A Good Game for an Absolute Beginner?

[EternalFacepalm]

It doesn't get any simpler than Diablo. You click on something and it dies. click on the ground and you move there. click on a door and it opens.

Diablo is a terrible choice. Simple, maybe, but I think most would find that it just doesn't engage them. Besides, while it may seem simple to most, grasping mechanics such as identification scrolls can be really difficult for newbies. Don't even get me started on inventory management and stats...

Mario seems to be a good bet, as well as adventure games. However, it depends on how much they crave action, or are willing to sit through dialogue and the methodical nature of adventure games. I tried getting a friend of mine to try Monkey Island and she told me she was just straight up bored.

OP said early in the thread that she didn't enjoy titles like Mario, so that probably wouldn't work. Monkey Island might be good, although it does become illogical at times. :/

 

[Girl With One Eye]

Heavy Rain is a good choice because it's very simple, and not much "gaming" is required. Otherwise, I'd say LittleBigPlanet is suitable for a beginner. It kind of depends what games she's into though, if she likes RPGs, FFX is really easy to control. Show her a few games at least so she can see what kind of variety there is.

 

[anANGRYkangaroo]

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.

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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.

What everyone seems to forget in these kind of threads is that beginners do not understand anything in the first person. It takes a ridiculous amount of effort to learn how to move for the first time, definitely not a starting game.

 

[Cyberjester]

Plants vs Zombies? Most platformers aren't that easy, and Portal has that whole up-is-down-or-maybe-sideways thing going on which makes it hard for some people to get into. Also switching your perspective rapidly in quick succession can really throw off someone who isn't expecting it, and even some who are.

Minecraft is like Terraria, the amount of memory needed for the craft system can be a bit ridiculous, and there's not that many hints to start with.

Better to stick with something simple to learn, hard to master. PvZ, Bejeweled, Angry Birds, just keep in mind the words "Casual" and "Simple".

 

[crystalsnow]

All of you guys suggesting Mario and Sonic are either really stupid or just being dicks. He asked what a good game for an absolute beginner was, and those types of games are ridiculously hard for people just starting out. Even the newer ones can be challenging.

You should start her out on flash games if nothing else. There are tens of thousands all over the internet, all incredibly easy to pick up, and won't cost you a dime. From there I would suggest either RTS games or some of the more simple RPG games.

 

[Bradeck]

Dark Souls, end of thread. Start em off hard, then the easier stuff comes later. Like teaching a kid to drive. Start by learning reverse, and stick.

 

[GonzoGamer]

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.

Katamari Damacy/Forever/Whatever ...any Katamari game. It's a good way to get someone acclimated to the modern dual-stick controller. But I should warn you, while a Katamari game might help her stop smoking cigarettes, it might get her to start smoking weed...which is less harmful anyway. So go for it.

 

[Pinkamena]

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

I find that the portal games are really difficult for beginners that are not used to navigate in 3D environment.

My own mother is not a gamer, but she really enjoyed Limbo, as well as some Sherlock Holmes point-and-click adventure games

 

[Chalacachaca]

Portal all the way, and some graphic adventures throw in good measure. I have a cousin who prior to hit 30 years of age, wasn't exactly a gamer. Now she plays games like Syberia and other graphic adventures.

Just don't let her play Metal Gear Solid. Even though is a good game and extremely entertaining, both Snakes (Solid Snake and Big Boss) are avid smokers, so I don't think that would help her.

 

[wottabout]

Why are so many people recommending Portal? As others have mentioned, that is a horrible idea. She'll have enough trouble navigating a 3D environment as it is; add portal mechanics to that and you'll have a huge problem. But if you're really set on Portal, you should at least show her Portal: The Flash Version first.

Anyway, I would start with a 2D game. My first suggestion is Canabalt. It's free and only has one button. The main problem is that it's impossible to win. If she got upset over getting stuck in a trench, I don't think she would like crashing repeatedly into walls.
I also recently completed the 2D, free game Cave Story, and I enjoyed it. It gets kind of hard at times, though, and it starts out in a cave with spikes to jump over. On the other hand, if you start her out on Canabalt she'll have some solid 2D jumping skills to get through those problems.

You could also show her a 3D game that has no enemies, goals, or puzzles. Unfortunately, the only examples I can think of offhand are The Path and Dear Esther, and neither is free. Also, both of those are kind of creepy. But if you can find a mod or something that will turn a game that you already have into a happy fairy land, go with that. Build up her confidence with the controls before asking her to do something difficult.

 

[EternalFacepalm]

Fine, Diablo 3. No identification scrolls, no stats and inventory management? how is that hard? you put stuff in your inventory till you have no room. When you run out of room you decide on what to keep and what to sell. Wow that's really complicated.

You're coming at this assuming an absolute beginner to video games in general would pick this up easily.

For you, knowing what "dexterity" might affect can be easy, because you've learnt the basic concepts of an RPG. An absolute beginner will have no idea what stats are relative to what class, what items to keep, etc. For an absolute beginner, even controlling all these menus can be really confusing, and understanding the UI can be frustrating as hell.

You said:

When you run out of room you decide on what to keep and what to sell. Wow that's really complicated.

How would an absolute beginner to video games know what to keep and what to sell? If you'd never truly played a video game before in your life, would you know to keep a mana potion if you were a mage? A complete beginner might not even know what "mana" would mean!

 

[Soveru]

Sid Meier's pirates. Addictive, fun and simple

 

[LiftYourSkinnyFists]

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.

Bejeweled, Farmville and other various popcap games etc

 

[ThatGuy]

Any PopCap game will do the trick, really.

 

[YeOldeMoose]

A know a lot of people that have just started getting into gaming (around age 20). Bit trip runner is an amazing game for people to get started playing. Its simple, it can run on any computer, and its just a fun game. As an added bonus it connects music with gameplay, which can help to show new gamers how an interactive medium can be used in cool ways.

 

[Joccaren]

Civilization IV.
Its not really too complex if you play on the lower difficulties. Its easy to get into, but hard to master. PC only. Turn based 4X strategy.
Does require thinking, and may take her some time to get into, but set her up against the easiest AI level there is, and if she likes it its hard not to become addicted. That whole "One more turn" phrase exists for a reason.
Wouldn't recommend Civ V as much. Its a resource hog on a system for no real reason, and things like City States and being able to attack with a unit multiple times a turn ends up requiring more tactical and strategic thinking, even though the game doesn't have the overall depth of Civ IV.

 

[Joccaren]

Fine, Diablo 3. No identification scrolls, no stats and inventory management? how is that hard? you put stuff in your inventory till you have no room. When you run out of room you decide on what to keep and what to sell. Wow that's really complicated.

How do you move things around your inventory?
What do each of these stats on the item do?
Why does this item have a question mark on it?
How do I sell things?
What should I sell?
How do I equip things?
What should I equip?
Is this item better than that one?
Why?

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We're talking absolute beginner here. If you've used inventories before, D3's isn't that hard.
If you have no idea what an inventory even is... You're going to be looking for something else to get them into gaming before D3. Having to learn what an inventory is, what stats are [They're in D3 too, you just don't select them], what levelling up means, how you select abilities and everything else is not something you want to do on your first couple of days of gaming.

 

[oddball250]

the orignal spyro trilogy are brilliant for beginners

 

[Costia]

Portal. Definitely.

/thread. Prove me wrong.

I tried to make my mom play it
She couldn't navigate through the rooms at all
The 3D-ness of it confused her. She was used to 2D games.
Navigating in 3D space on a 2D screen isn't intuitive for everyone.
So she couldn't play it.