You meet someone who hasn't played a single video game before...

[Naught Important 434]

What game would you recommend they play as their first ever game?

Let's imagine that they are about 20 years old.

Even though I am almost sure that anyone who is 20 has at least played one video game at some point, let's just say one hasn't at all.

 

I would say Pac-man or Pong. They are really simple and classic games, and are really simple.

 

What about you?

[Moonlight 7,285]

I suppose I would have them start with different games from different genres, to see which they like the most:

 

• Portal 2 - Puzzle
• Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut - Adventure
• Pokemon Black - Role-playing
• Super Smash Brothers Brawl - Fighting
• Mario Party 8 - Party
• Alan Wake - Psychological Horror

Yeah...you get the point.

 

But the very first game would depend on what genres they enjoy.

[Apocalyptic_Unicorn 240]

Ocarina of Time. Still possibly one of the best games ever made in my opinion, and it holds up well considering its pretty old. 

Or, just melt the person's mind and recommend playing metal Gear Solid 4, with no previous knowledge of the series 

Edited August 15, 2013 by Apocalyptic_Unicorn

[Sylentmana 271]

Can't go wrong with the classics like, Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and other such games.

[IronPonyApplejack 318]

I suppose I would have them start with different games from different genres, to see which they like the most:

 

• Portal 2 - Puzzle
• Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut - Adventure
• Pokemon Black - Role-playing
• Super Smash Brothers Brawl - Fighting
• Mario Party 8 - Party
• Alan Wake - Psychological Horror

Yeah...you get the point.

 

But the very first game would depend on what genres they enjoy.

Wheatley, the more I see from you on here, the more I like you.

 

This is exactly what I would try and do. Figure out what kind of genre they would like, and go from there. And this a darn fine selection of games to start with in various genres. I'd also toss in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves for Action/Adventure, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for FPS. Ah.....CoD before it annoyed me.

[Foreigner And Lover 207]

You can't possibly go wrong with showing them tetris. If they don't like to play tetris then they don't like video games. Which is no one.

[Mr F 1,522]

far cry 3 then they would learn the definiton of insanity or shining force resurrection of the dark dragon both are great games.

[Nomadic 210]

I think alot of people here are giving to complicated of games for a first game, especially when you consider they're hand-eye coordination is more then likely not going to be that good for Video Games. What I would recommend would probably be based on the things that they like, but just in general I would recommend something that doesn't require an extreme amount of dexterity so things like

• Tetris
• Super Mario Bros.
• Wii Sports
• Light Gun Games
• Phantasy Star 4 or Final Fantasy 6
• Advance Wars, if they like board games
• Professor Layton series

Edited August 15, 2013 by Nomadic

[KitKat 176]

Oh! Here's a list that i would give them:

1. Kingdom hearts 
2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
3. Dark Cloud
4. Jak and Daxter
5. Bioshock Infinite (if he doesnt want to play something too long)
6. Portal
7. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
8. Super Mario Sunshine
9. The Sims 2/ Animal Crossing
10. Harvest Moon/ Runefactory 1

I think that's a pretty good list, especially since you can run some of these on emulators incase you dont have the systems. Most of those....no wait, all of those can be played on a comp except for wind waker i think. and super mario sunshine...heh. Im kind of an RPG freak though, but i thought that i would name something besides the generic answers that people give sometimes "zomg, play ff7!" I'm not saying that it's a bad game, im just saying that there are other games in the world people.

[Super Derpy 535]

Ocarina of Time. Still possibly one of the best games ever made in my opinion, and it holds up well considering its pretty old.

Actually Ocarina of Time is the best game ever. Like seriously it is the most critically acclaimed game of all time, no joke.

 

I would probably show them some game with not much or no plot, like Super Smash Brothers Brawl or Mario Kart.

[Celtore 2,770]

I would start them off simple by bringing them older games and have them work their way up to the more modern ones.

1) tetris (get used to the idea of controlling something)
2) Super Mario World (a simple game, but great quality and lots of fun)
3) Pokemon Snap (going 3D and it's a simple FPS rail shooter)
4) Sonic Adventure (original or DX. A simple yet entertaining 3D platforming game)
5) Super Smash Brothers Melee (break from platforming to a fighter)
6) Super Mario Sunshine (a bit more of a challenging platformer)

7) Legend of Zelda: the Windwaker (The final test that incorporates pretty much all the above elements and adds some somewhat challenging puzzles)

*Vader voice*
And your training is now complete, my young apprentice... Go forth from the shadows and pwn some noobs.

