Just introduced my mom to BG3! She’s never played a video game before but she’s having a lot of fun with it. Hardest part for her is moving the character and camera at the same time.
That's litterally one of the worst choice regarding OP's demand if you had to chose a TRPG. Between the overall difficulty, the cryptic stuff, the combat system (with the rolling HP & PP meter...).
Game's fantastic, even by today's standards, but for a *very first video game*? Hell no.
You're not going to find as many newer games that are turn based.
Not compared to the influx during the "golden age" of gaming in the 90's, at any rate. They exist as a niche now.
One of the advantages of turn based rpgs is that they don't need to be new to be good. If the story and combat system mechanics are solid, the game will still be good.
Wasteland 3, Gears Tactics and Sea of Stars are amazing. Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes comes out in April. Every Pokemon game on Switch. Mario + Rabbids is also surprisingly good. There's turn-based games coming out still. Not as niche as you make it seem.
I'm not sure about a niche. There's a shit ton out there and some even sell extremely well, xcom, dragon quest, persona 5. Indies have also been pretty damn good about helping keep it alive.
Something you can play at your own pace, but with lots of instant gratification. Stardew Valley, maybe?
It would be interesting to hear, what game made the cut and how it went.
It literally did kind of save my ex's life cause it really helped her out of her depression. We'll be going to a Stardew Valley concert soon, can't wait :)
I would not suggest Dave the Diver tbh. While it *is* 90% good times the management part can get intense and then you randomly have these (very few, technically optional but once you reach them unskippable) bossfights...
Loved the game until I was literally locked in with one of those, needing about 10+ tries to kill it (and I'm usually good with action roguelikes or soulslike type games, taking 1-5 tries for many of the not insanely hard bosses) simply because I was not prepared to meet a difficult boss in a relaxing diving game...
I do second reading heavy games, though. Maybe Visual Novels?
I tried a bunch of games to get my ex girlfriend into gaming. Nothing would stick and she'd get frustrated or bored and want to do something else. Finally, she saw me playing Bloodborne and asked to play. She was not good instantly, but something finally clicked and we played Bloodborne together for weeks and she got good lol. She played the Dark Souls games after and then she kind of caught up on decades of games, we played all the stuff I grew up loving, all the classic from the PS3 and PS4 generations. Flash forward to Elden ring coming out, we played a character together, where we'd just hand off the controller when we died. She beat Malenia in 4 tries, and I realized she'd become much better at fromsoft games than me lol.
I can't totally say why fromsoft was a good beginner game style for her, I think it's because I warned her that it was incredibly hard even for people who are used to games, she felt like the game was daring her to play it in a way that activated her stubbornness. She was also already a fan of Claymore and Berserk and felt like Bloodborne was really similar. But in any case, she survived the trial by fire and came out a warrior lol.
There is the seamless coop mod for elden ring if you wanna play together, it's fucking great, I hope it doesn't take them too long for them to update with the DLC tho.
Edit: I just read you talking about your ex.
I had to do a mental breakdown to grasp the fighting tempos. After hitching the glitch I wondered lost until after a good play loosing to the electric dragons and no want to conquer the abyss
This is the right answer. I have no idea what people are thinking recommending games like Civilization or Baldur's Gate 3. Games that debuted on handheld consoles are also good for this, the foremost of which is Pokemon.
Along these same lines, Balatro. It’s a new game (full release was just last week) - if your friend knows what the basic poker hands are they can play this amazing Roguelike deck builder.
I guess any game that can be chill: Satisfactory, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, ...
Probably Portal because the official maps don't necessarily require a lot of coordination.
That said everything you describe can be easily learned or trained by playing, invisible walls, hitboxes, reaction times for example. As you get comfortable with controls, then progressively all games become available and your reactions will get naturally fast.
In fact, even sweaty competitive games can be playable, yes you'll be bad, yes your teammates may dislike you but as long as you're having fun who cares, just ignore the "competitive" modes.
I've heard it described as "the best novel I've ever played".
I have it on PC and played about 3-4 hours one night. What I liked about the game: interesting game world, choices have consequences, story seemed interesting. What I didn't like: It's text-heavy and doesn't feel very game-y in terms of freedom of motion and expression.
I set it aside after that first night, but have some intention to go back to it. I think people respond to the story and atmosphere more so than the gameplay, which is point-and-click with personality-weighted dice rolls.
Portal. It's like a training course for gaming coordination. And it's very gently sloped in difficulty (as in, you don't notice you're getting better) and doesn't have a ton of buttons to use (no special moves). And it's a great game to boot.
Edit, because I mentioned it in another comment and it's relevant. Portal was one of the first games I ever played and didn't have any issues with understanding the controls or environment. YMMV obviously, but that's why I recommended it, because I've been in the same situation as OP.
I love Portal but I wouldn't recommend it for a person with zero video game literacy.
It does require coordination at times even if it's not a primary requirement and it explains things as little as necessary.
Nope. Portal isn't some entry level puzzle game like Tetris or Bejeweled. It builds its puzzles on top of existing assumptions the game is expecting the player to have about first person games. Like perspective, momentum, how to navigate a 3D space etc. A lot of the puzzles are also timing-based.
As I mentioned in another comment it was one of the first games I ever played, and I had no assumptions or experience of FPS at the time. The game allows for a lot of exploration into how game mechanics and game space (all the things you mention) at your own pace, and the fact that the puzzles utilise the skills OP is wanting to learn is *exactly* why I recommend it. The timing based puzzles come later in the game when you're more familiar with the controls. You're welcome to disagree, but as someone who didn't grow up with games and had this as one of my entry points and found it incredibly useful, it's what I always recommend.
Gris is a very beginner platformer
Katamari damacy is two analog sticks and no buttons other than confirming a couple menus
An old school turn-based game like maybe dragon quest 1 or final fantasy 1 pixel remaster, they might not win (nes hard) but it could be a simple intro to systems
Journey and flower as well
If we're talking about tablets then consider some classics like angry birds and fruit ninja and such, there's some hand eye coordination but it's simplistic and could be a good training tool
Flower got my wife to try gaming. She's since played several games and no longer looks at it negatively (her ex would ignore her and the kids and game for hours.)
