My partner is interested in learning some of the games I play, so I’m trying to find some introductory games to get her used to the common control schemes.
Off the top of my head, it’d probably have to be games that…
Have few inputs beyond the basics
Are not difficult or punishing
Are approachable mechanically (So as not to overwhelm them when they’re focus on learning basic controls)
2D is probably preferable, since its easier to understand and process whats happening at a glance.
Multiplayer would probably also be a strong bonus, but also not required
The only game that particularly comes to mind is Portal, but hopefully others will have some better ideas.
Maybe Valheim? You could turn the settings to peaceful mode if you don’t want to deal with combat quite yet - although combat at the beginning isn’t super in-depth - but it doesn’t have a ton of buttons and the start of the game is a lot of basic “walk around and find things to interact with.”
I’d consider what kind of game she finds fun and compelling–that’s more likely to engage her to become familiar with the mouse/keyboard combo.
That being said, Minecraft on peaceful mode would fit and is generally approachable. Stardew Valley is pretty relaxed as well, though I don’t remember whether it uses WASD specifically.
Oh! And if she’s into puzzles, look at Islands of Insight. First person with puzzle solving as the main mechanic, but also some exploration and a bit of mystery to it.
Is she familiar with Animal Crossing? If so check out Dinkum. Other suggestions: Terraria, Core Keeper, Minecraft, and there is always classic FPS games lol. I learned WSAD in Quake
Some particular reasons why I’d recommend Minecraft for this:
it’s very easy to get started, but there’s a lot of depth if you get into it
its pretty slow-paced
its a multiplayer game where someone of a much higher skill level and someone of a much lower skill level can play together without the noob player feeling that they are holding the advanced player back
if you set the difficulty to peaceful it’s hard to die, and it’s impossible to fully “lose”. You can also turn on keepinventory.
it’s a very open-ended game where you can come up with your own goals, which makes it something that everybody can find fun in their own way
if they do get into it, it’s a good segue into a wide variety of other games. Just figure out what part of Minecraft they enjoy. You can also extend Minecraft by playing with mods.
Have a look at Razbuten’s “non-gamer” playlist on YouTube. He makes some interesting observations. Several of the games being suggested here are also used there, and prove more difficult than some would expect.
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Minetest.
renamed to Luanti ~5 months ago!
DOOM (1996)
Doom 2 is 1994, Doom 64 is 1997…
DOOM (1969)
I always use controller but I recently played Oxenfree and it was much easier with keyboard and mouse.
Maybe Valheim? You could turn the settings to peaceful mode if you don’t want to deal with combat quite yet - although combat at the beginning isn’t super in-depth - but it doesn’t have a ton of buttons and the start of the game is a lot of basic “walk around and find things to interact with.”
Son wanted to play Minecraft, here’s your mouse and keyboard
Modded Skyrim (to make is very easy, or even invincible). How best to learn to move in a 3D world than by giving them the best game world to discover.
I’d consider what kind of game she finds fun and compelling–that’s more likely to engage her to become familiar with the mouse/keyboard combo.
That being said, Minecraft on peaceful mode would fit and is generally approachable. Stardew Valley is pretty relaxed as well, though I don’t remember whether it uses WASD specifically.
Oh! And if she’s into puzzles, look at Islands of Insight. First person with puzzle solving as the main mechanic, but also some exploration and a bit of mystery to it.
Is she familiar with Animal Crossing? If so check out Dinkum. Other suggestions: Terraria, Core Keeper, Minecraft, and there is always classic FPS games lol. I learned WSAD in Quake
Portal maybe
Go basic Doom, it’s not terribly hard on the easy levels.
The various valve games would probably be ideal.
Portal 2’s co-op mode perhaps.
Fortnite’s Lego mode would probably work very well. Since it’s targeted towards younger kids that are still learning how games work.
Serious Sam franchise would be fun too.
Some particular reasons why I’d recommend Minecraft for this:
Stardew Valley.
It’s 2D, co-op, not difficult or punishing, has few inputs, and is approachable mechanically.
minecraft
Have a look at Razbuten’s “non-gamer” playlist on YouTube. He makes some interesting observations. Several of the games being suggested here are also used there, and prove more difficult than some would expect.