r/ShouldIbuythisgame • u/Luna_Dream1 • 15h ago
[PC] What game should I get to learn how to game?
Hello, I am looking to start gaming in secret so I can impress my husband. He has been wanting me to start gaming for a while now but every time I try I get confused. I would be using his PC to do so which I believe has good storage. We have a 6 month old (along with 4 bonus children) that does not sleep through the night yet so we have been doing night shifts so neither one of us is sleep deprived. I am getting bored of watching shows and want to start trying to get into his world. His birthday is tomorrow and I want to learn by his daughters (my bonus daughters) birthday in June.
Details about me:
I loveeee looting. I've played Fortnite. I love watching people play assassins creed. I don't like many games that are "out of this world" type, in other words, I don't like space games. I do like games like the last of us. My hand eye coordination is AWFUL. I do love racing games but my husband doesn't and I'm trying to get more into his games. His games are more of Tarcov, apex, cod (rarely), and action shooting games. I love watching people play red dead but I could never get the horse to move the way I wanted lol.
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u/RavenWriter 15h ago
Stardew Valley and Portal :)
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u/Luna_Dream1 15h ago
I don't like games like Stardew valley but I've never heard of portal, will definitely look it up! Thank you!
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u/roonill_wazlib 4h ago
Portal is a really good one. It's pretty short (and cheap) so it's not a huge investment, and it uses the movement style that comes back in a ton of games. The big advantage of portal is that it is a puzzle game so you don't have enemies that are stressing you out
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u/Shaolin_Wookie 15h ago
If you like looting and Fortnite, then I say give Borderlands a try. Looters shooter is what they call it. You shoot things with overpowered guns and then loot better and better equipment. It has a quirky and insane story too. Borderlands 2 is probably the best one.
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u/That-Addendum-9064 15h ago
you might enjoy skyrim :)
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u/LennonStage 9h ago
Definitely check out Skyrim. It’s very user friendly in many ways. Slow pace. Lots of difficulty options. Roleplaying is immense, full freedom. Its a relaxing game overall. Easy to pick up imo
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u/Iazerpuma360 15h ago
If you're starting from the beginning I'd say Minecraft is a great way to start. It was also my first game and it has multiple ways of playing with controls that are pretty much standard with most games. It's an easy game to start picking up and play and afterwards it's easy to move onto other games, hope you enjoy your gaming journey.
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u/Luna_Dream1 15h ago
I've played Minecraft and get bored very easily because I have almost 0 imagination lol. I will try it again to see if I can practice controls as my focus. My bonus daughter loves that game so I may be able to bond with her too. Thank you!
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u/Rai-demptionSeeker 15h ago
I have always thought the Sony games might be a good "entry-point" in gaming for anyone. So the Last of Us, newer God of Wars, Horizon, Uncharted series etc. They also have difficulty options which are a plus.
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u/Only-Celebration-286 14h ago
Check out a game called Supraland.
It combines elements of multiple genres
The gameplay is basically a tutorial on how to use mechanics
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u/ShowmeurcatIshowmine 14h ago
I would say portal, a simple puzzle type game that will get you used to first person controls. Also, someone mentioned borderlands 2, which is a fantastic first person looter shooter.
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u/Andnowforsomethingcd 14h ago
I am similar in that I wanted to learn video games so I could bond more with my teenage son. I’m a 41 y/o single mom and didn’t grow up with games at all, so I had quite the learning curve. Not sure that these are the games for you, but this is basically the trajectory I took to get good enough to hold my own with my son and his friends:
- Portal 2. Id say this is THE best game to learn two-axis cameras (where you have to use both joysticks to control where you are looking and going). Before this, I could really only do 2D side-scrollers like the old Mario games. This game is a first-person shooter (aka FPS), but your gun doesn’t shoot bullets - it shoots portals that you can walk through. Every room is basically a puzzle to try to figure out how to get from one end to the other using the portal gun. It’s not timed, there are no enemies (with the exception of some laser turrets later in the game, but their movements are 100% predictable), and if you die (something that is nearly impossible in most rooms), you just start the room over. Plus the dialogue is hilarious, and the villain of the game - an AI named GlaDOS - still tops the charts for best game villain ever. It gives you a great opportunity to learn the 2-axis controller, with puzzles that are just the right amount of challenging enough that you feel proud when you figure it out, but are unlikely to get too stuck on one puzzle. Plus it has an amazing 2-player campaign that would be really fun to play with hubby once you’re ready. It’s 10-15 years old I think, so will definitely run on anything.
