Ok, first, new Extra Credits episode. Good start right there and I'll probably repeating most of the advice there.Schlen said:
It's strange how this was never mentioned, but have you actually asked her about what she likes? Saying Flalout 3 passed the grade is a little too broad an answer. I cna throw you five hundred title that play "like" Fallout 3 but you'll never know which ones will be good until you know why she likes it. The why of the matter is what you want to be able to suggest other games that she may or may not like. Here are just a few examples:
I like VATS: This would explain why she doesn't like other first-person shooters or finds them too difficult. VATS rewards palnning your actions as opposed to quick reflexes. It pauses combat and lets your think about your choices. It's essentially a pause feature to assess the situation and act accordingly. If this is the case, finds games that reward planning or can pause mid combat to gain a tactical view. Games like the Tales serise apply this to a real-time combat venue with a lock-on targeting system that allows you to pause, think about your tactics, then target the proper creature(s) and apply a strategy of furious combat combos. On the flip side, you can try getting her into third-person and cover based shooting games. This will give her the time to think out her actions while she takes cover/blind-fires. Work her up to pure bred FPS games by going a route like Gears of War, Rainbow Six: Vegas or Ghost Recon: Advanced Warrior and then finally into your Call of Dutys and BioShocks.
I like the Characters/Story: This is where you should be introducing her to RPGs. Start with current games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins and then work her along the path. Give her games that have excellent character interaction and give meaning to the world around her. This is what will draw her in and lose her in the moment. BioWare has a fairly robust library for this and anything from that catalogue will help her get her feet wet.
I like Freedom: So get her games where she can do what she wants, when she wants. FYI, that means no Assassin's Creed, as that game is fairly linear compared to Fallout 3. Try games like Saint's Row, Crackdown (the original) or Terraria depending on her preferances. Those three games are all about freedom of choice on how to tackle objectives, to the point where Crackdown basically drops you in a sandbox and says "Yeah, there are some crime bosses you should think about killing but destroying everything is cool, too." If she likes the freedom to choose when to tackle objectives, sandbox games will be her dream come true in gaming.
I like Killing Stuff: Well, that's a fairly easy habit to feed. Here you want to find out what about Fallout 3 makes the killing appealing to her. Is it the fact that they explode into gorey bits? Get her a bloodbath game like Darksiders or Borderlands. Does she like the fact that it's easy to kill things? Introduce her to Beat 'Um Ups like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance or Torchlight. Is it the setting? For that you'll need to find out what sorts of backdrops she finds interesting in movies, books and other media. Really, this topic is probably the hardest to define and you'll most likely want to narrow it down further before making a suggestion.
Lastly -- and I would consider this the most important part -- she needs to understand games are hard! More specifically, games are supposed to be challenging. They aren't instant gratification like movies, television or books are. They're supposed to give you some sort of obstacle to overcome and you do just that by sharpening player skills and using the tools you've been given within the game. She needs to understand that dying is normal, failure is a lesson learned and that there's a reset button for a darn good reason. Gaming isn't something you're instantly great at and practice, patience and perservearence are all key skills in enjoying a good game. While modern games have diluted some of those complications out of games today so more people can access them, they still, at their core, hold those values and eventually you hit them head on. Don't be discouraging about this, however, and explain that the reason why games are sometimes really enjoyable are because they give you a sense of accomplishment for doing something extraordinary.
My last piece of advise specifically for you is that you need to remember that everyone games at their own pace. As long as she hasn't given up on a game because she understands that games are supposed to challenge you, let her do it within her time frame. She may take a week off just to think about it. She may want you to play your file to watch how things flow in the game. She may just not seem interested because she has other things to do. Let her. It's super important that she feels that she's gaming when she wants to and not because you're forcing her.
If you have any further questions or need help defining some of the pricipals I've laid out here, don't hesitate to PM here. If she wants to ask a few questions, please, I definately encourgae that too. I love nothing more than to help people, especially when it's to enjoy one of my own passions. Happy gaming to you two!
