Getting girlfriends to play MMORPG's???

LexarkT11 · 07-30-2009, 10:39 AM

So this is probably going to be a craptastic thread but maybe some people on here have some suggestions.

My girlfriend likes video games in general and she is going to try and start playing MMORPG's with me...

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what game would be good to start with?

I am thinking something free to see if she even likes the genre but we are open to suggestions.

Something not very complicated and something cute(lol?)...any ideas?

James · 07-30-2009, 10:45 AM

Two things:

Needless · 07-30-2009, 10:46 AM

World of Warcraft.

/thread

my current GF got into wow when she saw me playing it the day my account got hacked. I loaded my 2nd account as my main was in SL teleport hacking or whatever they do. I was just flying around in terokar forest and she found an interest just seeing how "pretty" the game can be.

Railin · 07-30-2009, 10:53 AM

I just had my gf (now wife) make a character on wow. This was before tbc, once she found out BE's were going into the game she wanted to play one because they were better looking than her troll...

After that she liked the game a lot and played up until 60 ish... Then they changed her name on her, from Erotica to some bs name and she lost all interest in the game lol. She argued its a genre, and what not but they wouldn't let her use the name.

Danth · 07-30-2009, 10:56 AM

Thread might end up in the rickshaw, might not, but it's here for now so here goes: WoW would work fine, as would most other MMORPG's. Hence pick the game you actually want to play. My wife's first MMORPG was Everquest. Be direct with her: "Chances are, you're not going to like this at first. These games are an acquired taste, like coffee." The key is managing expectations; if you get her to try it for a week or so even if she dislikes the first hour, your chances of success vastly improve. You have a huge advantage in that she already likes games, so the usual hurdle is already overcome.

Actually play the game with her, level up a character with her. The number 1 way of killing her enjoyment would be to stick her on a level 1 character by herself and leave her alone.

If she's a MMOG newbie, she's going to make all those newbie mistakes that those of us on this forum are usually quite sick of. Bite the bullet, let her make her mistakes, and be patient. If she asks you something, be helpful; if she doesn't, let her do it her way for now. The time for improvement comes later.

Danth

Grave · 07-30-2009, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LexarkT11

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what game would be good to start with?

I am thinking something free to see if she even likes the genre but we are open to suggestions.

Something not very complicated and something cute(lol?)...any ideas?

World of Warcraft, Free Realms, or Lord of the Rings Online are the only answers. LOTRO only if she likes LOTR as a series already and has some interest in playing in that world.

Free Realms, as unattractive as it may seem to you, does a much better job of teaching MMO fundamentals than anything else. If you think she'd be totally clueless even moving around or interacting with NPCs, I would start with it.

Then, sadly, World of Warcraft is the way to go. My GF likes it more than I do at this point.

Tuco · 07-30-2009, 10:57 AM

If someone wants to dig up the last thread on this go ahead. I remember making a pretty good post saying why it's a bad idea to do so.

I'll do the opposite this time. Note that this is only relevant to WoW. Good luck getting her to play any other MMO.

1. Figure out what she thinks about you playing WoW. If you play it, have fun with it and don't let it run your life, you're ahead of the game. If whenever you play it you scream like a little girl and log off all pissed, she's probably not going to buy into it and has also made threads asking how to get your boyfriend off of WoW.

2. Figure out what would hook her into the game. Some girls get hooked by looking at their characters or designing them. Others get hooked by figuring out they can be loot whores. Others get hooked by finding out they can cause drama anytime someone knows they're a girl. Still others view it as a chance to spend more time with you and possible control you more.

3. Try to make it as big of a group activity as you can for a single-person type game. IF you have two computers hook them up side-by-side. If you just have one, sit next to her and help her. Obviously your goal is to have two computers, but if she's just starting out have her play while you watch. She'll appreciate the attention.

4. Don't make fun of her and call her a n00b.

ibtr

Korith · 07-30-2009, 10:58 AM

I got my girl playing Vanguard with me a few years ago and she continues to play (very) casually to this day. Last game she played on a PC was Oregon Trail in Elementary school.