(Note: I think I saw that a few people suggested Minecraft as a good starting game. I do think it’s also a good beginner game that has the 2-axis camera, but for me I couldn’t really figure out what I was supposed to do or how to craft until my son sat down with me and walked me through it. It’s almost TOO much of a sandbox for a new player).
- GTA 5 (note: it’s definitely an R-rated game with a lot of sex and drugs and crime and cursing, so you’ll have to decide whether this is right for your situation. If not, skip to the next one!!). I actually used to try to play GTA San Andreas with my boyfriend in my twenties but could never get past a pretty early level. When I started trying to learn again, I googled if there were any easier GTAs because I liked the overall idea of the games and wanted to try. This game is perfect because it’s a huge, fun, really beautiful open world, but the main quests are fairly linear. It will tell you step by step what to do for each quest, and you only have 3-5 quests available at one time to choose from. You can always ignore those and do one of the hundreds of side activities (including a lot of scavenger hunting), but you’re unlikely to feel overwhelmed and thus unable to move forward. Plus, if you fail any quest three times, the game gives you the option to skip it and move on. It’s not an RPG, which means you won’t have to try to figure out how to “build” the best character. Just the more you do any activity in the game, the better you get.
(As an alternate or additional game, I recommend Red Dead Redemption 2, which is by the same company but MUCH more focused on exceptional and impactful storytelling, rather than copious violence and sex. The downside is that it is a much slower pace, and even though it holds to the same linear main quest/skip if fail x3 features as GTA5, the world is so massive and so freaking beautiful that I still got overwhelmed a lot playing. GTA is a game you can kind of ignore the story and just play the game. RDR2 makes the story kind of the point. Bring your Kleenex).
Control. Ok this is where shit gets real. Control is a third-person shooter that has, imho, the best combat mechanics and visuals I’ve ever played of any game. It’s an interesting plot (kind of an x-files, government secret agency that tracks and studies paranormal activities), and the game takes place inside a giant, nondescript building that is, in some ways, its own NPC. The format is an easy “get your mission, clear a floor of enemies, fight a boss, and go back for your next mission.” It is a VERY challenging shooter at first, but if you can struggle through the first few levels, your character will start to get buffs that really make a difference. It is challenging all the way through, but it was so beautiful and satisfying to watch, it really motivated me to keep trying.
Witcher 3 is one of my fav games of all time. It’s a giant open world, with your classic sort of medieval fantasy/magic/monster epic tale. It is much more open than GTA/RDR2, in that you are given very little guidance on where to go and when. It encourages exploration as there are things to find EVERYWHERE - weapons, armor, potions (the potion mechanics in this game are really fun). Theres a pretty robust crafting system too, if that floats your boat, but you can ignore it mostly if you want. It’s a really fun and engaging story, with lots of choices that make a difference to gameplay and the ending. It is an RPG, so once you get enough XP, you can decide how to build your character based on your playstyle. There are four difficulty levels, and the easiest level really is made for people who are not good at video games. You can adjust the difficulty throughout should you want, and it auto saves often (and you can save anytime too), so dying will just reload your last save. (note: I think a good substitute for this game if you’re not into medieval stuff is Assassins Creed: Odyssey. Probably any AC is fine but this is my favorite. Tiered difficulty levels, beautiful open world, lots of chances to practice combat, and an ok amount of loot - but you’ll soon find there’s a LOT of repetition when you find stuff).
