It seems like the guys are always surprised every time I beat them in a video game. When my husband’s friends come over and I ask if they want to play Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4, they’re always amazed. It gets even worse once I defeat them. It seems that we need a revolution of girl games because boys always consider the girls who play as some kind of monsters.
We have to start with the familiar games like Rock Band or Viva Piñata. Get the concept of how to use the controller and how to hone your coordination. Also, you don’t get judged as much when you play these games in single player or multiplayer with your friends. It seems that as soon as you start playing online games, you are expected to be an amazing player.
There are quite a few games that are exclusively single player that are a great place to start learning how to play. When you’re playing solo for the first time, most games usually have tutorials that you can follow to help you learn how to play. Especially strategy games like Warcraft 3 or Age of Empires can be especially great to learn how to play for the first time.
Some of the first person shooters and other genres take you right into the game. In these games, you can try to play the single player mode on the easiest difficulty. Most game designers understand that people who may not have the greatest coordination in the world will play their game. Easy mode in general can make your life much easier.
Another tip is to make sure you take advice when it is offered. Guys are usually much more apt to help a girl who doesn’t understand the concepts. However, you will get harassed a lot when trying to play online, so DO NOT ask for help when playing online multiplayer. Plus, you’ll find out what pigs these little kids and teens are, so make sure you have the option to play a male character. I know it sucks that you have to do this, but it really is the only way to keep from being harassed.
Also, a lot of times games that are especially bloody are just not fun. Instead of playing Gears of War 2, you might want to try some of the games rated T for teens instead of M for adult games. Many times these games are just as fun, but you avoid the gruesome details that are just plain disgusting. Unless you’re into zombie movies or something, you might want to avoid games of this caliber.
Understand that you may not be good at a game when you start playing it. If a game has a lot of reviews, keep playing it. Many of these games can be very unfriendly to new players, but they can be absolutely amazing once you understand how to play. Even certain games have a slow intro to build the characters.
If a game seems too easy at first, make sure you don’t give up too. Sometimes games are especially easy at first to help you learn the controls, but then they get much harder.
Never buy a game straight off the shelf. Go to a review website like gamespot.com before buying a game. It seems that this is one of the biggest mistakes new players make. When you go to the store, don’t buy the game because the cover looks like a type of game you’d like to play. Make sure it doesn’t have a 43/100 rating before spending the $50 on the game.
You should also try to choose games within a genre that you like to play. If you play a game and you really don’t like it, make sure you remember what genre that type of game is so you don’t buy one like that again. For example, in my opinion, sports games are horrible. I always make sure to avoid this genre. However, I really enjoy playing strategy games where you move around and drill and try to attack the other player. Sometimes playing RPGs can also be fun when you build a character to fight monsters and go on quests. However, you need to find your niche where you like to play.
If you haven’t played many video games, I’d suggest trying out a couple of used games in different genres or starting to rent games. There are some great online services that are similar to Netflix, except for the fact that you rent games. Just keep in mind that you want to rent the high-quality games.
Once again, just make sure you stick with it. We definitely need more gamer girls. I’m tired of being the only one of my friends who plays video games. All I want to do is talk about how great my character is in World of Warcraft and they have no idea what I’m talking about. Trust me, this is a fantastic way to pass the time. You will love to enter the gaming world once you try some high quality games. If you have friends who play games, ask them before you buy a game. I look forward to the day when we can start a women’s guild or a women-only playgroup. One last piece of advice: let’s start a gaming revolution.