whatever and work your way up from there. I got my dad hooked on the first doom when he retired, then he moved to RTS with C&C Genreals, and NOW He's totally hooked on Rome Total war. RTS games are great for newbies to the gaming medium

 

[putowtin]

Cooking Mama and Cake Mania....

what?! there the two games that hooked my mum, and got here to give up her evil habits!
(wanting to speak to me for two hours every night when I wanted to be gaming!)

 

[Hollyday]

Do you think some really short, easy (but interesting) games would work as a starting point? Why don't you try E4.com/games/ . It clearly tells you how difficult the games are and there are lots of user reviews to help you pick. Obviously they are all entirely free, and quite a few of them are really good. I can recommend 'Little Wheel' and 'Machinarium'.

Also, has she tried any browser games? Echo bazaar (now 'fallen london' I think) is a good one for drawing you in.

 

[bafrali]

I think Rayman Origins ould be great choice. It starts of with easy challenges. It has a charming style. It is a lot of fun and you can help beginners with coop. We were playing with my cousin today and we had lots of fun. I am afraid it caused some kind of addiction on him though.

 

[Prosis]

I would stay away from first person games. Especially those that require fast timing. The concept of moving with one joystick and looking/aiming with the other is really difficult for a beginner gamer. Although it is a little bit easier with a mouse, since people are used to operating a mouse and keyboard.
Stay away from RPGs (too much time investment) and fighting games (since defeat is especially frustrating in those games).

2D sidescrollers are your best bet, but even 3D platformers would probably be ok, as long as it has really solid controls. Really, the more simple and intuitive the controls are, the better.

More importantly, let her play the game. So many people try to "introduce" someone to gaming, and then fail miserably. Why? Because they constantly tell them what buttons to press, where the secrets are, and what to look out for. It doesn't matter how obvious it is to "hit the big red button," let them figure it out. If a person wants help, they'll ask for it. And don't ever take the controller from them.

Extra Credits did an episode on bringing in new gamers. Not sure which episode it is though.

 

[Mysterious Username]

If you got a DS and are willing to track it down Wario Ware Smooth Moves is the perfect beginner game.
Freeware wise Runman Race Around the World is pretty simple, as is Invert.