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Best Videogames For Enthralling Non-Gamers?
Thanks to GameSpy for its article discussing the best videogame titles that appeal to those unfamiliar with gaming. The list of these 'gateway' titles, games which "...are usually quite easy to pick up and play and remain addictive", includes EyeToy: Play ("It's immensely entertaining to watch your co-workers move around ridiculously while trying to wash a virtual window or fight a virtual boxer"), Dance Dance Revolution ("sits in a strange purgatory between social awkwardness and coolness"), and The Sims ("...breaking boundaries that many thought impenetrable.")
It turns out that they did, and the game got her interested not only in the RPG genre (we just finished Knights of the Old Republic together), but also gaming in general (some of her favorites have been Thief, System Shock 2, and Tropico).
That being said, if you can find a game with a story that might appeal to a non-gamer, you might have even more luck than just introducing him or her to a more gimmicky title.
DecafJedi
my weblog: apropos of something
The obveous game that hooked an entire generation.
I remember my mother being really addicted to it. Although she didn't know how to do anything on the computer (turing the mouse like a steering wheel to go sideways etc.) she could still find and play tetris.
Mouse powered Chips, Open source Processors and Lego
The best answer to this question depends on the demographic you are shooting for. Adult males, who it might be argued may have some sort of genetic predisposition to like videogames with titles such as Soul Caliber or a Tony Hawk game, no challenge on that one. But what about getting our girl-friends and wives into gaming? I have found almost any 2 player co-op game works as long as it is relatively easy, and easy to play. This isn't to say that women can't play Halo, what it says is that learning how to play games takes time, and introducing a new gamer to a difficult complex game is bad idea, no matter how cute or fun it is. Group settings are great too, Mario Party Springs to mind. As social games you can't really go wrong, and most of the mini games are simple enough that even people not familiar with the finer points of game control can get a pretty good grasp on it. Racing games like Mario Kart, or Crash Nitrocart are generally easy to pick up and run with as well.
On Wall Street they say "buy low, sell high" On the pad we say, "buy high, sell high" Isn't that somehow better?
I got my wife semi-hooked on games mainly by just playing them while she was around. I spent a few weeks playing Grandia II on my Dreamcast, and she finally let her curiosity get the better of her, and sat down and played it through.
Now she's playing Animal Crossing, and really liking it. She likes all the different things to do, all the interactions, the letter writing, decorating, digging, etc, etc.
Puzzle games as mentioned above are great as well, but I've noticed that once they find a puzzle game the like, they'll only be interested in playing it or something similar.
Mariokart and Monkey ball are always classics. Simple yet entertaining. (I haven't played the new mariokart, it looks more complex, but I have high hopes for when I finally get around to getting it.
-Sean
So the PS2 version of DDR is good for a non gamer, but not the x-box version? The x-box version of GTA is good for non gamers but not the PS2 or PC versions? I just find it incredibly odd that they would only mention versions of games for certain platforms when that game is available (in slightly different forms) on other platforms as well.
http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players
My girlfriend likes stories, so adventure games seemed like a natural fit. After she saw me play through Longest Journey, she wanted to try some of her own, although a bit easier.
Long story short, although she's 30, she's now played every Nancy Drew adventure game from Her Interactive. And she's starting to branch out, she just completed Syberia, and likes a few simple "other games" like SuperMonkeyBall, or Mario Kart: Double Dash.
-Jack Ash
Seriously, even my mother will play mario party. As for Monkey ball if i don't want to entertain guests i will just pop in monkey ball and within 10 minutes i have 4 people enthralled.
convenient!
Puzzle Pirates seems to be the revolutionary game of the year. And a lot of the players I meet in there are definitely not gamers. These are mostly people who used to play stuff like yahoo games, but now they play YPP instead.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
Yeah, Everquest.
I know, I know, you think I have lost my mind. As far as learning curves go in computer games, EQ's is pretty steep. Also, it has a reputation as a hardcore gamers obsession.
However, I know many EQ players personally, and I have noticed that those who "succeed" in it are often from seperate peer groups than the veteran gamer:
1. Atheletes - Believe it or not. I know lots of people who play lots of sports, and their competitive nature played well into EQ. Once they learned that this was a way for them to rise above the competition, and get the phat bling-bling, most took off at rocket speed.
2. People with time on their hands - That can be most of us during periods in our life. These are the moms after the kids have flown the coop. They are also the guy who got fired, the couple just trying to stay home and save some money, and the teenager counting the days till graduation and escape.