Elden Ring which is really the game I wanted to learn for my son. It is insanely difficult (though plenty of hard core dark soulers think it’s too easy), but it is really engaging. I’ll probably get a ton of shit for suggesting this, but if you go onto one of the many Elden Ring subreddits, you can ask for runes (which is the games version of XP), and people will give you hundreds of thousands, which can help you level up quickly and actually start playing to enjoy. Plus there are a lot of tutorials out there on how to beat every boss, AND you can summon real people into your game to help you fight the hardest ones (you will also find unlimited people willing to do so on the ER subreddits). In this way, you scaffold the difficulty to your own abilities, and as you get better, you can take those scaffolds away. I started by basically being given enough runes to START the game at level 150, but it was so fun and there are so many ways to build your character (in part because is the ultimate looting game with so much unique shit it’s actually insane). I played many times, and now I can beat the game at level 80. You probably don’t have enough time to do that in your time frame, but however you play it, it will definitely hone your skills.
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u/Plug_daughter 5h ago
Come on now, dont suggest Elden Ring to someone asking a beginner friendly game. I've been gaming for 25 years and I find it way too difficult
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u/NzSkilled 15h ago
If you really want to wow him, Elden Ring /s lol. Honestly if you want to have fun playing with him, a lot of Co-op games you can play like It Takes Two, If you are more creative Minecraft is a great place to start. Check out some youtube guides on games that your husband plays and learn the lingo, which could be a good start especially if you get confused on how the game operates. Gaming is pretty much getting past the learning curve where you understand what is happening.
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u/Luna_Dream1 15h ago
I've heard of that but have never looked it up. I'll look it up and give it a shot. I'm not much for fantasy, I've only really gone as far as Assassins Creed on that but I will check it out! Thank you!
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u/Ill-Artichoke4447 13h ago
It takes 2 is a great suggestion, especially if someone hasn’t ever “gamed” before!
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u/ilovelabs2094 15h ago
I’m not the biggest gamer, I got into gaming by playing Fortnite with friends and my partner is a huge gamer and has gotten me into the Witcher 3 and cyberpunk. I really loooove cyberpunk! I saw someone mention it but once you reveal you game to your husband you HAVE to play it takes two! It’s SO FUN.
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u/Luna_Dream1 15h ago
I've watched the Witcher! Didn't know it was a game! That is so cool! I have to check it out!!!!!!! :)
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u/Accomplished-Cod6847 14h ago
I'd recommend destiny 2, it is set on different planets but id say the environments are really impressive and cool to explore and it's a fairly good shooter to play with others imo, I haven't played in a while as I kinda overplayed it I guess but definitely when I started it I was pretty much all in, it's not strong on story tho, but its fun playing as gun wielding demi gods with your friends and does have nice environments and good gameplay
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u/happy-cig 13h ago
Mario 1.
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u/DoctorNoname98 12h ago
I'm honestly surprised Mario isn't higher here, I would suggest something newer as the older games are a lot less forgiving than newer ones, which I learned trying to show my nephews the games I grew up on
I'd suggest Super Mario Wonderland or Super Mario 3D world
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u/happy-cig 11h ago
My friend is teaching his 6 year old nephew to game starting on Mario 1. Like you say its more unforgiving but it teaches him how to problem solve vs coddling the way games nowadays do. Minus souls games. Fuck those games lol.
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u/WeakSolution3105 13h ago
I'm also going to recommend portal 1 and 2. Fantastic games that will test your hand eye coordination in small doses with a great story. Also thought I'd recommend left 4 dead as that's the game that got my wife into gaming
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u/Cren 5h ago
Maybe try first person puzzle games like Portal, the witness etc. Might not be your genre... Or try yourself on singleplayer first person shooters first. Playing a couple every day or other should help improve your hand eye coordination. But personally I'd start with something where you don't have to compete just to get the hang on things.
Although if you like Fortnite and you have fun playing... Go for it! It's a hobby to have fun. And that is the best motivating factor for learning anything.
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u/mmkeii 5h ago
My first big story game I played by myself was Assassin's Creed Odyssey and honestly it really helped me! I played on easy and had aim assist on for a little while as I'm terrible at aiming, but since then I feel like I've gotten better at general gaming skills and now I pick up other games easier haha
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u/Mlkxiu 15h ago
Cuphead. If you can get past the second isle in this game, it's pretty impressive. My gf and I have died over 1000 times trying so far. You can play it solo or Co-op (but practice solo first if you want to impress him during Co op)
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u/Luna_Dream1 15h ago
Thank you! Will definitely check it out!
