Teach Your Girlfriend or Wife to Love Games

Tried it, but it doesn't work. My missus is just as competitive as me and continually getting beat at games puts her right off.
Also my genres of choice don't have many co-op titles. I've had to just accept that gaming and my other half won't mix :(

Actually, a cuple of months ago, me and my girl enjoyed some F-Zero racing and some Zelda (Wind Waker) together. She's never been interested before, but when we started talking about it and playing together she actually liked it!
It felt wierd, but it felt right...

It's not that hard. or at least with the right woman, that is.

My wife and I got to know each other in college, and played a lot of vs. Tekken 2. then after she graduated, we went through Halo co-op together, with sessions of Hunter: The Reckoning. Now, we do SSBM. She's in the process of playing OoT right now on the Zelda retrospective disc for GameCube.

Don't try to play games that take forever to learn, at least at first. Sure, Halo isn't exactly a pick up and play game for those that don't really play, but before we went into the game, we did Vs. Mode where I taught her the movements necessary in the game (circling and targeting at the same time, for instance) without me attacking her. I worked on a little dodging, (although nothing major) and she worked on targeting.

I've come to realize that while the missus probably won't get into Civ 4 (too many facets), there are always GTAs and Monkey Ball games to play (although with GTA, it's more for running people over for her...or doing the cabbie / pizza missions)

here are my tips, go for the easiest of games to play to get her into games. the 2 best ones, in my opinion are super smash bros. and Super Mario Bros 3. they are both fun and are both easy to pick up and play. Also, if you have fighting games, suck it up and let them win while giving them tips untill they are truly good at the game, and then you can really play against them. Generly, fps games are a little too complex to get them into right away, but if you get them through tekken, the skys the limit.

My biggest success has been playing Mario Party and Wario Ware with my wife to be and more recently she's picked up Tetris DS.

In the past she used to enjoy watching me play Resident Evil, even before this she used to have a Game Gear many years ago. So I can't say she's not into games.

Her biggest argument at the moment is that she doesn't have time or see the point no matter how much I try to explain my enjoyment.

I'm hoping the Wii Virtual Console might help bring her round 8~)

When she was my g/f:

My wife loved games. Now she NEVER plays them. Although she does watch me playing tomb raider, and then give me one facile "hint" and claim credit for the "solving" whole level.

She loved cars. Now she drives a Stilo.

And she started to learn to ski... now she doesn't do any sports.

And she liked sex too.

Marriage. It's for fools.

I'll take that under advisment... then ignore it and get married anyway... then ten years later tell you how right you where and wish i had listened... stupid having to make my own mistakes!

but anyway... i love how everyone here is reffering to there significant others liek they are training a dog or teaching a "special" person.

Here's a usefull tip... find one that already likes games to some extent... then nurse that. My girlfriend has always liked games of all sorts but had been kind of put off of it as of late... so seeing her inexplicable love for animal crossing and halo i though Oblivion would be a fantastic choice for her... thankfulyl so did she and now she has around 50+ hours clocked in.

My roomates GF hasnt bought or played a game in years except for her old nes which she still has aroudn and hooks up to play mario on occasion... Thankfully new SMB came out and he picked it up and handed her his ds... now i think shell probably get him a LITE for his b-day and inherite his current DS so she can keep playign mario for years to come... and as a strange side effect we actually had her playign burnout the other day.

Point is... if there is one... that the trick isnt to give them overly simple things... its to figure out what there interest are and get them games that would actually apeal to them, not just standard issue... "these games are painfulyl simple so girls will like them" games. Also my girl friend hates when i let her win. you wana keep her happy in a competitive game teach her how to play and either don't play competitivly and just act liek the traing dummy in DOA... keep throwing striaght punches till she can reverse em etc... and when you win... dont gloat, a hard habit to break but probably the most impotant thing (learned the hard way, repeatedly)

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FFS. That's EXACTLY what I did. She didn't just LIKE games, she was art editor of MEGA! magazine, and she'd appeared on GamesMaster TV show reviewing games.

I bought her a CD32 and a Gamegear (and yes, I know there will be people who say that it was the choice of consoles that killed her gaming spirit. But f**k you those were the best handheld and 32 bit CD platforms available at the time), and I didn't choose her games for her at all. She worked on GamesMaster magazine - she chose her own, and could blag freebies. But the flame of gaming love still died in her once we were married.

We also used to play Crash mode from Burnout together, might see if I can get her interested in Tomb Raider. Although I'm still holding out hope the Wii might be able to convert her 8~)

Oh I almost forgot, she used to love Sims, although got put off the new one because your Sim got older and died.

But from what you're saying is as soon as I get married she won't even give Wario a second look!

You might have a good 'un.

Does she watch tv or movies? perhaps ever sit around doing nothing but listen to music?
Then you just need to guilt/be-little her. Pointing out how all those passive activities are dulling her mind and how contied playign of games not only help with all that hand eye fufn but improves concentration and any other "research" you can find online.

My dad you to always say he didnt understand how i sat and played games all day... i said "at least i'm doing SOMETHING... you just watch other peopel play football". Shut him up right quick.

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Those are all noble passtimes, and not at all mind numbing is you shoose the right movies.

I might buy her a DS Lite though. I think that could re-light the fire. And I'm definitely going to buy a Wii, and that'll pique her interest.

I'm going to get my gf Brain Training... I'm hoping that by the time I emerge from the World Cup in 5 weeks she'll be addicted to DS. Maybe she'll have graduated to WarioWare or Electroplankton by then.

Dunno if it will work for you but try to select some games that are easier to play. Sport games like Virtua Tennis or Top Spin are simple enough. Brain Training and Trauma Center, Animal Crossing and Phoenix Wright on DS.

For those of you whose spose of gf have gone off gaming, I'd suggest you get a DS and then later a Wii. I really think the physical aspect of Wii gaming will pull a lot of female doubters into gaming.

Even if they don't seem interested, keep fighting secretly for the cause.