Was a pretty easy sell, just kinda pushed the fact she could attain her own flying Pegasus and ride her own Unicorn. In hindsight though, PvP server was a horrible call.

Draegan · 07-30-2009, 10:58 AM

Everything here posted might work I guess.

But having your girlfriend play your favorite MMOG with you sounds terrible.

Hatorade · 07-30-2009, 11:00 AM

Two things need to be true before you try this. You both need to be in the same room and she has to be good at video games. Is she likes them but clearly sucks at them this is a no go.

You need to be in the same room so you can physically show her how to move UI what the map does how to train new spells equip gear etc etc. Being on vent or even in a different room will not work. If she can't hold her own at playing the game you will not have any fun at all, you will be baby sitting and get frustrated killing the fun for both of you.

Tonic · 07-30-2009, 11:03 AM

You want to play a MMO with your girlfriend?

::Twilight The Video Game::

Don't fucking do it.

Danth · 07-30-2009, 11:04 AM

"But having your girlfriend play your favorite MMOG with you sounds terrible."

Why? My wife has played MMOG's for almost ten years now. I'd definitely enjoy the genre less if she didn't. You obviously have a reason for holding that opinion--sounds interesting. Care to elaborate? (Note, that applies to anyone who feels that way, not just Draegan specifically...if you feel it's a bad idea, why do you?)

Danth

Korith · 07-30-2009, 11:07 AM

I'd just like to add that in my experience the better the graphics are in game, the more likely she'll enjoy it. So unless you plan on playing WoW or some other low spec game, might wanna start with building/buying her a gaming setup.

Tuco · 07-30-2009, 11:07 AM

Fuck it, I'll just say the same shit I did last time:

Here's the likely results of you getting your girl to play WoW:

1. Only positive result: You and her enjoy playing together and are successful at doing so. She is not only a good player, doesn't get addicted to the game and doesn't cause drama. Likelihood? Very unlikely.

2. She tries the game, thinks it's retarded and doesn't play it anymore. Big deal. Probably 50% chance this happens.

3. She tries the game, enjoys it on at least one level and wants to play with you all the time. However she sucks at the game and you have a dead weight anytime she wants to play WoW. Eventually you lose patience with her inability to do anything and consistently yell at her cause she sucks. (My mom and dad. Seriously). Eventually she gets pissed and stops playing and then thinks you two can't do anything together without getting yelled at. Enjoy having her bitch at you about it for a long time. Maybe a 25% chance of this.

4. She tries the game, enjoys it and is pretty good at it. She then gets addicted to it and MMOs in general and her life suffers. 20% chance of this.

5. In addition to 4, she flirts with guys behind your back. She might even go so far as to only play with a certain guy and never you, and eventually she moves out of your apartment and goes to live with said guy. Happened to a couple in my guild. In her defense the guy was a dick even if he was a good fury warrior.

6. In addition to 4 she causes drama over loot or whatever else women do. Each of you can provide numerous examples of this without me!!!

Here's another tidbit of wisdom from me. I've known numerous couples who have met online through an MMO, got i-flirty and eventually married or had a long-lasting relationship. Their dates consisted of MMO playing and did fine together. Additionally they make some of the most reliable raiders. I've never known a case where a hardcore MMO player got his girlfriend/wife to play WoW and they were happy playing it together.

Eloora · 07-30-2009, 11:08 AM

You have to take things she's interested in IRL and segue that into a game that has the same elements. If she likes animals/pets, have her roll up a Hunter in WoW. If she likes the genre of fantasy, be it books or whatever, then really almost anything would work, maybe a Mage in RoM or WoW. If she likes designing and decorating, RoM and EQ2 both have housing, furniture, etc. If she's big on the "cute" factor, try Free Realms.