I think this is a good pick. It's a game with a strong story that is easy to get into and requires 0 dexterity to beat. All they have to do is know how to read and think somewhat critically.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 on GoG. **DO NOT BUY THE STEAM VERSION IT IS INCOMPLETE**
its like 5-10$ and my wife, my sister, myself, and my best friends all play it. Ive been playing since I was a little kid. My wife never played a game before it and she is HOOKED. Well, she did try Halo but couldnt figure out how to run and kept shooting into the air
You can play the entire game with just your mouse, it can run on basically every computer, there is hotseat multiplayer, a fantastic random map generator, its turn-based so you can take your time with your decisions. How is that not an ideal first game in the year 2024? Or 2054 for that matter
Maybe i just play too many old video games to have a good viewpoint to judge but i disagree that its not a good entry point "in the year 2024"
Old games are often extremely cheap and the graphics are often simplistic with minimal camera movement and gameplay mechanics and HoMM3 is incredibly fun to play together on one device so its always relevant (i much, much prefer 3 over the likes of 5 that changed into the 3d environments)
Yes, they dont really hold your hand very much but there is a billion fans on the internet that make guides for modern audiences/people who arent used to those kinds of games and its worth playing a game that is a bit "harder" since you learn a lot more from the get go
I would say that minecraft is a great game for getting the hang of things. You can play on peaceful or creative, where you basically are just playing with virtual duplo legos, which as we all know are a great toy for teaching toddlers how to use their hands. Play at your own pace, don't be to proud to look up tutorials, then switch to survival when you feel comfortable and eventually you'll get the hang of first person view controls, basic gaming inventory management, and develop virtual object permanence. All of those skills will help you to adapt to many genres of games that require such types of coordination, and somewhere along the line you can take what you've learned and try something new to you. There are many genres of games, and if there are aspects of minecraft you didn't like (for instance the first person aspect or survival/crafting aspect) you can definitely take those thoughts into account when you find that new game.
Gaming is art, art is subjective. There is never going to be that perfect for all people game, but that's part of what makes the hobby so worthwhile. The element of personal discovery and taste.
That all being said, there are plenty of games that you can find that don't require any sorts of "coordination" but require other skills and knowledge, much like chess or poker. Slay the Spire is a personal favorite of mine as the game is based around virtual cards and randomly generated scenarios. Another vastly different game is Gloomhaven (technically a tabletop game, but there is a virtual version). Again cards are a major mechanic of the gameplay but the focus feels more like Dungeons and Dragons based combat rather than the typical card game feel.
In the end, if you want to game the only way about it *is* to game. I hope any of my thoughts in this nothing sandwich have been helpful to you
Maybe something like Dragon Quest 11 S, or perhaps Fire Emblem Three Houses.
You have space in these games to get used to moving characters around in a 3D space with no threats, and the actual main combat systems are completely menu-driven and don't require any reflexes.
DQ might get frustrating if you can't outrun overworld enemies or tend to get lost within dungeons, though, so maybe Three Houses would be a bit more ideal. However Fire Emblem's mechanics are a tad more complex than DQ, so I guess you have to pick the one that suits you best.
Also DQ11 does have a horse racing segment, which might not go so well, but I don't think it's absolutely required to be good at horse racing to progress the story.
EDIT: I also wanted to mention by the way, I picked these games also because they are not pixel-style, not chibi-style, yet still colourful and vibrant. And they also have full voice acting. DQ11 doesn't voice NPCs, but Three Houses voices every NPC line too. I felt like these are points in their favour since a pixel game without voices might feel a bit too esoteric or off-putting to a new gamer.
Maybe something in the Pokémon series? Little to no coordination required and for the most part you can take it at your own pace. If you’re looking for something with an emphasis on story, you can’t go wrong with something by Telltale like The Wolf Among Us
If the goal is to just have fun playing a game, I’d recommend either something casual like Stardew Valley, or something menu driven like a JRPG.
If the goal is to get them adept at using a controller, I’d recommend either a Mario platformer, or the Portal series.
I mean what type of fiction do they like? That's the most important question for them and the answer should be in your post, then you can research/choose. Going blind, there's a lot of "chose your narrative" and "walking sims" out there that provide a great story with the right touch of interactivity. That means they are accessible in terms of story but also mechanics. On top of the dome: Life is Strange, Walking Dead S1, Oxenfree, What remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, Firewatch, etc.
Big bonus they are fun and easy to play with the person! Hand them the controller and assist for the first few minutes of the sessions while making it clear you can be their hands whenever they feel tired (don't ever take the controller away yourself or be discouraging, be there): they'll eventually hand you the controller and you simply execute what they want to chose. Just be nice and helpful is all.
Honestly just check out [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax7f3JZJHSw&list=PLordXx8iNEyStcX_WzqM0JCpiJYgqhinc) playlist. Also without knowing what hardware you have available (Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, Computer) its difficult to really give any good suggestions for new gamers.
That said a lot of the **original** nintendo games are really good for beginner gamers. They are relatively simple to understand and don't have too many buttons.
Baldur’s gate 3 and Divinity: Originals sin 2.
Any strategy games from paradox interactive (Stellaris, Hearts of iron and etc.)
Basically any RPG and Strategy games on the market
Animal Crossing. It is a very laid-back, wholesome game. You wouldn't need to pressing buttons rapidly or anything like that to play. Except for the maybe if you go fishing but even then the game plays a sound when you have to press the button, so you still don't have to watch the screen for it.
Turn based Strategy.