3. Anyone with more than 0.001% obsessive-compulsive behavior.
My point is I know many, many people who never played a computer game more complex than minesweeper, and then found themselves serving up an 8 hour day behind an EQ avatar.
I do not recommend you buy a copy for Grandma though, unless you are desperate to cease her meddling.
Pel
What worked with my girlfriend are two diametrically opposed games, IMHO...Grand Theft Auto III and Morrowind. She loves both of these games. I bought her a copy of Morrowind and a better graphics card so she can play in her free time, and we play GTA together quite often, taking turns after each mission.
With Morrowind, I'm pretty convinced it's the open storyline along with how tangible the entire world is. She's like a 5 year old (or an engineer?) sometimes, she wants to play with every little button and device she can find.
GTA is just get away fun...where else can you drive realistic cars at breakneck speeds and cap people without worry?
--trb
Rhythm games--you love them, hate them, or have never actually played one. For anyone who wants a fun play that actually helps improve short-term memory and coordination, I'd definitely recommend Space Channel 5. It recently came out in a bundle for the PS2 which includes the original and a sequel; this bundle retails for $15. I promise anyone who takes up the challenge will spend their first few days after playing it seeing everything in Ulala-vision (Hey Bob, you get those TPS cover sheets sent off? Up, Up, Left, Left, Down, Shoot!, Shoot!)
If you like those, try Um Jammer Lammy (a little harder for me since it's more abstract in control), Samba de Amigo (it requires the maracas and a Dreamcast, but those combined will run you less than a copy of GTA) - which I have to say is a great party game - or Taiko no Tatsujin if you can handle everything being in Japanese.
I found that once I got FFXI, most of my console gaming has become social...I haven't watched television in a long time, and movies aren't something terribly social (not everyone enjoys MST3king films), and it's easier to keep a large group of people interested with console games since they're quickly and easily changable. Silly games with no real point to them (Meaning, you don't have a mob boss asking you to kill the interstellar aliens) have been scoring really high with me of late--they usually have a little more innovation to them, which can slip them through the shields of a non-gamer who might even have reservations against videogames.
Also, at the risk of being flamed to death--Brittany's Dance Beat is a good play too. It can take advantage of the dance pad, which makes it a far more entertaining and interesting watch (and conversation piece) than just DDR (which I still have a blast with).
Social gaming has been getting a lot of my non-gamer friends to consider purchasing consoles, simply because I have such oddball games they've never expected to see that don't require insane coordination (Ikaruga, Halo) or a taste for the gameplay (FFX, GTA, Gran Turismo).
Crazy Taxi! It's easy to learn, visually impressive, and you can have short, timed rounds - pretty much the only game my wife ever showed interest in.
I know Gamespy like their top 10 lists and all, but they really should go to a little bit of effort to compile them. This most recent list seems to completely miss the point.
As I was working my way through the top 10, I kept expecting to see Animal Crossing somewhere in there, but it was nowhere to be found. It is without a doubt the number one game to enthrall non-gamers. I speak from experience as it rapidly had my mother and my sister playing, and neither of them had ever played a console game before in their lives (and I do own other games from that list).
I don't think many of the games on the list would appeal to people who have never before played a game, although many of them would appeal to casual gamers. I don't see how racing games, fighting games, shooting games, sports games etc... will suddenly appeal to people who weren't interested in playing those games a year ago, five years ago, or ten years ago - they aren't a new idea or genre.
While I can accept that Gamespy have listed some of the best racing games (eg Mario Kart), some of the best FPS games (eg Counter Strike) or one of the best sports games (eg Madden) they have only listed one or two simple and innovative games, that might attract someone who hasn't been interested by the normal fare.
The only four games I see on the Gamespy list that might attract new players is the Eye-toy (although I think that it is something that will only capture attention for a short period of time), Karaoke Revolution, Dance-Dance, and the Sims.
Animal Crossing is a glaring exception - not only did my mother start playing it, but she is still doing so 6 months down the track. However Animal Crossing is not the only exception - there are many other games suited to the list, for example nearly any web-based puzzle game, or new games like Donkey Konga.
As a medical resident, someone installed Snood in our computer lab. Prior to the Snood era, these computers were used for research and looking up patient data. However, once installed, the lab became a daily Snood tournament. It's very simple, yet very addictive. Try it, but be careful! www.snood.com
Some games are interesting to gamers because they appeal to fans of the genre. Games like The Sims, however, appeal to everyone because they intend to do that. They are also FUN to play, and they have an easy interface that make it easy to pick up and go within 5 or 10 minutes. These are the 3 elements that, in my opinion, are essential for a "gateway game".