07-30-2009, 10:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
LexarkT11 Forever the Sickest Kid Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Toledo/Mentor, Ohio Posts: 802 -21 Internets	Getting girlfriends to play MMORPG's??? So this is probably going to be a craptastic thread but maybe some people on here have some suggestions. My girlfriend likes video games in general and she is going to try and start playing MMORPG's with me... Does anyone have any suggestions as to what game would be good to start with? I am thinking something free to see if she even likes the genre but we are open to suggestions. Something not very complicated and something cute(lol?)...any ideas?

07-30-2009, 10:46 AM	#3 (permalink)
Needless HADERPEN! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Calgary, AB Posts: 3,189	World of Warcraft. /thread my current GF got into wow when she saw me playing it the day my account got hacked. I loaded my 2nd account as my main was in SL teleport hacking or whatever they do. I was just flying around in terokar forest and she found an interest just seeing how "pretty" the game can be. __________________ XBL: Ouchparcel PSN: visualnothing

07-30-2009, 10:58 AM	#9 (permalink)
Draegan ҉̵̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇̊̋̌̍̎ ̏ Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 7,254 -8 Internets	Everything here posted might work I guess. But having your girlfriend play your favorite MMOG with you sounds terrible. __________________ i type stuff at rerollz.com

07-30-2009, 11:00 AM	#10 (permalink)
Hatorade Cause it's better than water Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 10,390 +88 Internets	Two things need to be true before you try this. You both need to be in the same room and she has to be good at video games. Is she likes them but clearly sucks at them this is a no go. You need to be in the same room so you can physically show her how to move UI what the map does how to train new spells equip gear etc etc. Being on vent or even in a different room will not work. If she can't hold her own at playing the game you will not have any fun at all, you will be baby sitting and get frustrated killing the fun for both of you. __________________ Wii Friend Code 1729 2890 3780 7210

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07-30-2009, 10:53 AM	#4 (permalink)
Railin Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 49 +0 Internets	I just had my gf (now wife) make a character on wow. This was before tbc, once she found out BE's were going into the game she wanted to play one because they were better looking than her troll... After that she liked the game a lot and played up until 60 ish... Then they changed her name on her, from Erotica to some bs name and she lost all interest in the game lol. She argued its a genre, and what not but they wouldn't let her use the name.

07-30-2009, 10:56 AM	#5 (permalink)
Danth Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 266 -54 Internets	Thread might end up in the rickshaw, might not, but it's here for now so here goes: WoW would work fine, as would most other MMORPG's. Hence pick the game you actually want to play. My wife's first MMORPG was Everquest. Be direct with her: "Chances are, you're not going to like this at first. These games are an acquired taste, like coffee." The key is managing expectations; if you get her to try it for a week or so even if she dislikes the first hour, your chances of success vastly improve. You have a huge advantage in that she already likes games, so the usual hurdle is already overcome. Actually play the game with her, level up a character with her. The number 1 way of killing her enjoyment would be to stick her on a level 1 character by herself and leave her alone. If she's a MMOG newbie, she's going to make all those newbie mistakes that those of us on this forum are usually quite sick of. Bite the bullet, let her make her mistakes, and be patient. If she asks you something, be helpful; if she doesn't, let her do it her way for now. The time for improvement comes later. Danth

07-30-2009, 10:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
Tuco Forum Janitor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Detroit Posts: 11,006 +87 Internets	If someone wants to dig up the last thread on this go ahead. I remember making a pretty good post saying why it's a bad idea to do so. I'll do the opposite this time. Note that this is only relevant to WoW. Good luck getting her to play any other MMO. 1. Figure out what she thinks about you playing WoW. If you play it, have fun with it and don't let it run your life, you're ahead of the game. If whenever you play it you scream like a little girl and log off all pissed, she's probably not going to buy into it and has also made threads asking how to get your boyfriend off of WoW. 2. Figure out what would hook her into the game. Some girls get hooked by looking at their characters or designing them. Others get hooked by figuring out they can be loot whores. Others get hooked by finding out they can cause drama anytime someone knows they're a girl. Still others view it as a chance to spend more time with you and possible control you more. 3. Try to make it as big of a group activity as you can for a single-person type game. IF you have two computers hook them up side-by-side. If you just have one, sit next to her and help her. Obviously your goal is to have two computers, but if she's just starting out have her play while you watch. She'll appreciate the attention. 4. Don't make fun of her and call her a n00b. ibtr