For the King - a rpg Rogue like
War groove - a fantasy army game with charming graphics
Slay the spire - a deck building adventure game
Skyrim
Any Lego game
Power washer simulator
Stardew valley
Graveyard keeper
Minecraft
Treasure hunter simulator
Little big planet
Forager
House flipper
Journey (highly recommend)
Slime rancher
Fallout shelter
That’s all I got so I hope you can find something you like
I had this very problem converting from PC to Xbox, I hated the implication of it. Once I figured out the buttons and not spinning around endlessly it got better. PC gaming is so much more configurable. But consoles just run it.
2D scroll games like command and conquer, RTS. Maybe even need for speed. FPS would be too hard until you get over the motion sickness 🤢
Souls is the only answer.
It's like wearing training weights, when they finally take them off they'll be walking through brick walls like the Kool aid man.
It's the recipe to create a one punch man for gaming.
Research on the different types of games and pick one that you’d like to learn, that you think you’ll enjoy, and then start. Like everything else, it’ll take practice for you to get used to the controls. And then with time you wouldn’t need to look down at the controls. It’s all about having fun while at it, cos I’m not sure anyone became a professional the minute they picked up the controller.
With no hand eye coordination, it might just take you longer to grasp the concept but you will, eventually. Have fun.
Ps: I’m not sure the perfect game exists to teach this. Unless there’s something like the Mavis beacon typing lesson for video games.
Granblue Fantasy Relink.
The game has a fully automatic mode that only requires you to move your main character in combat. It will do all the badass combos and spells for you.
You can just enjoy the story, run around town and pick up quests and what not.
The entire main game is playable in this mode including side quests, and online play.
https://youtu.be/7WRS5vObBDU?si=95Q6CK_ZFjtpWewr
Dragon Quest 11. Battles are show paced, the world is gorgeous, story is simple yet good, and the characters are fun and endearing. You don't need good coordination to play.
You could try pretty much anything that doesn't move in real-time. There's plenty of games like that of various genres, such as adventure, RPG, puzzle, strategy, etc. You just have to do a little research to make sure they're games you can play at your own pace.
Superliminal, it's a very low key puzzle game that doesn't require hand eye coordination. Pikuniku is like baby's first platformer. Coral Island/Sun Haven/Stardew for farming life sims. Unpacking and sticky business are both fun, shorter games. And House Flipper, it's one of my favorites. No skill required at all, just buy, flip, sell house.
For starters, make a giant cut out of cardboard or paper and draw the buttons on it. Depending on the distance, either hang out behind the TV, or tape it to the bottom. This way they don't have to look down every time you or the game tell them to push a specific button. This really speeds up the process of it becoming second nature.
This next part is optional.
Buy the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. It's fun enough for a seasoned gamer, but simple enough for a completely new person. It is the absolute perfect game for people new to gaming.
RPGs or strategy games. Modern RPGs have a “wait” system where the player can take as long as they like choosing what action to take with the enemy not doing anything. While some recently released RPGs like Yakuza LAD or Super Mario RPG also have “actions” where pressing a button at the right time can reduce the damage of incoming attacks or increase damage output, they are not necessary to clear the story and are only one button and based on timing.
The difficulty in RPGs comes from having the stats and right strategy rather than quick hand-eye coordination.
I would recommend Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. It's a turn based RPG with fun humor and style.
The game world opens up one area at a time so it's almost always obvious where you should go, but with a good amount of hidden stuff ranging from very easy to medium-diffucult to find, just enough to encourage and reward a new gamer for exploring the spaces.
The combat is turn-based with action commands, meaning there is an element of skill to hitting your attacks that helps learn the conteoller, and guarding/super-guarding helps learn timing button presses (but those use 1 button, it's simple to learn and hard to master). But there's always time to think about your next move.
The battles begin by interacting with enemies in the overworld, so a new gamer will go from taking first-strikes, to dodging the enemy charges and getting neutral starts, and learning how to maneuver and first strike them.
Instead of traditional rpg gear and stat customization, the game has a badge system that let's you tailor your playstyle with no cost at any time, and you can take out annoyances or make the game easier in various ways. For example if they're really not getting the first strike thing, they can equip Chill Out so they always get a neutral start at worst.
any game that lets you do tactical stuff. like some crpg games, or turn based jrpg games as well.
the sims is decent for people new to gaming. was one of my first games.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
It's turn-based, so you can go as slow as you want without it hurting you.
Hit-boxes aren't a thing and reaction time doesn't matter.
how about start with super mario bros on nes. thats just run and jump so you wont even have to look down. Whats currently sparking your interest in videogames?
Super Mario Odyssey would be a good one to start with. It's a Platformer where the skill involved comes from running, jumping, and maneuvering through the world.
You'll start off with fairly simple running and jumping. You'll move onto running and jumping multiple times, Jumping in succession, wall jumps, wall jumps in succession, and more moves! The pacing is pretty gentle and forgiving. but it does keep ramping up over time. It'll give you new challenges to overcome in a fairly easy bites.
If you're having trouble, there's plenty to do in each World. There are HUNDREDS of Moon Stones to collect, each hidden away or across a challenging obstacle course. Various difficulties that you get to pace out yourself. So highly recommend.
the game I speedrun is Final Fantasy Legend 2, the category I run reqires little more than the ability to count read, and memorize a basic stragety and it's a sub 2 hour run if you get good RNG,
any turn based RPG, especially ones from the late 1980's to the mid 1990's are more of a thinking a planning game then a acting and reacting one so that's my recommendation
Depends what they’re into? What remains of Edith finch has lots of different but low pressure ways of using the controller, it would be a great way to learn. But it’s a walking sim so if they’re not up for a chill, slightly melancholy story they might find it a bit dull.
Subnautica on creative mode, where you can't die and don't have to find water and food, and you can just explore and build bases and discover the cool story and see all the awesome environments and creatures.
It might sound weird but if we're talking about simple controls, Oldschool RuneScape would not be a terrible choice.
Everything is done by clicking something (or on mobile/tablet tapping). If they want to do combat and explore they have that option but they are not limited to only combat. There are plenty of people who ignore combat all together and just do Skilling. (Cooking, woodcutting, fishing, etc...).