Do take note that it seems to be compiled from a list of 2003 games only. Yes, Animal Crossing should probably be on there. Yes, it is odd that they mention an X-Box version of GtA when far more people have access to one of the PS2 versions released one-two years earlier.
The gateway theory is probably as accurate here as it is in the drugs realm, that is to say not at all. I'm sure most "non-gamers" in the working world have played Solitaire or Minesweeper, or NES games in their youth, so surely they're aware that fun games exist - that's just not their thing, it's yours. So understanding that their non-gamerness is in all likelihood the result of conscious decisions and not lack of opportunity, is it really tactful to attempt to convert such people to your opinion through gradient (read: deceitful) introduction?
How would you feel if someone attempted this sort of conversion on you? Say for instance that an acquaintance perceives that you don't read enough books because you spend all of your time playing games. How would you react to them slowly and obviously crowbar-ing you towards their interests instead of just being overt? Would it be O.K. if they gave you a Nancy Drew book one week (to show how fun reading can be), an Encyclopedia Brown book the next, then a Xanth book, then a Tom Clancy novel? Wouldn't you consider that patronizing and insulting?
Honestly it isn't very difficult to get a non-gamer interested in most popular games so long as you have the time and hardware necessary to show them. Convincing them that the time they currently spend doing other things should be spent playing games is the tough part. For friends, that's best done with words and not cultish gradient plans.
Bejeweled, the same game, tetris, etc. I'd just like to comment that the same game (google for it) is the most addictive little game I've ever played. It's so simple, but has this, "I have to beat the high score" attribute.
If you don't feel like googling, the same game is a game in which you remove groups of two or more objects of the same color connected to each other, after they are removed the objects above them fall down. Tricky strategies involve getting all of one color at once, without losing too many of the other colors. Don't try it at work, unless you have several days to waste.
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
What, you mean like someone's sister ...
If I were you, I probably wouldn't be talking about someone's sister in the same sentence as the word "impenetrable".... just kinda looks bad.
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
The two games that I have found non-gamers to really enjoy:
Top Spin -tennis on the Xbox. Like Pong, but a lot better.
Simpsons Hit and Run - If they like the Simpsons, they'll like this game.
Both are easy to get started in, and neither has a lot of stuff to remember. Easy games that are fun.
No reason to lie.
Gots to be Monkey Ball for non-gamers - no buttons to push (in the main game), gameplay based around simple physics - everyone knows about gravity and inertia, even if only instinctively - a great learning curve, a simple goal, intuitive control with instant feedback... and all wrapped in a great package. I bought my GameCube into work at Xmas, and one non-gaming coworker had ordered one of their own within five minutes of starting Monkey Ball. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it at all; it's a perfect game.
Having said that, try explaining the Monkey Bowling mode to a novice...
"Okay, there'll be a bouncing line - don't press A yet, or... okay, you pressed it, no problem - there's the line. You have to stop it in the middle. Just press A.... you've only got a few seconds. Don't panic! Right, you've stopped it at the side, you'll start rolling in a second or so - you'll need to spin in the opposite direction. Use the shoulder button. No, the shoulder button. Before you cross that line! Oh, see, you span the wrong way. Your monkey's dead."
(Trying to explain it beforehand is even worse, by the way).
It's a really stupid idea to try to sandwich people into categories like "women will like this game" and "your drunk football buddies will like this game." Here's my theory; it's not that some games are "too cute" or "too violent." It's not that women naturally want to play a game that is like an interactive soap opera. This article reads like the people who wrote it actually believe that non-gamers have never heard of Vice City, or don't know that they also have nonviolent games out there. I think it's more likely that there are three primary reasons for non-gamers.
1. Don't realize there are good plots out there. It certainly could happen. The pure dumb fun of Vice City gets played up, while the homages to Scarface and Miami Vice, and the game's dark humor, get played down. Games like DOOM get all the attention, while games like The Getaway and Beyond Good and Evil get swept under the rug. Even absurdly popular games like MGS and the Final Fantasy series get little or no attention from the non-game media.
2. Some adjustment to the controls is required. For somebody who has never used a gamepad before, the first time can be awkward, annoying, and extremely difficult. This can, in some cases, turn a person away from gaming, and it takes some persistence to get that person to adjust to a controller.
3. Or maybe they just never really got into it. Let's face it, there are people out there who have other things they have to take care of, and other people who just aren't willing to fork over the money for what can be a pretty expensive hobby.
