Thoughts on introducing someone to video games? (Bookmark for GAs)

My recommendation for her would be Bejeweled® 3, for starters.
It's engaging with nice visuals, effects and music, but not complex for someone playing a game for the first time.

Start with simple things with a limited input. Like Zup or other puzzle game.
Then something turn based with more complexity or a simple platformer, then something 3d/ with camera control.
Go from less interaction to more interaction.

I wouldn't pick a game and make her play it. Play some of your favorites, from varying genres, and explain what your are doing any why. Just show some genuine enthusiasm. And then let her take over, when she figured out what might interest her most. Just don't put any pressure on her. If she only wants to watch the first time, so be it.

Well "Life is Strange" comes to mind instantly...but it takes a while to get going so Im not sure.
Maybe "Brothers a Tale of two sons" and you play it together...its cheap and heartbreaking xD

My poll answer is a mix between yes it did work out and yes, but it didnt work out. Ill be back later to explain and suggest specific games (at work at the moment) Generally i would suggest a mix of games, one that is heavily story based and one that is real chill with no pressing objective.

Besides stuff like the Telltale games or other narrative-heavy games like Firewatch or Life is Strange, I'd always consider falling back on easy accessible multiplayer games like platformers or stuff like that... you know, Mario-likes you both can have quick and easy fun with :D - like Ibb&Obb (bonus of course if you own a console, for the full casual experience ;>). I would refrain from showing her stuff like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, they may be a bit too gamey, if you know what I mean. If she's into artsy stuff, you could also think about showcasing stuff like The Stanley Parable or Thomas Was Alone - depends on what she likes, you know her better ;>.

Good luck, although it's kinda sad to see yet another case of uninformed prejudice just due to misinformation and bias from the media... and video games aren't the only topic hurting because of that. Maybe you'll be able to rescue her, hehe.

Try to see what theme she likes(sci-fi,zombies,fantasy, etc.) If not then go with something slow and simple: walking sim(aka Firewatch) or adventure game(Life is Strange). Later on if she gets used to controls you can give her Portal.

Dont know how much time you will have to show games but for last 30mins I recommend you to get in control and start Saints Row 4 so you can show her some mindless violence.. also dont forget to show her the wacky outfits :D

I think Talos Principle would fit very well as she loves philosophy. Puzzle in general is also a nice genre to start things off in my opinion as it's a great brain exercise and it might make the person realise that games are not a waste of time. I've met a lot of people with such a prejudice before.

I hope she ends up enjoying gaming :)

To answer your poll I introduced World of Warcraft to my dorm roommate. She never played any games and when I was raiding she started watching me and took an interest. I showed her some things and when she died to an underleveled enemy she gave up :p I didn't have a Steam account back then and WoW was the only game I played. I think I traumatised her :D

My first sugestion would be To The Moon.
It's really easy gameplay-wise, so she will not get frustrated over it. Then, it is completely free of violence, so no bad impression there. Also, the music is absolutely wonderful and if she doesn't cry at the end, RUN! Because she might be a robot! :D

Speaking of robots, Portal of course ould be cool too. Also, Life Is Strange should be considered.

By the way: I just saw that you own Spec Ops: The Line. You should definitely play it sometimes. Not with her though, because this game is really violent. But you should definitely catch up on it sometimes, especially if you like story-heavy singleplayer games with a great emotional impact.

which game would you show to a guy that never played games in his life?

that one? show it to this woman, it's the same.

Dark Souls.

IMHO, show her how to use your Steam library, then let HER go through it (your library isn't huge, so it's perfect) and check out some of the games that catch her eye. When she asks if they're good or how they're played, then you can lend your opinion and give her more info about particular games. The best way to get her into gaming is probably to let those first gems be of her own choosing, and not ours.

Also, I wouldn't assume any game is going to be too difficult for her. If she can drive a car or operate a microwave oven, she can play any game.

You are lucky with Tell Tale bundle then if you don't have them :D (wrote this before being cool kid and actually reading your whole post)

Wait I cannot imagine anyone born after 90s to have never played a game, maybe in some more rural areas or less developed countries I suppose. Might be a fun experience man! Will bookmark simply to hear how it went :D

The best way to introduce her to gaming...
Start of by third person games like LEGO games, TT games, ABZU which are fun and then as she gets hang of it introduce her to first person games which are slow paced like walking sims Stanley Parable or something like Portal. It also depends on what genre she is interested in.
It worked for me and just recently I finished Saints row 3 with her. :)

I think Trine (assuming it's Enchanted Edition - better graphics) would be a very good choice so you can play with her. Gameplay is nice with easy puzzles and great environments, there is some violence but nothing visceral.
Another great co-op is Broforce, it's violent but so fun and simple at the same time.
If she likes cars you have some good rally games.
I'm sure Portal games are good, too. You can take your time to learn controls in them.
You have Stardew Valley, haven't played it myself but, as far as I've seen, it looks very good.
If you see that she leans towards violence, you have a wonderful Bioshock Infinite, which combines action and good storytelling, I enjoyed it a lot.