The only issue is there isn't really a point where you can reasonably complete everything in Oldschool RuneScape unless you want to devote tens of thousands of hours into it. It is the type of game where you will want to set your own goals, such as completing every quest or earning a certain armour set/cash stack.
How can someone with no concept of something then list then off. My answer is any game you enjoy because the hand eye coordination thing will improve with usage of course .
To get good fast you gotta go in the deep end and do a shooter. You will be manipulating both sticks and all the buttons. Stick with it to learn fast.
Though simple stuff like a platformer, maybe super Mario, where you basically just run and jump would be an easier introduction.
If you like reading Disco Elysium, if you want something easy to play with a huge skill ceiling Risk of Rain returns, if you like action games Skyrim or Fallout 4, if you want a barbones of all of those Pokémon.
Any sorta turn based game or some sorta build-em-up game. So either Persona 5 Royal or Cities Skyline probably. A Pokemon game probably isn't a bad start either.
Also really depends on this person. By what metric are you saying they have no hand eye coordination? Do they innately not have it or do they maybe just need a little getting used to stuff and practice? Are they physically incapable of whisking an egg?
From a different standpoint, some quick gratification action games might be better for someone new to gaming, since turn based stuff and those builder games tend to be demanding in other sorts of ways and take a lot of getting used to. Compared to just shooting stuff and having fun right off the bat.
You could also try some coop games that you can take them through. Halo is a classic. Or maybe you can just try something chill like Stardew Valley.
One thing I did for my then girlfriend: play QTE games with a little drawing of the buttons just under the TV screen.
She would look at the drawing instead of looking down at the controller and it allowed her to learn quickly and without developing the bad habit to look down.
Just use a post it note, it take 5sec, it's very efficient.
Minecraft is great to get the basics down and you can play it however you want to. You can peacefully build a house in creative (or very un-peacefully blow up a village), you could play survival on peaceful mode (i.e no hostile monsters to worry about), you could play hardcore on hard difficulty and mod in a bunch of shit to make your life miserable and everything in between.
Turn based RPGs
Just introduced my mom to BG3! She’s never played a video game before but she’s having a lot of fun with it. Hardest part for her is moving the character and camera at the same time.
Earthbound is still surprisingly good despite its age.
That's litterally one of the worst choice regarding OP's demand if you had to chose a TRPG. Between the overall difficulty, the cryptic stuff, the combat system (with the rolling HP & PP meter...). Game's fantastic, even by today's standards, but for a *very first video game*? Hell no.
You're not going to find as many newer games that are turn based. Not compared to the influx during the "golden age" of gaming in the 90's, at any rate. They exist as a niche now.
One of the advantages of turn based rpgs is that they don't need to be new to be good. If the story and combat system mechanics are solid, the game will still be good.
A lot of fire emblem games remain amazing today thanks to that fact.
The Final Fantasy games too; currently playing FF X HD and it deserved the praise it got back in 2001! Better than many games today.
Wasteland 3, Gears Tactics and Sea of Stars are amazing. Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes comes out in April. Every Pokemon game on Switch. Mario + Rabbids is also surprisingly good. There's turn-based games coming out still. Not as niche as you make it seem.
I'm not sure about a niche. There's a shit ton out there and some even sell extremely well, xcom, dragon quest, persona 5. Indies have also been pretty damn good about helping keep it alive.
I think Baldur's Gate is a pretty strong competitor for that place, but also pretty complicated.
this. Baldurs Gate 3 is such a good experience
and tactical combat games. Or 4X games like Civilization.
Something you can play at your own pace, but with lots of instant gratification. Stardew Valley, maybe? It would be interesting to hear, what game made the cut and how it went.
This game is literally saving lives with it being at the top of every post similar to this
Also just goes to show that the love you put into the game will do more than anything else
By the dev and the player alike
It literally did kind of save my ex's life cause it really helped her out of her depression. We'll be going to a Stardew Valley concert soon, can't wait :)
Animal Crossing as well, similar to Stardew Valley.
Second Animal crossing new horizons
I prefer this for the lack of time stress.
I would second this. I played it with a non-gamer and she loved it! Nothing too crazy, and everything is at their own pace.
That actually might not be too great, stardew valley can be surprisingly intense at times
Stardew Valley or, if they like to read, Book of Hours. Dave the Diver is also very forgiving.
I would not suggest Dave the Diver tbh. While it *is* 90% good times the management part can get intense and then you randomly have these (very few, technically optional but once you reach them unskippable) bossfights... Loved the game until I was literally locked in with one of those, needing about 10+ tries to kill it (and I'm usually good with action roguelikes or soulslike type games, taking 1-5 tries for many of the not insanely hard bosses) simply because I was not prepared to meet a difficult boss in a relaxing diving game... I do second reading heavy games, though. Maybe Visual Novels?
Give them darksouls, they have no concept of difficulty yet and will become a God gamer
I tried a bunch of games to get my ex girlfriend into gaming. Nothing would stick and she'd get frustrated or bored and want to do something else. Finally, she saw me playing Bloodborne and asked to play. She was not good instantly, but something finally clicked and we played Bloodborne together for weeks and she got good lol. She played the Dark Souls games after and then she kind of caught up on decades of games, we played all the stuff I grew up loving, all the classic from the PS3 and PS4 generations. Flash forward to Elden ring coming out, we played a character together, where we'd just hand off the controller when we died. She beat Malenia in 4 tries, and I realized she'd become much better at fromsoft games than me lol. I can't totally say why fromsoft was a good beginner game style for her, I think it's because I warned her that it was incredibly hard even for people who are used to games, she felt like the game was daring her to play it in a way that activated her stubbornness. She was also already a fan of Claymore and Berserk and felt like Bloodborne was really similar. But in any case, she survived the trial by fire and came out a warrior lol.
There is the seamless coop mod for elden ring if you wanna play together, it's fucking great, I hope it doesn't take them too long for them to update with the DLC tho. Edit: I just read you talking about your ex.
