Five rules for introducing your girlfriend to gaming
…Without resorting to minigame collections and other such nonsense
Above: “I saw some ammo on the left. Go to the left. You’re not going. Don’t you want that ammo? You’re almost out of ammo, you should go get that ammo I saw. Oh, wait, where is it? I swear I saw some ammo there. Hey, let play for a sec, I’ll find it.”
It won’t be long before you’re the one who’s stuck, and she’s pointing out the way to go. I would have been stuck on the final battle in Resident Evil 5 for an extra ten minutes had my wise companion not pointed out my error. So, to recap, don’t be a dick – you make mistakes too.
Above: “Oops, I killed you. Sorry. Now where was that ammo? OH, I think I know where it was. Go back there after you respawn. You’re not going. Are you listening?”
Now get out there and convince your non-gamer friends, girlfriends, or boyfriends (if all of this gross stereotyping is reversed in your case) to give games a chance. The perception that gamers are lonely animals is completely off – gaming is, and always has been (with a few exceptions) an excellent social experience. Overcoming a pain-in-the-ass boss fight is far more satisfying when you have someone to celebrate with.
Apr 15, 2009
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