Edited August 15, 2013 by Celtore

[Apocalyptic_Unicorn 240]

Actually Ocarina of Time is the best game ever. Like seriously it is the most critically acclaimed game of all time, no joke.

Yeah, I know about that xD Rightly so too! The game is a masterpiece!

I played the 3DS remake version and it really did blow me away.

[GhostPony750 959]

I probably wouldn't show him any video games, because there must be a reason he never played video games.

Anyway, probably Ocarina of Time, a good game for begginers.

[MLPForums Phanact 1,374]

You'd definitely have to show them Soul Calibur.

 

Him: So what buttons do you press?

Me: ALL OF THEM ALL THE TIME NEVER STOP

 

It's a pretty simple game which can get really complex once you start to learn different moves.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

Throw them off the deep end and enrol them in a Modern Warfare 3 tournament.

 

After he loses, tell him how all video games are like that. Addiction Averted.

[Xievie 498]

I'm going to have fun with writing this...

 

Before I start, I just wanted to say that I think people should always start off, wether new or experienced in gaming in general, to start on the hardest mode possible, or close to the hardest mode possible. Why?

Start off on the hardest/second hardest mode in a game. Give it a try first. If it's too hard for you in that mode, you can always change it. Just don't change it when you're halfway into a game.

 

Very Easy <- No fun at all, why even bother?

Easy <- Not such a good place to start, but I guess it's okay

Normal <- Bad place to start

Hard <- Best Place to start

Very Hard <- Decent place to start, may be difficult

 

If they plan to be more hardcore/less casual gamers, start them off with Dark Souls.

 

... What? Something wrong with that?

 

I'm serious. The game isn't as hard as people say. If they are willing to start playing games, then this is a perfect place to start. It's a challenge, and teaches you about how videogame mechanics, strategy, and patience are important.

It's way better off than starting somebody off with Pokemon where all it is, is pressing buttons to knock out other pokemon when you're oblivious to things like IVs/EVs, Special atk vs Physical Atk, and the existence of buffing moves like Dragon Dance.

Sometimes, it's better off to start off with more challenging games. They won't be all pansy going from Pokemon to Dark Souls, which usually results in people ragequitting because Dark Souls actually takes more thinking as well as trial and error. Instead, they'll go from Dark Souls to Pokemon and probably have finished both games.

 

There's also WoW and Vindictus that can teach people about game mechanics and stuff.

There are some games you MUST play to understand gaming of today. You know, you can't just hop into certain games without knowing what "invulnerability frames", "buffs", "RNG", "DPS", and a lot of other things are. I mean, it puts you at a major disadvantage without known some basic stuff. WoW and Dark Souls will teach a person a lot.

 

---

 

If they want to just play casually, Super Smash Bros games aren't a bad place to start... Probably one of the best places to start.

Puzzle - Portal 2

Action - Super Smash Bros 

Shooter - Team Fortress 2 (YES. PLEASE. Do NOT start with Call of Duty and stuff. Trust me, it's wiser to go from TF2 -> CoD rather than CoD -> TF2. If you go form CoD -> TF2, don't be asking "how do u knife")

Sandbox - Minecraft

Building - Minecraft

Stealth - Metal Gear/Deus Ex/The Last of Us (Warframe will get stealth revamped, so it will be a nice, free alternative)

 

Also, a newer gamer should do their best to find what they are good or weak at.

Personally, my weaknesses are in my reaction time and aiming, but I'm really good in terms of speed and working with invulnerability frames. 

 

I would start them off simple by bringing them older games and have them work their way up to the more modern ones.

1) tetris (get used to the idea of controlling something)
5) Super Smash Brothers Melee (break from platforming to a fighter)
6) Super Mario Sunshine (a bit more of a challenging platformer)

7) Legend of Zelda: the Windwaker (The final test that incorporates pretty much all the above elements and adds some somewhat challenging puzzles)

 

This guy knows what he's talking about. I also like how you mentioned Super Mario Sunshine. Definitely a good place to start or something to play when you are just getting used to games.