07-30-2009, 10:58 AM	#8 (permalink)
Korith HERE COMES AMOS Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 247 -15 Internets	I got my girl playing Vanguard with me a few years ago and she continues to play (very) casually to this day. Last game she played on a PC was Oregon Trail in Elementary school. Was a pretty easy sell, just kinda pushed the fact she could attain her own flying Pegasus and ride her own Unicorn. In hindsight though, PvP server was a horrible call.

07-30-2009, 11:03 AM	#11 (permalink)
Tonic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Nashua Posts: 498 +15 Internets	You want to play a MMO with your girlfriend? ::Twilight The Video Game:: Don't fucking do it.

07-30-2009, 11:04 AM	#12 (permalink)
Danth Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 266 -54 Internets	"But having your girlfriend play your favorite MMOG with you sounds terrible." Why? My wife has played MMOG's for almost ten years now. I'd definitely enjoy the genre less if she didn't. You obviously have a reason for holding that opinion--sounds interesting. Care to elaborate? (Note, that applies to anyone who feels that way, not just Draegan specifically...if you feel it's a bad idea, why do you?) Danth

07-30-2009, 11:07 AM	#13 (permalink)
Korith HERE COMES AMOS Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 247 -15 Internets	I'd just like to add that in my experience the better the graphics are in game, the more likely she'll enjoy it. So unless you plan on playing WoW or some other low spec game, might wanna start with building/buying her a gaming setup.

07-30-2009, 11:07 AM	#14 (permalink)
Tuco Forum Janitor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Detroit Posts: 11,006 +87 Internets	Fuck it, I'll just say the same shit I did last time: Here's the likely results of you getting your girl to play WoW: 1. Only positive result: You and her enjoy playing together and are successful at doing so. She is not only a good player, doesn't get addicted to the game and doesn't cause drama. Likelihood? Very unlikely. 2. She tries the game, thinks it's retarded and doesn't play it anymore. Big deal. Probably 50% chance this happens. 3. She tries the game, enjoys it on at least one level and wants to play with you all the time. However she sucks at the game and you have a dead weight anytime she wants to play WoW. Eventually you lose patience with her inability to do anything and consistently yell at her cause she sucks. (My mom and dad. Seriously). Eventually she gets pissed and stops playing and then thinks you two can't do anything together without getting yelled at. Enjoy having her bitch at you about it for a long time. Maybe a 25% chance of this. 4. She tries the game, enjoys it and is pretty good at it. She then gets addicted to it and MMOs in general and her life suffers. 20% chance of this. 5. In addition to 4, she flirts with guys behind your back. She might even go so far as to only play with a certain guy and never you, and eventually she moves out of your apartment and goes to live with said guy. Happened to a couple in my guild. In her defense the guy was a dick even if he was a good fury warrior. 6. In addition to 4 she causes drama over loot or whatever else women do. Each of you can provide numerous examples of this without me!!! Here's another tidbit of wisdom from me. I've known numerous couples who have met online through an MMO, got i-flirty and eventually married or had a long-lasting relationship. Their dates consisted of MMO playing and did fine together. Additionally they make some of the most reliable raiders. I've never known a case where a hardcore MMO player got his girlfriend/wife to play WoW and they were happy playing it together.

07-30-2009, 11:08 AM	#15 (permalink)
Eloora Predictably predicting your predictability. Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: SC Posts: 141 +6 Internets	You have to take things she's interested in IRL and segue that into a game that has the same elements. If she likes animals/pets, have her roll up a Hunter in WoW. If she likes the genre of fantasy, be it books or whatever, then really almost anything would work, maybe a Mage in RoM or WoW. If she likes designing and decorating, RoM and EQ2 both have housing, furniture, etc. If she's big on the "cute" factor, try Free Realms.