Have a wonderful evening!

I'd start her with a casual game - maybe Cook, Serve, Delicious (maybe a bit too frenetic for someone just starting) or perhaps 12 Labours of Hercules. Millie is a fun take on the old Snake game.

She might like the hidden object games. I recommend getting a Big Fish account, and letting her trial games - almost every one of them has a hour's demo she can play! It's how I got hooked on casual games, myself ;D

I'm presuming this person is a full-grown adult or at least an older teenager, IE somebody who, in every other sphere of life, knows what she's doing. She knows what genres in films/tv/books that she likes.

So.... instead of asking a board full of internet strangers, probably just ask her instead? I'm going to be real here and if somebody tried to take me on a 'I can show you the world~~~' tour that ends up just him playing and talking about HIS favorite games I'd probably just clip through the floor and spiral into the void.

If you don't want to put the up-front burden on her, like give her homework or whatever ('here's my steam library, look at the games and if there's some you think are cool we'll play them') then you ask yourself -

What's her favorite movie? Her favorite tv show? Find four games that are as close to that as possible, load them shits up, and hand her the controller. This is HER day to experience stuff, not YOUR day to be the wonderful worldly guy of games. If she asks you questions or asks for help, answer and help her. If she seems lost but isn't saying anything, tell her once 'If you start to feel frustrated and need a hand, I'm right here to help' and then let her learn and discover the way you, presumably, learned and discovered.

I'd second Tzaar above - we don't learn to read like we learn to play a video game, and different difficulty modes and tutorial levels are there for a reason. She's not going to jump into playing the final boss; the game, if it's good, will teach her how to play itself. You can warn her 'that's more complicated' but if she's about it she's about it. I think a lot of people give up games like your parents/brother did not because the games are just 2 damn hard, esp. if they were interested in it, but because it can be embarrassing failing in front of someone more experienced, and it's not something they're used to. You can't 'fail' to take in a movie, even if you miss themes or can't analyze what the framing of every shot means.

If she thinks videogames are violent then avoid the walking dead or game of thrones telltale games , unless she is a fan of the shows from your library i would choose life is strange its a female protagonist it seems like a book and i think its a cool start plus the game is great

PS thats a different topic but if this girl who wont even ever played mobile games like bejeweled cause she thinks down on them agreed on a gaming night consider she may likes you and games are a second thought on her mind (just guessing no offence)

I wanted to suggest some games, but you don't own any of them and I see nothing in your library that I'd definetly show to someone to introduce her to video games...
On a general scale however, I strongly recommand you play something that has local coop (no versus, since she has no experience she would get frustrated), if you happen to own two controllers. Since you own Trine, I think this one would be a good choice, although from what I remember the controls are not this easy. Ibb & Obb would also be pretty nice, especially in showing that games can be cute and artsy! Even if you don't personnaly enjoy it that much you could make the effort of playing with her for this time ;)

There are a lot of good games here, but I personally think it would be best to create a decently sized list of great games and let her take a look through them (provide the store page / trailers / whatever for some quick info). Then she can tell you what looks interesting to her. All games will come down to a matter of personal opinion.

While a lot of people may think something is great and a good choice, she may hate it. Letting her pick something that looks interesting to her may give a better result.

That said, you could maybe try to show her some arcade racing games if she's interested in that. Those should not be too difficult for beginners and can be very fun (the first three or so years I played games was mainly with 3 racing games (not sure what they're called in english, but in the Netherland they're called 'A2 Racers' or something like that)).

You know her best, but I introduced a few friends to videogames with narrative-heavy titles - such as Telltale/Life is Strange, Point and Clicks (you own Deponia), HOGs and games from franchises they already loved. You can easily compare Life is Strange to a movie she has control over and interact with - showcasing the advantages that an interactive medium has over non-interactive. P&Cs and HOGs are also story-heavy and can be played casually, requiring some basic puzzle skills at most. The last category's advantage is fairly obvious.

You definitely should break out one of the Jackbox games since all you both need is a mobile device for a controller. You don't know Jack is only in Jackbox One, which is a hilarious trivia game.

Splice is a mesmerizing and thought provoking puzzle game.

You've got some good RTS games in your collection, though I'm not sure if your friend would consider those as violent, too.

There's also World of Goo and Stardew Valley.

Someone mentioned the Telltale games bundle over at Humble Bundle for the next two weeks. Puzzle Agent parts one and two are in the lowest tier and are very silly and entertaining.

How about going with the good ol' mario? Most of us, started playing Mario or Doom (The later in my case), Wouldn't hurt giving it a try.

I have heard that Life is Strange is a good option for girls that like games but are just starting.