 

Also, would you say the other Legend of Zelda games would fit instead of Windwaker?

Any toon Link games that involved the Phantoms, as well as Twilight Princess are good games for newer players in my opinion.

 

Especially those Phantoms. Played the games when I was younger. Taught me that Amnesia isn't scary. It's just the fear of getting caught.

[Celtore 2,770]

Also, would you say the other Legend of Zelda games would fit instead of Windwaker? Any toon Link games that involved the Phantoms, as well as Twilight Princess are good games for newer players in my opinion.

 

Firstly, thank you so much for your kind words. I chose wind waker over any of the other 3D zelda games because I think the cell shaded graphics would be a bit more appealing to a new gamer, especially one comming right from a game like Super Mario Sunshine. There is also a great deal of exploration that I think would help the new player start "thinking like a gamer", if you will.

 

Majora's Mask is just way too creepy, but Ocarina of Time is another possible candidate. The reason I didn't pick that one was... well, nightmarish visions involving the water temple to be blunt. I can't speak for Twilight Princess because I never got an opportunity to play through that one. This is why Wind Waker was my pick, but I'm certain there are alternate games in the series to fill this last spot.

Edited August 15, 2013 by Celtore

[unil 14]

I'll tell him to play Heroes of Might and Magic 3.58. Best single strategy i've ever played.

And i'll also tell him never play DotA2. I played it for a 3 years  - so, believe, I know what I'm talking bout.

Edited August 15, 2013 by unil

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

Shooting-Halo (Any of the games in the series, really. True classic, fabulous story, and really redefined the whole sci-fi genre as a whole, also in my opinion it has the best story of any game, really.)

Horror-Dead Space (Nice scares but also has a great story)

Puzzle-Antichamber (Beautiful indie game with a brilliant concept)

Roleplaying-TES Oblivion (Still one of my all-time favorites)

Sandbox-Garry's Mod (Infinite possibilities)

Edited August 15, 2013 by Harmonic Revelations

[Gears of Halo Duty V 394]

• Ratchet and Clank
• Metroid Prime
• Guitar Hero.

Every game listed by others are obvious prime choices; they are good for a reason, and will do the job nicely. 

 

Ratchet and Clank is a fun series that lets you blow everything up with big guns and big explosions. With a solid 3rd person perspective and an array of titles to try and progress on, you can't really go wrong here.

 

Metroid Prime, imo, ranks up there on the list of greatest games ever created. What really makes this game special is how the story is told. You the player learn about information, events and enemies by scanning everything and everyone. It's not laid out on a silver platter for you to pick off of; you have to piece together what transpired with what information you can gather. Puzzles, action, and a deep and eerie (almost haunting) atmosphere once you hit Echoes, the Metroid Prime series is my top choice. 

 

Guitar Hero is just for fun. I mean, rocking out on a plastic guitar controller to some of the best or most well known songs in your living room? Just try and put that guitar strap around your neck without smiling.

[NightJolt 7]

I would start them with something simple such as one of the first three mario games or indie games such as IB or if they like scary games I would recommend slenderman or icp containment breach

[idonotreallycare 94]

It might be because I'm biased towards Zelda, but I would start them off with Ocarina of Time. It wasn't the best game in my opinion, but I found it to be an easy one. As for version, I would choose 3D over N64, as I found switching items to be easier.

 

I would also show them slower, puzzle based games and platformers. (Kirby's Epic Yarn would be good as you can't die)

[Champion RD92 8,658]

Super Mario 64

 

It's one of the first games I ever ever played. It's such a classic N64 game, I think it would be a great place to start.

[Scootalove 10,689]

Super Mario 64 and Dead Space to start them off with some good games. If they learn the controls very well, then Batman: Arkham Asylum if they are up to a challenge then Batman: Arkham City to start them off on a easy start.

[Golurk 468]

Two come to mind.

Pokemon, one of the tried-and true franchises of gaming and one that's relatively simple to pick up. It can be played pretty simply, yet also offers more difficult elements if you choose to pursue them.

Okami is my other choice. Many of the same things as Pokemon apply. The required elements are simple enough once you get into it, but there are various more difficult side-quests if you want to do them. One of the best modern games (THE best, if you ask me), a great place to start.