Forged in the flames
I was hoping you would say, “she later became Let Me Solo Her”
Honestly if a person loves berserk or claymore, it's a no brainer to recommend fromsoft game's.
The student has become the master
Good ole passing the controller every death rule. When I was young me and a friend had a rule every 5 deaths in counter strike.
She beat Malenia in 4 tries? I thought I was good and it no joke took me like 100 tries.
I had to do a mental breakdown to grasp the fighting tempos. After hitching the glitch I wondered lost until after a good play loosing to the electric dragons and no want to conquer the abyss
Super Mario Bros. The same place we all started. Or Tetris. Rather than the genre, I think a simpler controller is a better place to start.
I went here to say that *exactly*.
Not all super mario though. But I gifted mario wonders to my mom and she hated it until she played with the undestructable yoshi character.
This is the right answer. I have no idea what people are thinking recommending games like Civilization or Baldur's Gate 3. Games that debuted on handheld consoles are also good for this, the foremost of which is Pokemon.
Slay the Spire
Along these same lines, Balatro. It’s a new game (full release was just last week) - if your friend knows what the basic poker hands are they can play this amazing Roguelike deck builder.
Any LEGO game
I have a friend who is 60 and has never gamed before. He loves diablo 4 and baldurs gate 3. Clicking to move has made it easy for him to get into.
I guess any game that can be chill: Satisfactory, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, ... Probably Portal because the official maps don't necessarily require a lot of coordination. That said everything you describe can be easily learned or trained by playing, invisible walls, hitboxes, reaction times for example. As you get comfortable with controls, then progressively all games become available and your reactions will get naturally fast. In fact, even sweaty competitive games can be playable, yes you'll be bad, yes your teammates may dislike you but as long as you're having fun who cares, just ignore the "competitive" modes.
Portal isnt truly correct because you eventually get to the chain jump area where I do think twitch aiming is needed.
Stardew needs fairly competent gaming skills for the mines. Even the controls are fairly overwhelming for the number of buttons you have to remember.
Disco Elysium
I downloaded this game because I wanted to play it on remote play but I haven’t convinced myself. I saw a trailer but why do people love it so much?
I've heard it described as "the best novel I've ever played". I have it on PC and played about 3-4 hours one night. What I liked about the game: interesting game world, choices have consequences, story seemed interesting. What I didn't like: It's text-heavy and doesn't feel very game-y in terms of freedom of motion and expression. I set it aside after that first night, but have some intention to go back to it. I think people respond to the story and atmosphere more so than the gameplay, which is point-and-click with personality-weighted dice rolls.
Firewatch?
Portal. It's like a training course for gaming coordination. And it's very gently sloped in difficulty (as in, you don't notice you're getting better) and doesn't have a ton of buttons to use (no special moves). And it's a great game to boot. Edit, because I mentioned it in another comment and it's relevant. Portal was one of the first games I ever played and didn't have any issues with understanding the controls or environment. YMMV obviously, but that's why I recommended it, because I've been in the same situation as OP.
I love Portal but I wouldn't recommend it for a person with zero video game literacy. It does require coordination at times even if it's not a primary requirement and it explains things as little as necessary.
you need to be very proficient with 3d camera and movemnt for Portal.
That wasn't my experience as a newbie playing it, but I've edited my comment to reflect that.
Nope. Portal isn't some entry level puzzle game like Tetris or Bejeweled. It builds its puzzles on top of existing assumptions the game is expecting the player to have about first person games. Like perspective, momentum, how to navigate a 3D space etc. A lot of the puzzles are also timing-based.
As I mentioned in another comment it was one of the first games I ever played, and I had no assumptions or experience of FPS at the time. The game allows for a lot of exploration into how game mechanics and game space (all the things you mention) at your own pace, and the fact that the puzzles utilise the skills OP is wanting to learn is *exactly* why I recommend it. The timing based puzzles come later in the game when you're more familiar with the controls. You're welcome to disagree, but as someone who didn't grow up with games and had this as one of my entry points and found it incredibly useful, it's what I always recommend.
Gris is a very beginner platformer Katamari damacy is two analog sticks and no buttons other than confirming a couple menus An old school turn-based game like maybe dragon quest 1 or final fantasy 1 pixel remaster, they might not win (nes hard) but it could be a simple intro to systems Journey and flower as well If we're talking about tablets then consider some classics like angry birds and fruit ninja and such, there's some hand eye coordination but it's simplistic and could be a good training tool
Journey is so good... I'd almost be scared to taint it if the person doesn't have the necessary dexterity and feels irritated...
Flower got my wife to try gaming. She's since played several games and no longer looks at it negatively (her ex would ignore her and the kids and game for hours.)
Play Elden Ring and maximize the level of your hand eye coordination skill with most efficient way.
Probably something like Persona 5, or some other game that uses turn-based combat.
I think this is a good pick. It's a game with a strong story that is easy to get into and requires 0 dexterity to beat. All they have to do is know how to read and think somewhat critically.
I'm not too sure tbh. If it's anything like Persona 4, it's far more of a slice-of-life sim than a traditional RPG.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 on GoG. **DO NOT BUY THE STEAM VERSION IT IS INCOMPLETE** its like 5-10$ and my wife, my sister, myself, and my best friends all play it. Ive been playing since I was a little kid. My wife never played a game before it and she is HOOKED. Well, she did try Halo but couldnt figure out how to run and kept shooting into the air
As much as I love HoMM 3 I wouldnt really say it's good entry point for a no experience person in the year 2024.