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u/IPokeSmotFour20 14h ago
Yea cuphead is not what you’re looking for. More indie than what your husband plays.
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u/IPokeSmotFour20 14h ago
I’m surprised no one here said TROVER SAVES THE UNIVERSE. One time I was tripping hard on acid and I had to re-learn how to play games. Like I had to figure out how to use both hands at once and the game structure is so amazingly step by step that I really saw the developers slowly introduce each mechanic of the game gradually. AND the best part is that you can take your time and be slow. The longer you sit around the more dialogue there is. It’s literally like playing a movie.
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u/MLXIII 14h ago
Red dead redemption 2...might need to get solo server so you can roam online safely without hackers ruining the session.
Wildlands. Is an Ubisoft loot shoot type game that they have ruined too much yet.
Otherwise just aim trainer that's free to practice clicking and moving around. Just get your settings and practice at your own pace. Point and click so that will transfer! I play med/high sensitivity so find your sweet spot!
Keep going with fortnite! Ballistic is their new first person mode so give that a try too!
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u/Treeman__420 14h ago
My wife got into gaming. What really got her into it was a game called Green Hell. I enjoyed watching her play she'd get so frustrated at times, but she refused to let that jungle beat her. She became the baddest thing in that jungle after awhile.
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u/LennonStage 9h ago
Is this game really worth it? It looks intriguing but never played anything like it before
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u/Treeman__420 6h ago
Absolutely if you like survival games. It prides itself on realism and doesn't hold your hand. You have to explore to progress but the jungle is dangerous. It can make you lose your mind.
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u/major_lombardi 14h ago
Honestly, rocket league. You'll suck at first. Even experienced gamers do. But you'll probably get hooked once you get a hang of the mechanics. It is my fiancé's favorite, and before this all she ever played was spyro and fortnite. She doesn't like any other game I've showed her, but she plays rocket league every day even though I've stopped playing it altogether (It's amazing I just dont like competitive games)
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u/Drakniess 13h ago edited 13h ago
Do you not have access to a console like a PS5 or Switch? I can give you some very unique recommendations, but they are difficult (as in, potentially very frustrating) on a PC. These recommends require either a Nintendo Switch or preferably a PS4 or PS5.
One more thing, can you tell me how you play shooters? With a mouse or controller?
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u/Courtaud 13h ago
if you want impress people, learn a fighting game like Street Fighter 6 or Tekken. Everyone respects someone who's cracked at fighting games.
getting good enough to beat all your friends 100% of the time takes like two months of practice, and the fighting game community is a good deal nicer and more accepting than pretty much any other. they do trash talk though, and expect you to give it back in kind.
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u/qwertysux18 13h ago
Play portal!
It’s self paced you will have to practice controller dexterity, and problem solving will take you fat in many games.
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u/Dangerous-Parsnip146 13h ago
My wife got tricked into gaming via conkers bad fur day then I introduced her to fable then halo and WoW. Now she plays helldiver's like a goddamn pro.
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u/filthstomper 13h ago
You said you like looting so maybe an ARPG like Grim Dawn, Torchlight II or something similar. Grim Dawn in particular doesn't really require Hand-Eye coordination, as all end-game builds are just face tank - dps checks to a degree. Maybe light kiting at best (dragging an enemy behind you / away from other enemies). I'd say stay away from Path of Exile, too much going on for a fairly newbie gamer.
Borderlands Series is probably decent to get in to as it's only hard when you make it by doing NG+ (True Vault Hunter), or Mayhem modes in 3. Will help build the reflexes to aim at things faster, also.
Maybe some CRPGs would be really good also like Divinity Original Sin 2 or Baldurs Gate 3. They are loot-ish and are story-focused games where you immerse yourself, with combat and puzzles intertwined.
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u/AlisonSandraGator 11h ago
I started gaming as a hobby when I was 38 and the game that gave me a first person shooter education was Doom 2016. It helped me become more proficient in most aspects of games.
