How are you getting non-gamers gaming?

[PARANOiA]

I thought I'd start this as a bit of a sketchpad for some personal experiences with my girlfriend. She hates gaming, since she sees it as my mistress of sorts, having to compete with gaming (and the internet) for my affection

As of late I've been trying to show her a few games that we can enjoy together in an effort to show her it's not just a boy's club/geek's club. Here's a list of a few specific games I've tried, what has worked and what has not:

Games she liked:

• Tetris - Splash version on XBLA is the game we consistently come back to. It's a bit of a free kick, really, since everyone has played Tetris and is confortable with it. Now she's getting really good and I don't have to "let her win" any more to keep her playing... she's beating me quite frequently!
• Bomberman - again, Live version. She loves Bomberman. It's simple and cute and at the same time we can work both together and be a little competitive. The ability keep playing to unlock new outfits is great, since we'll both see a crystal appear and try to get it! Now we even have friends over for Bomberman and beer night, although I get stuck with the arcade stick *grumble*
• Puzzle Fighter HD - a little complex though the appeal is definitely in the ability for her to get a little better each time. It's a hard one to crack though since she gets mad when you are "mean" in game, and this game definitely lets you unleash nasty combos
• Loco Roco - she adores Loco Roco! Probably her favourite game, though she hates playing it because it's a solo experience and in her mind that's a waste of time when she could be reading or whatever. Having said that, it's good fun to see her smiling with a PSP in hand.
• Viva Pinata - it's the "emergence" aspect that really gets her interested. One night we tried breeding as many varieties of animals as we could - by breeding, I mean changing colour, shape and species via careful feeding and whatnot, rather than the "romance dance" type breeding. A very intelligent game that didn't get its props in my mind (and still my GOTY 2006!)... the idea of being a really complex game with so much hidden beneath the surface makes the concept of it being a "game" (kind of like a board game more than a video game)
• Blue Dragon - probably the aesthetics more than anything, though the Marumaro (?) cutscenes made her laugh when she was in the room
• Exit - simple and stylish, can't really miss

Games that didn't work that I thought would

• Lumines - too complicated, and I can see why... it takes a while to click, but other that looking like fun, it's quite hard work, and not something I imagine a non-gamer would find terribly enjoyable in retrospect
• Rez - I don't know what I was thinking, but I thought the music aspect would tune her in (since we have the same taste)... overall she hated it, though she loved level 5 - we both have Adam Freeland MP3's shared in our collection after we saw a great set of his a few years back
• N+ - the visual style appealed, but it got a very "meh" response
• Wii Sports - seriously, she hated it. Thought it was clunky and it "made her eyes hurt" watching the graphics, since she's seen me gaming in HD for years before we played it. A bit of a surprise, still

So any others you've used, or stories you may have to get those anti-gamers out of their shells, I'd love to hear. I really don't need a list-wars or anything - think of this as a barrier between us, the enlightened, and those who are not there yet

Cheers

 

[digitalwanderer]

How are you getting non-gamers gaming?

By a clever blend of psychology and extreme violence.

 

[BRiT]

Hypnosis and mind-control drugs.

 

[PARANOiA]

I should have known this thread was too high-brow for B3D

 

[betan]

My gf finished through Lemmings, a couple of Breakout clones, Frozen Bubble (a Puzzle Bobble clone). She had a short interest in Motorstorm and F1:CE.

In terms of MP, we only play HSG 5 JP demo together (used to play Frozen Bubble, Lbreakout and Risk online as well).

We haven't tried any full SP game, mostly because I generally don't play story based SP games twice.

Basically all games have simple mechanics and short levels, quick to get into, play and get out of.

ps: I want a list war, give me one.

 

[zed]

I should have known this thread was too high-brow for B3D

dont dispair, im also interested in the original question from a personal point, the last game i frequently played was the Q3A demo in 1999 + settlers 2 in ~1995 since then i look at a game for maybe 2 minutes normally just to check the graphics. i do try to play some but they all bore the pants off me.
ild like some ideas of games i should check out, ico, shadow of the colosus are two on my must play sometime list (any others)

 

[sevanig]

The loco roco PSN game, Little Big Planet (In september) and possibly PAIN off the PSN

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Non-gamers seem to like puzzle/adventure/rpg games that don't rely on twitch reflexes, complex controls or anything more than cartoon violence. Over the years, my wife has been addicted to Dungeon Keeper 1/2, Magic Carpet 1+2, Civilization, Mah Johngg, various card games, etc.

My mother-in-law (who is a sprightly sixties and who thinks video games are unhealthy though she is a demon at bowls, scrabble, Rummi Kub, etc ) has just bought herself a Nintendo DS and plays "brain training" for hours on end. Now my wife wants one.

Hard to believe that my mother-in-law (who knows so little about computer game she almost bought a Nintendo Wii instead of a DS, and who I had to correct on all the sensationalist non-facts portrayed in the media about "games addiction") now can't get through a day without several hours of "Brain Training". "My brain is down to thirty-five" she gleefully tells us or "I've just got to finish this soduku", etc.

 

[inefficient]

I got several non gamers playing Lemmings once at my place. When you turn it in to a group think to solve the puzzle kind of game it kind of works well as a party game.

I've gotten my non-gamer sister to play quite a few games. She liked Flow, but the game she was really into was Pixel Junk Monsters.

My girlfriend who is a non-gamer & technophobic played Flow with me for one whole level and seemed to enjoy it. She was still talking about it later. When I show her other games she is almost never more than slightly amused.