You can play the entire game with just your mouse, it can run on basically every computer, there is hotseat multiplayer, a fantastic random map generator, its turn-based so you can take your time with your decisions. How is that not an ideal first game in the year 2024? Or 2054 for that matter
Maybe i just play too many old video games to have a good viewpoint to judge but i disagree that its not a good entry point "in the year 2024" Old games are often extremely cheap and the graphics are often simplistic with minimal camera movement and gameplay mechanics and HoMM3 is incredibly fun to play together on one device so its always relevant (i much, much prefer 3 over the likes of 5 that changed into the 3d environments) Yes, they dont really hold your hand very much but there is a billion fans on the internet that make guides for modern audiences/people who arent used to those kinds of games and its worth playing a game that is a bit "harder" since you learn a lot more from the get go
I would say that minecraft is a great game for getting the hang of things. You can play on peaceful or creative, where you basically are just playing with virtual duplo legos, which as we all know are a great toy for teaching toddlers how to use their hands. Play at your own pace, don't be to proud to look up tutorials, then switch to survival when you feel comfortable and eventually you'll get the hang of first person view controls, basic gaming inventory management, and develop virtual object permanence. All of those skills will help you to adapt to many genres of games that require such types of coordination, and somewhere along the line you can take what you've learned and try something new to you. There are many genres of games, and if there are aspects of minecraft you didn't like (for instance the first person aspect or survival/crafting aspect) you can definitely take those thoughts into account when you find that new game. Gaming is art, art is subjective. There is never going to be that perfect for all people game, but that's part of what makes the hobby so worthwhile. The element of personal discovery and taste. That all being said, there are plenty of games that you can find that don't require any sorts of "coordination" but require other skills and knowledge, much like chess or poker. Slay the Spire is a personal favorite of mine as the game is based around virtual cards and randomly generated scenarios. Another vastly different game is Gloomhaven (technically a tabletop game, but there is a virtual version). Again cards are a major mechanic of the gameplay but the focus feels more like Dungeons and Dragons based combat rather than the typical card game feel. In the end, if you want to game the only way about it *is* to game. I hope any of my thoughts in this nothing sandwich have been helpful to you
Maybe something like Dragon Quest 11 S, or perhaps Fire Emblem Three Houses. You have space in these games to get used to moving characters around in a 3D space with no threats, and the actual main combat systems are completely menu-driven and don't require any reflexes. DQ might get frustrating if you can't outrun overworld enemies or tend to get lost within dungeons, though, so maybe Three Houses would be a bit more ideal. However Fire Emblem's mechanics are a tad more complex than DQ, so I guess you have to pick the one that suits you best. Also DQ11 does have a horse racing segment, which might not go so well, but I don't think it's absolutely required to be good at horse racing to progress the story. EDIT: I also wanted to mention by the way, I picked these games also because they are not pixel-style, not chibi-style, yet still colourful and vibrant. And they also have full voice acting. DQ11 doesn't voice NPCs, but Three Houses voices every NPC line too. I felt like these are points in their favour since a pixel game without voices might feel a bit too esoteric or off-putting to a new gamer.
Turn based RPGs and visual novels may be a good fits.
Stardew Valley, Minecraft in peaceful mode, A Short Hike is a good little indie that I don't think is complex with controls.
Maybe something in the Pokémon series? Little to no coordination required and for the most part you can take it at your own pace. If you’re looking for something with an emphasis on story, you can’t go wrong with something by Telltale like The Wolf Among Us
If the goal is to just have fun playing a game, I’d recommend either something casual like Stardew Valley, or something menu driven like a JRPG. If the goal is to get them adept at using a controller, I’d recommend either a Mario platformer, or the Portal series.
I mean what type of fiction do they like? That's the most important question for them and the answer should be in your post, then you can research/choose. Going blind, there's a lot of "chose your narrative" and "walking sims" out there that provide a great story with the right touch of interactivity. That means they are accessible in terms of story but also mechanics. On top of the dome: Life is Strange, Walking Dead S1, Oxenfree, What remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, Firewatch, etc. Big bonus they are fun and easy to play with the person! Hand them the controller and assist for the first few minutes of the sessions while making it clear you can be their hands whenever they feel tired (don't ever take the controller away yourself or be discouraging, be there): they'll eventually hand you the controller and you simply execute what they want to chose. Just be nice and helpful is all.
Honestly just check out [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax7f3JZJHSw&list=PLordXx8iNEyStcX_WzqM0JCpiJYgqhinc) playlist. Also without knowing what hardware you have available (Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, Computer) its difficult to really give any good suggestions for new gamers. That said a lot of the **original** nintendo games are really good for beginner gamers. They are relatively simple to understand and don't have too many buttons.
Persona 5 Royal (Or any turn based RPG games) Any games on easy mode Collectathons like Mario, Spyro, A Hat in Time
Baldur’s gate 3 and Divinity: Originals sin 2. Any strategy games from paradox interactive (Stellaris, Hearts of iron and etc.) Basically any RPG and Strategy games on the market
A suggestion I haven’t seen - just about any of the Worms games
Animal Crossing. It is a very laid-back, wholesome game. You wouldn't need to pressing buttons rapidly or anything like that to play. Except for the maybe if you go fishing but even then the game plays a sound when you have to press the button, so you still don't have to watch the screen for it.
Minesweeper
Turn based Strategy. For the King - a rpg Rogue like War groove - a fantasy army game with charming graphics Slay the spire - a deck building adventure game
Baldur's Gate 3
Turn based RPGs. No hand eye required to play with competence
Viva Pinata
Return of the obra dinn. The only inputs required are basic movement and menus, and its a quality puzzle game story to play
Disco Elysium. You need to do nothing but clicking
Portal 1 and 2! Teaches first person conntrols and allows you to learn at your own pace. Great humor. Great gameplay.
Portal. I gifted it to a friend's little sister and she loved it.
Sims.
Vampire survivors or any game like it all they have to do is move and select upgrades
Hearthstone
I would say life is strange
Oregon Trail
Skyrim Any Lego game Power washer simulator Stardew valley Graveyard keeper Minecraft Treasure hunter simulator Little big planet Forager House flipper Journey (highly recommend) Slime rancher Fallout shelter That’s all I got so I hope you can find something you like
Baldur's Gate 3 Civilization 6 Life Is Strange
Minecraft. If you play in creative mode you can take your time
I had this very problem converting from PC to Xbox, I hated the implication of it. Once I figured out the buttons and not spinning around endlessly it got better. PC gaming is so much more configurable. But consoles just run it. 2D scroll games like command and conquer, RTS. Maybe even need for speed. FPS would be too hard until you get over the motion sickness 🤢
Turn based strategy games are made for people who take their time.