So, what's the solution? Well, for 3, maybe it's best to find some free time that person has, and try to make him/her sit down, shut up, and play. 2, same thing, but it's going to require a lot of persistence, and keeping that person at the game for a while. Games like Soul Caliber II are good for that person, because button mashing still works. Sometimes, it's probably not even worth it, however, if the person can't adjust. As for 1, the solution is relatively simple; show them games like The Getaway, MGS, FF X, etc., maybe bring up your favorite cutscenes if you can find them.
Remember, this is just the short list; I realize there a lot of other reasons why somebody wouldn't be a gamer.
Show them the game first by using some just-better-than-beginnner players as demonstrators. I'm thinking 3 and 4 foot songs. These types of players are more likely to screw up a bit at random times, and to collapse in laughter, so it takes the intimidation factor away while making it look extra fun.
Explain the general point of the game. It's two sentences, really. "Well, the arrows go up the screen, and they reach the top in time with the music. If you step on them on the beat, your power goes up, otherwise, it goes down." Period. The only other things you'll have to explain as they come up while the demo is going on are the jumps ("you jump to hit BOTH arrows at once!") and freeze arrows ("ya gotta hold down the button"). Stuff like offbeat steps are unlikely to show up on 3 foot songs anyway.
Get 'em drunk. Well, just a little bit. The first time you play, you'll look uncoordinated anyway, so you might as well have a couple drinks to take the edge off.
Insist "you try!" once the beginners are done a few songs. The rest of the room will engage in "Come on!" "Oh yeah!" "You can't suck worse than *I* did my first time!" etc. You won't have to tell your other friends to goad them on, because everyone had to get practically pushed up there the first time.
Start the game for 'em and turn on Beginner difficulty. Then get the hell off the pad, but help them select a song -- a really fast song even on Beginner might be too disorienting especially for folks who -- GASP -- aren't used to playing video games.
Don't constantly tell them what to do through the song. I have a friend that does this, and we need to stick a sock in her mouth. "Left! Left! Up!" for 2 minutes straight, and your newbies are going to be heading towards Mario Party. A little help is OK, but it's not rocket science. They've just gotta figure how to move their feet for themselves.
Ditto with not explaining technique the first few times they play. The only thing I ever say, because EVERY new DDR player does this, is "you don't have to go back in the middle after each step, you can just stay stood on the arrow, and it won't mind". Say this after the first song. If they keep doing it, don't worry about it.
Great game, and people get right into it, but the videos have absolutely zero to do with that. It's a combination of fun music, getting endorphins going, and cracking it up with friends.
I've found non-gamers treat games like Virtua Tennis like a electronic form of ping-pong. Simple, yet addictive.
Karaoke Revolution recently exploded at my school. A group of my friends tried it out at my friends' house (his Sister got it or so he says). Somehow, everybody gave it a try and the result was some awful music. I recommend everybody throw a Karaoke Revolution party, especially with the worst singers you know
Look it's a joke about my sig IN MY SIG! LOL!
and every single one of her friends all hate anything to do with a video game. That was until I screwed up by going out and renting Crash Bandicoot for the X-Box. Now every night when I get home from work ready to play a little MechAssult online, I have to fight with my girlfriend and all of her friends in order to get any gameplay. So I would say that Crash Bandicoot would fall into the 'easy to play video games'.
HaHaHaHaHa
... what they are talking about sometimes ...
madden 2004 a 'gateway' to getting non gamers to play a game? thats gotta be the joke entry, right? the game is pretty damn complicated, and i cant see how people that arent used to games that just want something 'simple' are going to be able to get into it at all. maybe the gamespy guys really liked it, but that obviously doesnt mean that non-games will, in fact, its probably the complete opposite.
the GTA games also require a lot more skill than people think. sure, its fun to bash around and stuff, but actually try and do a mission. it would be much better to do what i do with my brother, who rarely plays games, just let him load up my save after ive finished it and unlocked everything 100% (so he has immediate access to all the weapons etc), and then just let him run riot.
wario ware? a game where you have 3 seconds to complete you objectives on the fly without a pause? if i gave that to my girlfriend her game would be over in 9 seconds and she would be handing my GBA back with a WTF? look on her face.
counter strike? hahahahahaha whatever. these guys smoke some wicked crack sometimes. try quake3 on the easiest bot level or something. maybe once they can beat the bots on hard after 5 years they might then be ready to play online. you may want to repeatedly abuse them in the background while they practise as well. you know, just to get them ready for the experience online.
and with no animal crossing the list might as well not exist. its almost like they didnt put it in there so they would get attention.
Great game, easy interface, no fear of dying.
There's really only one puzzle that is sort of tough to solve, but even then, it's hardly frustrating.
Adventure games should be like that, I think... just a fun storyline and a few puzzles along the way.