How to introduce your significant other to video games
By Brittney MacDonald, Staff Writer
As more and more people get involved in video games as a hobby, chances are you either are (or have dated) a self-professed “gamer.” As a gamer myself, I understand when that special someone in my life gets caught up in epically long questlines and multi-player raids that can take hours if not days to plan and execute. Unfortunately, if your main squeeze has never been into that scene, they might not understand your obsession with grinding levels rather than them.
Naturally, the best way to rectify this is to get your significant other equally as obsessed with video games as you are! Or at least obsessed enough to get off your back about spending more “quality time” together, before the next expansion pack comes out.
Here’s an introductory list of a few games that might appeal to men and women just starting out on their own digital journey.
League of Legends
This game has its own electronic sports league and maintains a huge following of users. It’s relatively easy to learn, and can be adapted to many different play styles due to the numerous characters you can play as. Another benefit to this game is that couples can play together almost immediately. It might be a bit boring for the more experienced player to go back in and play with the noobs, but we all must make sacrifices in the name of love.
Destiny
Now I know what you’re thinking—why would a first person shooter be on this list? Yes Destiny is competitive, but it also has one of the best party systems currently running. The voice chat is built in, rather than working as a separate, third party program that can lag your game. The controls are fairly simple, and the majority of enjoyment for this game comes from killing a bunch of aliens with your friends. One downside is that experience points aren’t evenly distributed, so any character that’s three or move levels above their companion will just hog everything. If you want to play together, you’ll either need to make a new character, or wait till your lover levels up enough to join you.
Beyond: Two Souls
Personally, I wasn’t too fond of this game because of how easy it was for anyone familiar with a console controller. But for that movie buff in your life who has never touched a video game system, this game is perfect. Beyond focusses on plot narrative, and acts more as an interactive movie than a normal video game. But it is still very addicting. Throw in a couple stellar, computer-generated doubles of Willem Dafoe and Ellen Page and you might have found the perfect gateway game. Unfortunately this game is single player only, so it’s not the best option if you want something you can both experience together.
Ratchet and Clank/Jak and Daxter
I couldn’t decide between these games, so I just chose both because they play relatively the same. These are older games that have been re-released recently. When neither a compelling narrative nor the possibility of digital dates through online play appeals, you might as well go with pure joy. Both these games are very reminiscent of the early console games, such as Super Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog. So if those retro games are the only games your boo has played, these might be good options to get them to update their catalogue. Easy to learn and filled with comedy, these games are just fun, and that appeals to everyone.
In truth, there are so many different types and genres of games out now, it would be hard to find someone who absolutely hates them all. The trick is to know your boyfriend or girlfriend and what they would like—maybe ask them a few questions as to what they’d rather not play. Dead Space might be your favourite, but curb stomping aliens for ammo might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Try and remember that they’re trying something new to better relate to you, so you can at least make an effort to find them something they might enjoy. Knowing that your lover pays attention to you is always sexy.
