How to get your girl into gaming…

Illustration by greenbeanbaby 

Yes…We guys love our games…and at the same time we love our girls as well…but combining the two isn’t always the easiest of tasks.  Instead of drooling over those models who pretend they play games drool over your own girl who could be playing games with you instead!  I have cataloged a guaranteed solution to get your girlfriend/ wife/ whatever/ into gaming!

Step 1 Start small.

If she hasn’t played anything before, start with something simple.  Don’t forget you, yourself started some where, you didn’t just wake up playing GTA IV or Metal Gear overnite…gradually build the interest by making her feel comfortable with games she can relate to at first.  I bought my wife a gamecube and started her off with the gaming icon of the world: Mario

 

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was the game in fact.  I knew that it was a simple enough concept…racing…and it was something we could play together.  She loved it!  She did the whole turn her whole body thing while driving in the game for a while but she was learning.  You don’t have to pick mario…but pick a game that will peek an interest in your girl.  Pick a game that will be fun for you both!

Step 2 Pick a two player game.  

No it doesn’t have to be double dragon! But, to any of the old-school gamers out there…think about the feeling you had playing this with your brother/cousin/friend! You and a partner taking on anyone who crossed your path. Pick a co-op game will build team-work with your girl. It will teach you guys both about team work and each of you work together. You could even start with a lower difficulty level to build her confidence. And guys don’t hog all the kills! Let her get into some action as well!

As time goes on up the difficulty and let her go at it!  Some great co-op games are any halo games, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, X-men legends, Justice League, Streets of Rage 1,2,3, Double Dragon, Smash Bros Brawl, gears of war, and army of two just to name a few. I choose x-men legends for my wife. She crushed it, an while we played I learned her style of play. She rushes in not holding anything back and played support for her.  It was so much fun and we pwned both games! 

    

 

Step 3 Play fair with her.

If you have gotten her this far and she is starting to play on a regular basis…don’t blow it man! Let’s say you guys are playing smash bros or anything together that is against each other don’t blow her out of the water. This would frustrate anyone. Guys you don’t want her to feel uncomfortable at any time…see step 1! You want the gaming time to be a relaxing time, not for arguments on how your killed her. Don’t let her win ALL the time either.  She won’t like it when you show her too much pity.  She is a girl not a wimp!

 

Step 4.  Let her have some ownership!

 

The industry knows this as well.  So should you!  Look how much pink gaming stuff is out there.  Any gamer wants their own stuff.  Find out what interest her and buy her a new game.  A lot of female gamers like puzzle games or simulation games. You have Rock Band, Guitar Hero, andThrillville franchises to keep them busy!  Keep in mind not every girl likes pink stuff, but a lot them do! 

  

 

Step 5. Give them respect.

Respect the games they like to play and give them time on their games. Now that you introduced her to the world of gaming and showed her it is not a complete waste of time…give her own time to find out what games spark her joy for the medium.  My wife LOVES Halo 3.  She is actually playing it right now as I type this. Now, I remember back when Halo 2 was released. She wasn’t into games back then, but I was. She would hate the fact that I would go online and play until 3-4 in the morning. She didn’t understand it…now it is her playing till the wee hours of the night. She actually plays more than me right now! If I want to play something besides halo right now, I have to either by me another 360 or get her one.  Her gamertag is teenygreenbean by the way!

Do’s and Don’ts The finale

illustration by greenbeanbaby

Do 

Let her have fun!

Let her win sometimes!

Encourage her to buy a game for herself to enjoy!

Encourage her to talk trash online because guys will be talkin too! 

Spend quality time gaming with her! 

illustration by greenbeanbaby

Don’t 

Make fun of her for her taste in games or if she dies in a co-op game or if she moves her body awkwardly while playing games.

Make her fell stupid because she can’t do certain things in games…be patient and teach her! 

Kill her on VS games to the point where she wants to fight you for real! 

Get mad at her if she gets better than you at a certain game! 

 

The bottom line is you want her to have a good time! 

illustration by greenbeanbaby

I guess you could hit on girls already online…but that is really really desperate. And you never know how she looks! You wouldn’t want anyone showing up on your doorstep like this:

But then again…if you are hitting on a girl online then you must look like this:

 

Enjoy the girl in your life!  Get her into gaming today!!!