HCG KP1gl37 here. Guys, we need to have a talk. Is this a familiar scenario for you? You come home from a long day of work or school and are looking forward to relaxing on the couch to play a few hours of your favorite game. Within seconds, your wife/girlfriend swoops in and starts harping in your ear, “I’m not going to spend another night watching you play that stupid game for hours…blah, blah, bitch, bitch, BITCH!” Tired of hearing the same crap in your ear every day? Want to play your games in peace? Better yet, do you dream of sharing your love of gaming with that special babe in your life? Well, you came to the right place. Straight from the mouth of a female gamer, I will give you some great tips and advice to introduce the woman in your life to gaming.

Step 1: Lay Off the Gaming For A Little While
I know, I know, the HORROR at the thought of it. Just hear me out. When you play games for hours on end, you are ignoring your girl. If she is not a gamer, she basically has nothing to do while you play but stare blankly at the screen, or leave the room. This defeats the whole purpose of wanting to spend time with you. She wants to spend time with YOU, not your TV screen. Imagine you having to sit and watch her scrapbook for hours at a time every night. It would make you want to jam a butter knife in your ear. So cut her some slack. I’m not saying to stop gaming. I’m saying, try not to do it in front of her (if possible) or at least limit the length of time you play. Play your games after she goes to bed or when she is out shopping, or offer her a deal (i.e.-if she lets you play for an hour, promise to watch her favorite chick TV show for an hour.) You can suck it up for the sake of gaming. Once she sees that SHE is your priority, she should be willing to compromise a little.

Step 2: Explain Why It’s Important To You
You know girls, they are ALL about feelings. Remember, she’s not a gamer. She doesn’t get why gaming is fun, entertaining, exciting, etc. to you. So, TELL HER! Next time you fire up your favorite game in front of her, tell her why you like it. Give her some play by play during the game. Point out your favorite character (unless of course, your favorite player is a D-Cup bimbo!) If you’re stuck on a board and can’t figure out where to go next, ask her to help you figure it out. Let her know that she is important enough to you that you want to share your gaming passion with her.

Step 3: Teach Her the Basics
Don’t expect her to know how to use all of the equipment if she doesn’t have a lot of experience. For non-gaming chicks, the modern console and controller can be damn intimidating. Don’t hand her a controller and expect her to know what to do with it. If she handed you a makeup bag and a set of hot rollers, would you have any idea what to do with them? Make sure you teach her. Walk her through the controls. Explain things clearly, but don’t talk down to her. Let her try it and (gently!) correct her if she is doing anything wrong. This will be a good bonding experience for you both. It may seem obvious, but show her how to turn the console on and off and how to load a game. With any luck, she may want to practice when you are not around and she’ll need to know how to turn it on to do so.

Step 4: Slowly Introduce Her to Gaming
The key to turning a regular chick into a gamer chick is taking it slow and playing games that she is interested in and that are at her skill level. If your girl has never played before, or is slow to pick it up, throwing her head first into a first person shooter or 40 hour RPG is not the way to go. The trick is easing her into it with “chick friendly” games. Once she masters the “chick” games, then let her determine when she is ready to move on to more challenging games. She will progress at her own pace. Don’t push her too fast or she will only get frustrated with her skill (or lack thereof.) I know this may be boring as hell for you at times, but believe me, it will all be worth it. Here is a list of games that are great intros for her:

1. Anything Starring Mario

Unless she grew up living under a rock, she has probably played at least one game of Super Mario Bros. on NES. This gives you the advantage of having a familiar face for her to identify with. Besides that, most Mario games air on the novice side and have pretty simple controls. Plus they have fun, bright graphics and a chick in a pink dress…what girl wouldn’t love that. I would recommend any of the Mario Kart or Mario Party games for a novice player, Luigi’s Mansion or Super Smash Brothers for an intermediate player, or Paper Mario for a more advanced player who might want to put in more time (ie-30+ hours) with a game.

2. Anything Featuring Music, Dancing or Singing

Because these games require less actual gaming skills, they are less intimidating than a regular game. In addition, they are fun and a little silly and allow her the opportunity to show off her talents to you. I would recommend any of the DDR or Karaoke Revolution games as well as Donky Konga or Guitar Hero. Really want to score some bonus points? Offer to help her host a Karaoke Revolution party with her girl friends. You will be a hero.

3. Puzzle Games

Yes, they are annoying as hell to watch, but again, they tend to be simple to learn and play and feature fun, bright graphics. Plus they are so addicting, it will get her used to the idea of gaming for long periods of time. I would recommend Tetris, Bejeweled, Zuma or Zoo Keeper. Most of these are available dirt cheap for every console, and Xbox Live Arcade also offers an endless supply of puzzle games that you can download for around ten bucks.

Step 5: Enjoy Your Time With Your New Gamer Girl
Just because she is now comfortable with gaming, doesn’t mean you can forget steps 1-2. Just because she is open to the gaming experience does not mean that she wants to watch you play a three hour marathon session of Madden. If you want to KEEP her gaming, then you have to keep sharing the experience with her. When you are buying new games, look for ones that offer co-op play. Ask her to help you pick out a game she would like to play with you. Trust me, nothing is more fun than playing co-op side by side with your girl.

Ok, so now you are armed with all the information you need to turn your favorite girl into the female gamer of your dreams. Just don’t forget the basics:

• Lay off the 4 hour marathon sessions in front of her
• Don’t ignore her!
• Share your love of games with her (tell her why you love them and ask for her help)
• Teach her the basics
• Slowly introduce her to gaming with chick friendly games
• Let her learn and play at her own pace (don’t push her into games that are beyond her skill level)
• Keep sharing the experience together with co-op games
  
  
  A note from the author: if you are lucky enough to already have a tech savvy girl who dabbles in gaming from time to time, this article is not meant for you. This is not "how to transform your gamer girl into a hardcore gamer girl." These helpful tips are for the ladies who have never held a console controller in their hands or who still think that Ms. Pac Man is the greatest game EVER. So before you flame me for being stereotypical or for suggesting that you "dumb it down" for the girls, I defy you to find me a chick who has never gamed before who could pick up an Xbox controller and play Rainbow Six out of the gate. ...you won't.
  ~HCG KPigl37