How to Turn a Friend into a Gamer - Article Translation

Since some folks post links to English articles and are too lazy to translate, it all falls on us, the girl gamers.

Playing video games often takes a lot of time - though it all depends on what you’re playing. There are games that are easy to pick up and just as easy to put down - especially those where gameplay doesn’t involve fast and dynamic interaction between players.

But if you, as the author of the article, love Fallout 3, Mass Effect, Dragon Age Origins - in short, games that have many separate storylines worth attention in addition to the main storyline - you’re unlikely to enjoy them playing only a few minutes at a time.

While we are young, we can afford to spend huge amounts of time exploring all virtual worlds in succession. As we grow older, finding time becomes increasingly difficult. Work, children, social life - that’s where adults’ time goes.

If your partner doesn’t share your passion for games and spends her free time watching TV shows, making birdhouses, or doing something similar - it can become a problem for you.

However, I am a living example that a gamer can remain a gamer even after entering into long and serious relationships. You can make it so that your girlfriend plays with you. I will share with you the 5 best ways to get her interested in gaming (and all of them allow you to avoid the Nintendo Wii).

5. Start simple. Do you know why the Wii is so popular? It’s not because someone loves chubby plumbers. But due to its ease of control.

Modern gaming devices are stuffed with buttons and knobs, and we know when to press them. But for newcomers, it all seems too difficult. Many actions are hard to perform right off the bat; it takes time to master them. Even I spent more than six months getting used to the control scheme of two joysticks in FPS games.

It’s very important to choose something simpler. For example, fighting games like Street Fighter and Soul Calibur, because you can select the difficulty, and it’s generally fun to slam buttons quickly. For the same reason, any game with a one-on-one competition mode will do. And especially good are games where it’s basically impossible to lose.

4. Games are complicated things. The instructions provided with them are never enough. No matter how simple the game is, sooner or later, a situation will arise where it’s unclear what to do next. At such moments, it’s very important to show patience and explain everything until she absolutely understands.

If possible, let your girlfriend try to find a solution herself. Praise her when she does something right. Support her when she makes a mistake, falls off a cliff, or gets eaten by a dragon... It’s crucial that all your attention is focused on helping her during such moments. No matter what is happening in the game with you - stop and help. After all, you can always restart your own game. It’s also useful to remind her what each button does before each gaming session.

3. Learn her interests. The choice of game greatly depends on who you’re choosing it for. If your girlfriend turns away from the screen when you watch a horror movie, playing Resident Evil in cooperative mode isn’t for you. Give her something from the Viva Pinata series - it’s an excellent choice for those who dislike violence and love cute stuff. However, there’s a risk here too - because sooner or later, more aggressive pinatas will start to attack the small and cute ones.

Also, keep in mind that not all games based on books or movies are bad. My fiancée has always loved the