Non gamers seem to like simple games that they don't have to invest too much time in.


Games I thought non-gamers would like but totally failed on them:

Fighting games. Tekken or VF it doesn't matter, they might play around or 2 but will lose interest very fast. Even though it is pick up and play, they realise they will never be good at the game or really understand it without investing a lot of time.

Shooting games like SSD or Everyday shooter, totally lost on them

Sports games, I thought would do better with non-gamers. But I guess you have to find people who actually are into sports. Sometimes they will watch you play. But sports games these days are too complicated for non-gamers to just pick up and play. Except for Wii Sports of course.

 

[AntShaw]

Rock Band

We have had this at my house for about 2 weeks. Have had about 20 or so people come over in that time period. There was a wide range of casual, hardcore, non-gamers, and wives. Not a single person didn't play. This is the new crack. 5 of them have went out and bought it since then, and 3 of them didn't own any console prior.

This game personifies social gaming to the utmost degree. More so then I have seen from any other game I have played over the last 20 years.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Actually the truthful way to get most non-gamers into gaming is pretty simple; Wii.

 

[Gubbi]

Rock Band

Agreed. I'm hiding my Guitar Hero 3 guitar whenever I have friends over. Somehow it's irresistible...

Cheers

 

[AntShaw]

Actually the truthful way to get most non-gamers into gaming is pretty simple; Wii.

I will respectfully disagree with this.

In every aspect I have seen in playing Wii, it has not had an impact on everyones perception as positive as I have seen with Rock Band. They are pretty close on multiple levels, but Rock Band itself is better then any other social gaming aspect on the Wii.

Go play Rock Band digi.

 

[inefficient]

Actually the truthful way to get most non-gamers into gaming is pretty simple; Wii.

I have a Wii but I only have AAA single players for it. And non-gamers seem totally un interested. You show them a game like Galaxy and they just don't get it.

I think even SSB is too hardcore for non-gamers.

I might have to eventually get some party games for it.

 

[digitalwanderer]

The party games are the ones for the non-gamers. Just Wii Sports is enough, it'll grab most anyone on at least one game.

Personally I'm a Rayman's Raving Rabids 2 man meself now...

 

[Arwin]

Almost all the motion control and eye toy games on the PS3 usually do the trick (notably Fl0w and Super Rub-a-Dub, but funnily enough also something like MotorStorm - Motorstorm 2 with apparently 4-player split-screen will be a huge hit!). A lot of the newer games I haven't been able to test yet, such as Sky Diving - I think the landing mode could be a big hit, but it also has some multiplayer that I haven't tried yet. Haven't tested Warhawk either, but especially the women often run away as soon as there is guns of any kind involved. On the other hand, they do often like to see them for the graphics (my wife loves Motorstorm, but especially Resistance for that reason - even though there are better looking games around, she doesn't know them. ).

Sometimes you have to choose your audience - some like music games, but especially singing is not for everyeone. SingStar is a hit with about 8/10 women though, while Guitar Hero 3 is too hard for some people, but I also only got it just recently. Fl0w and Tekken are typically liked by both male and female non-gamers. Everyone I know seems to love Buzz also - it certainly gets the most multiplayer playtime, closely followed by Fl0w, which some people can play for hours - no, drugs aren't even involved ).

Motion control typically only doesn't gell well with hardcore gamers, which is somewhat ironic, but very understandable.

I'm also looking forward to Velocity Bowling for the non-gamer's gaming multi-player.

On the PSP, Lumines was clearly the biggest hit. I think Buzz on PSP will be great also though, as I had a Homebrew game that my wife loved to play.

Oh, and non-gamers tend to like something like Mesmerize on PS Eye a lot more than me, I've noticed.

 

[Hazuki Ryu]

I think most non gamers are non games because at least one of the following reasons

1- they don't have what it takes to handle the "complex" controls of most today games

2- they think games are for children therefore not for them (i get this one a lot)

3- they don't like it because they don't know anything about it and don't want to know

4- In Portugal (my native country) most games don't have Portuguese subtitles so people who don't speak english don't understand anything

 

[AntShaw]

Snip...

A majority of the things you listed Arwin I have found don't have any lasting appeal with any of my non-gamer friends. Other then bowling, no one else has asked to play or check out any of the games or tech demos a 2nd time.

Those are good examples to get someone initially interested but none of those games have caused anyone I know to go out and purchase a system. Which I think is the main key here. What good is it going to do, if they only play games are at others places.

Which is why I again will fall back onto Rock Band. As the sales have been showing it has legs and word of mouth is getting around fast.

With the varying difficulty levels (i.e. someone could be doing expert drums, while someone is doing medium bass, and easy guitar and singing) it has enough to keep everyone initially interested while not failing or getting booed off the stage.

I think you need to play Rock Band as well. So you can 'get it'. I didn't get it until recently. It needs to be played, to understand how simple yet complex and mesmerizing it really is!

 

[vazel]

You don't have a Wii or DS? My sister loves Mario games.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Actually the truthful way to get most non-gamers into gaming is pretty simple; Wii.

It seems consoles and games have different mileage. In my sphere of experience EyeToy had more impact on casuals than Wii. Cooperative gaming is a huge, huge plus to attracting non-gamers. To answer the question though, anything that avoids the stereotypical nerd-view of solo gaming with big guns, fast cars, lots of blood and scantily clad bimbos is a good way to showcase games aren't just for stereotypical nerds I dare say internet gaming has broken many barriers to getting people into gaming, that and mobile games. Actually getting 'casuals' promoted to 'serious' players is a different matter entirely!