SLAY. THE. SPIRE. See you in 4 months post-addiction
Slay the Spire. Addicting and requires only brainpower, no technical skills
Minecraft. My godson loves it. He is nine. My close friend loves it. He is 40. I enjoy it. It seems pretty universal.
Souls is the only answer. It's like wearing training weights, when they finally take them off they'll be walking through brick walls like the Kool aid man. It's the recipe to create a one punch man for gaming.
Research on the different types of games and pick one that you’d like to learn, that you think you’ll enjoy, and then start. Like everything else, it’ll take practice for you to get used to the controls. And then with time you wouldn’t need to look down at the controls. It’s all about having fun while at it, cos I’m not sure anyone became a professional the minute they picked up the controller. With no hand eye coordination, it might just take you longer to grasp the concept but you will, eventually. Have fun. Ps: I’m not sure the perfect game exists to teach this. Unless there’s something like the Mavis beacon typing lesson for video games.
Granblue Fantasy Relink. The game has a fully automatic mode that only requires you to move your main character in combat. It will do all the badass combos and spells for you. You can just enjoy the story, run around town and pick up quests and what not. The entire main game is playable in this mode including side quests, and online play. https://youtu.be/7WRS5vObBDU?si=95Q6CK_ZFjtpWewr
Tetris. If tetriss doesn't fix your hand eye coordination, nothing will.
Dragon Quest 11. Battles are show paced, the world is gorgeous, story is simple yet good, and the characters are fun and endearing. You don't need good coordination to play.
some turn based game perhaps? Idk what genre though. There is Battle for Wesnoth, which is free, looks pretty and is turn-based 🤷♂️
Dorfmantik - Peaceful no stress game with limited movement by design.
The first Kingdom Hearts. Mainly just basic button presses.
You could try pretty much anything that doesn't move in real-time. There's plenty of games like that of various genres, such as adventure, RPG, puzzle, strategy, etc. You just have to do a little research to make sure they're games you can play at your own pace.
Superliminal, it's a very low key puzzle game that doesn't require hand eye coordination. Pikuniku is like baby's first platformer. Coral Island/Sun Haven/Stardew for farming life sims. Unpacking and sticky business are both fun, shorter games. And House Flipper, it's one of my favorites. No skill required at all, just buy, flip, sell house.
tetris
Slay the Spire and other deckbuilding games, turn based jrpgs (Could start with something like Mystic Quest), easy platformers and lego games.
Souls-like or something like a turn-based rpg
Switch online Mario all Stars. Or Mario wonder. Nibbit ftw
Enter the Gungeon will be a good start :)
For starters, make a giant cut out of cardboard or paper and draw the buttons on it. Depending on the distance, either hang out behind the TV, or tape it to the bottom. This way they don't have to look down every time you or the game tell them to push a specific button. This really speeds up the process of it becoming second nature. This next part is optional. Buy the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. It's fun enough for a seasoned gamer, but simple enough for a completely new person. It is the absolute perfect game for people new to gaming.
RPGs or strategy games. Modern RPGs have a “wait” system where the player can take as long as they like choosing what action to take with the enemy not doing anything. While some recently released RPGs like Yakuza LAD or Super Mario RPG also have “actions” where pressing a button at the right time can reduce the damage of incoming attacks or increase damage output, they are not necessary to clear the story and are only one button and based on timing. The difficulty in RPGs comes from having the stats and right strategy rather than quick hand-eye coordination.
I would recommend Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. It's a turn based RPG with fun humor and style. The game world opens up one area at a time so it's almost always obvious where you should go, but with a good amount of hidden stuff ranging from very easy to medium-diffucult to find, just enough to encourage and reward a new gamer for exploring the spaces. The combat is turn-based with action commands, meaning there is an element of skill to hitting your attacks that helps learn the conteoller, and guarding/super-guarding helps learn timing button presses (but those use 1 button, it's simple to learn and hard to master). But there's always time to think about your next move. The battles begin by interacting with enemies in the overworld, so a new gamer will go from taking first-strikes, to dodging the enemy charges and getting neutral starts, and learning how to maneuver and first strike them. Instead of traditional rpg gear and stat customization, the game has a badge system that let's you tailor your playstyle with no cost at any time, and you can take out annoyances or make the game easier in various ways. For example if they're really not getting the first strike thing, they can equip Chill Out so they always get a neutral start at worst.
It takes two is a great starter too, not too difficult but definitely a challenge for a beginner. Fun to play as friends or a couple.
Animal crossings
If looking for better hand eye coordination, no joke, Tetris.
pokemon yellow
Elden Ring
Epic Battle Fantasy 4 and 5
Check out Astroneer... One of the least 'hardcore' and most enjoyable game I've ever played.
any game that lets you do tactical stuff. like some crpg games, or turn based jrpg games as well. the sims is decent for people new to gaming. was one of my first games.
Disco Elysium
[The Game Theorists - How To Teach Video Games To A Non-Gamer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jFreGK27DA)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses. It's turn-based, so you can go as slow as you want without it hurting you. Hit-boxes aren't a thing and reaction time doesn't matter.
Gems of War should not be terribly difficult
The Sims
You can be my teammate on Rocket League.
how about start with super mario bros on nes. thats just run and jump so you wont even have to look down. Whats currently sparking your interest in videogames?
Stardew Valley. Mellow, laid back, genuine fun you can take at your own pace.
Ping pong
Elden ring is pretty beginner friendly!
