Gamers Help Older Lady Choose First Game to Play in Wholesome Thread

“As a 56 year old lady who has never played video games, which one would be good to start with?” Posted by u/parliskim

The comment section

Thousands of redditors of r/gaming stepped up to offer OP excellent advice and suggestions. The gaming community isn't always as toxic as people think it is.

“I guess I need to figure that out. Thanks for the great questions.” said OP.

“Stardew Valley is a really sweet, wholesome casual simulator game where you run a farm in a small town, it’s one of my favorites and has such beautiful relaxing music” said u/superthotty.

“And it’s not just random games nobody has ever heard of, it’s full of really good games.” said u/JogPanson.

“Plus really good games no one has heard of too! That's what I really like about it. All these small indie games with great mechanics and story” said u/NeroCloud.

“Any tips on a good one no one talks about? I love me a little indie adventure” u/TripleHomicide replied.

“Tunic is my indie goty” said u/Bellinghamster.

“Thank you for the reminder. I know my voice would be a target, so I’ll need to take that into consideration.” said u/parliskim.

“I am a female and have been a gamer for a long time, and I don’t ever let randos hear me talk…I just jumped in to say it’s not impossible to enjoy multiplayer, but what these guys say is absolutely correct about the disgustingness of the kids online. If you are gonna pick Xbox and ever want a friend to play with, I’m always around.” said u/RedDragon0414.

“Fantastic info. I have a library not far from me. Thank you.” said u/parliskim.

“If your kids are into gaming or have friends who game, I’m sure you could get some console games they’d be happy to pass on! Steam also a library sharing option, which would be a great way to find different kinds of games you might not expect to enjoy!” said u/windexfresh.

“I’ll check that out.” said OP.

“See you in 700 hours” said u/sh0rtsale.

“I'm a 54 yr old woman, and I also recommend Skyrim. I saw my roommate playing it, about 8 yrs ago, he let me play for a while, and I just loved it. I just got the Anniversary Edition of it recently, and I think it's worth the extra money, as it adds quite a bit to the game. I also play Fallout 3, 4 and New Vegas. All of the Farcry games, Ark, Terraria, Stardew Valley, Outer Worlds, Dying Light, Witcher 3, The Last of Us and a bunch more. I loved open world, sandbox type games the best. I can get lost, and just have fun wandering around exploring. I'm also disabled, and I have found that gaming is a great help with depression, chronic pain, and just plain boredom.” said u/BatsintheBelfry45.

“As another middle aged gamer, all solid recommendations. I also keep coming back to Civilization which is turn based strategy, but it still manages to hit a sweet spot for me when I need a break from open world rpg type games. I want to add Horizon Zero Dawn to the ones listed because that has a good story and really wonderful voice acting which made the cut scenes worth watching besides the gameplay itself.” said u/Lanark26.

“Not sure why but Life Is Strange finally got my sister into video games around age 30.” said u/j-steve-.

“I think in general people who aren’t into video games have a misconception of what games could be. When I went to visit my best friend for the first time in a couple of years we decided to play through A Way Out. His wife hung out and watched us play for a bit at one point. During a cutscene she asked why we were just watching and not playing so we explained what cut scenes are. It was a heavier cut scene and she essentially was wondering why it was so serious and why we weren’t just running through and killing people. She’s only watched my friend play Warzone and that was basically her understanding of what video games are. Totally understandable because why would someone know much about a hobby they have no interest in. But I do wonder how many non gamers would love games like Kerbal Space Program if they knew it existed.” said u/PM_ME_YOUR_GOOD_NEW5.

“Seriously. People are recommending Portal and Portal 2. Those are amazing games but a 3D FPS probably isn't the best game for a first timer, especially someone in their 50s. I only say this because I did the co-op campaign in Portal 2 with my partner, who is a non gamer, and it was so frustrating. She couldn't walk in a straight line so she fell off the map constantly. Of course this was hilarious to her. Goose game is like my idea of a perfect single player casual game. The base game is simple but there are hard challenges you can do. If you fuck up, the game naturally resets things so you can try again. Also, you get to be an asshole goose.” said u/NerdyMcNerderson.

“People who have been playing games most of their life grossly underestimate how challenging it is for a non-gamer to perform tasks we take for complete granted. The act of moving a character with one stick and a camera with another is incredibly challenging. People who play video games as their primary hobby or kill time fail to recognize that there's a whole form of unique literacy to understanding the flow of and playing video games.” said u/GlideStrife.

“Stardew is my go to recommendation for family who aren't gamers” said u/piecat.

“Both are so good, great recommendations. Firewatch would be especially great as a first game - looks beautiful, has an engaging story delivered by the two characters. Simple and brilliant.” said u/BREN_XVII.

“In my experience, ‘walking sims’ with engaging stories are a great starting point for anyone who hasn't picked up a game before!” said u/jesuschristk8.

Read the original thread here.