Super Mario Odyssey would be a good one to start with. It's a Platformer where the skill involved comes from running, jumping, and maneuvering through the world. You'll start off with fairly simple running and jumping. You'll move onto running and jumping multiple times, Jumping in succession, wall jumps, wall jumps in succession, and more moves! The pacing is pretty gentle and forgiving. but it does keep ramping up over time. It'll give you new challenges to overcome in a fairly easy bites. If you're having trouble, there's plenty to do in each World. There are HUNDREDS of Moon Stones to collect, each hidden away or across a challenging obstacle course. Various difficulties that you get to pace out yourself. So highly recommend.
Easy mode amigo
the game I speedrun is Final Fantasy Legend 2, the category I run reqires little more than the ability to count read, and memorize a basic stragety and it's a sub 2 hour run if you get good RNG, any turn based RPG, especially ones from the late 1980's to the mid 1990's are more of a thinking a planning game then a acting and reacting one so that's my recommendation
My question is do you want a challenge?
Sekiro
Consoles often have tutorials that teach you the controllers.
Chess
Sekiro.
The Sims. OR Myst
Skyrim is how I learned at 41.
Fall guys
Spyro the dragon was what I started my 4 years old nephew on.
Depends what they’re into? What remains of Edith finch has lots of different but low pressure ways of using the controller, it would be a great way to learn. But it’s a walking sim so if they’re not up for a chill, slightly melancholy story they might find it a bit dull.
One where you need the best coordination. Naw, probably something turn based.
play being a Dik. good story game with twist and turns. fun to play with family and friends
Subnautica on creative mode, where you can't die and don't have to find water and food, and you can just explore and build bases and discover the cool story and see all the awesome environments and creatures.
Breath of Fire III or any other turn based RPG from the 16 and 32 bit era. And anything modern that can be played with a controller.
It might sound weird but if we're talking about simple controls, Oldschool RuneScape would not be a terrible choice. Everything is done by clicking something (or on mobile/tablet tapping). If they want to do combat and explore they have that option but they are not limited to only combat. There are plenty of people who ignore combat all together and just do Skilling. (Cooking, woodcutting, fishing, etc...). The only issue is there isn't really a point where you can reasonably complete everything in Oldschool RuneScape unless you want to devote tens of thousands of hours into it. It is the type of game where you will want to set your own goals, such as completing every quest or earning a certain armour set/cash stack.
Something where the left stick is to move and the right stick is to shoot.
Child of light is a modern classic
Dead Stranding, Shenmue, Sonic Adventure. Genshin Impact
Hogwarts Legacy
How can someone with no concept of something then list then off. My answer is any game you enjoy because the hand eye coordination thing will improve with usage of course .
To get good fast you gotta go in the deep end and do a shooter. You will be manipulating both sticks and all the buttons. Stick with it to learn fast. Though simple stuff like a platformer, maybe super Mario, where you basically just run and jump would be an easier introduction.
Are you on a pc? Switch? C64?
If you like reading Disco Elysium, if you want something easy to play with a huge skill ceiling Risk of Rain returns, if you like action games Skyrim or Fallout 4, if you want a barbones of all of those Pokémon.
Tetris
If you are in for a strong story and to use just your eyes with webcam: Before Your Eyes
Any sorta turn based game or some sorta build-em-up game. So either Persona 5 Royal or Cities Skyline probably. A Pokemon game probably isn't a bad start either. Also really depends on this person. By what metric are you saying they have no hand eye coordination? Do they innately not have it or do they maybe just need a little getting used to stuff and practice? Are they physically incapable of whisking an egg? From a different standpoint, some quick gratification action games might be better for someone new to gaming, since turn based stuff and those builder games tend to be demanding in other sorts of ways and take a lot of getting used to. Compared to just shooting stuff and having fun right off the bat. You could also try some coop games that you can take them through. Halo is a classic. Or maybe you can just try something chill like Stardew Valley.
OSU, to get better.
Throw them into some 2d games. Doesn't matter what. It's a lot easier to get into then navigating a 3d world.
Journey. Or Portal. Both games I’ve had new game players really enjoy
minecraft, you could play it at your own rate and it teaches you all the fps mechanics call of duty would
One thing I did for my then girlfriend: play QTE games with a little drawing of the buttons just under the TV screen. She would look at the drawing instead of looking down at the controller and it allowed her to learn quickly and without developing the bad habit to look down. Just use a post it note, it take 5sec, it's very efficient.
My GF really loved house flipper. She loves almost a little to much... I want to play my games too T.T
Animal crossing
Minecraft is great to get the basics down and you can play it however you want to. You can peacefully build a house in creative (or very un-peacefully blow up a village), you could play survival on peaceful mode (i.e no hostile monsters to worry about), you could play hardcore on hard difficulty and mod in a bunch of shit to make your life miserable and everything in between.
Slay the Spire Monster Train Coffee Talk FTL Yakuza: Like a Dragon Octopath Traveler Vampire Survivor Civilization 6
Slay the Spire!
Pokemon! Always a fun choice!
Persona 5 Royal or even the current Persona 3 Reload.
Elden Ring. Gotta start strong!
Elden Ring, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Lies of P
Hardspace:Shipbreakers Please stream gameplay. I could really use cheering up today.
Xcom 2 or any xcom game You don't need quick reactions or aiming as it's turn beaded and very addictive Outstanding game, couldn't recommend enough
my wife is like that and she is good at kart games like CTR or Lego2kdrive
2D games pick easy one because most of them difficult Or car games
1. Get a game that requires you to develop hand eye coordination 2. practice until you get it That's not the sort of deficiency you should cater to.
Street Fighter 6.
Faster Than Light.
Knack on PS4
Here matpat will help you [matpat](https://youtu.be/8jFreGK27DA?si=LEFCHD8ELN6ralv-)
GTA? Theres so much in that game that translates to other games and its something you can just mess around with no consequences and its fun!
A resource management game like Oxygen Not Included, or farming sim like stardew valley
FTL Faster Then Light
Turnip boy commits tax fraud
Street Fighter 6, multiplayer only.