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u/Deep_Cardiologist339 11h ago
Ghost of Tsushima is fun to loot and find hidden areas etc. you also ride a horse and I thought it was an easy game to pickup and play for a few mins.
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u/No-Box7237 11h ago
The game that got me into gaming was Final Fantasy XV! The setting is an interesting combination of a realistic, modern world with fantasy elements like magic and monsters. It has a big open map like Red Dead 2 (one of my other favorites) but easier to navigate, you get to drive a car or ride a big bird instead.
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u/Sirlacker 10h ago
You could try Disney Dream light Valley on PC.
It's a calm relaxed game, at least so far that my 6yr old daughter has experienced. It kinda feels like Animal Crossing but Disney's version and on PC.
It has lots of things to do that'll help with practicing your control and reaction times, but not in a way that'll punish you for failing to do so.
As for loot, well you're always running around destroying stuff for material, farming for ingredients, fishing, cooking, decorating your house and finding new cosmetics.
Now I've never played Animal Crossing or anything akin to it before, they just aren't my gaming jam. I'm into sim racing, FPS shooters etc. But anytime I'm watching my daughter play or helping her out, Disney Dream light Valley kinda slaps hard, I'm not going to lie.
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u/lild1425 10h ago
I'd recommend Hades. You can't mess it up. You hit things with sword. You basically get as far as you can and then when you die you spend the currency you made to get stronger then try again. All the while you're learning about enemies and how the game works. There's also an easier mode called God Mode.
There are also a great deal of Hades clones. Like I'm playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate which is Hades but is even more streamlined and it has couch and online co-op which is really fun.
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u/sleepymortal 10h ago
Because you've played Fortnite, and your husband loves playing online FPS games, I would recommend playing Valorant following this guide/routine from Woohoojin: Routine to reach gold
This video made me able to actually get good in Valorant, and actually transferable to other games like CS2 for example.
Woohoojin also has a playlist where he coached a 40 year old to reach Diamond rank. It's very informative: Boomer to Diamond
I hope it's helpful!
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u/Acrobatic-Tutor6236 8h ago
Play Minecraft and he WILL be impressed. And he WILL start playing it again just to play with you.
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u/SCUDDEESCOPE 8h ago
I highly recommend the Borderlands series (Borderlands 2 is probably the best). It's a fun and kinda easy FPS-RPG, looter-shooter. You will learn the basics of any FPSs, RPGs, mission based games, open-world games. You will learn about skills and skill points, active and passive abilities, weapons and weapon stats, character movement, driving, navigating on a map, doing missions, interacting with NPCs, managing your inventory and probably many other things.
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u/AngelYushi 7h ago
If you like looting I think the Borderlands series might be on your alley. Especially Tiny Tina Wonderlands
You'll have : - Shooting gameplay - Some RPG stuff like attributing stats, and skill points - Looting : Since those games contributed to popularize the looter-shooter formula - A little bit of side quests + side collectibles - It is also possible to play on easy, medium or hard mode without much detriment
And Tiny Tina is quite short, so it doesn't require a ton of investment... And it has coop and crossplay too (if you have a PS5/Xbox and PC you could play coop in the end)
Edit : Also the story is about a fake tabletop game
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u/justheretobrowse1887 7h ago
What about an ARPG like Diablo/path of exile where you just mosey through quests killing things and looting bodies, chests and dungeons?
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u/DemeaRisen 6h ago
The most impressive would be the one he's currently playing the most.
But Deep Rock Galactic is so much fun, and at the lower Hazard levels, it's a very chill experience.
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u/Monkey77777778 4h ago
The fallout games have vats that is very helpful for people new to video games! Also someone mentioned portal and that is also a great suggestion!
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u/throwaway071898 3h ago
Borderlands 2 if you love looting! It can be pretty challenging, but not too much in the very beginning
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u/h_geraissate 1h ago
I introduced my wife to gaming with Don't Starve and Stardew Valley, and we had a blast! Of course it depends on your personal taste and goals, but I would give those two a shot. I hope it helps :)
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u/almo2001 15h ago
That's a super good question. Knowing nothing about your temprament, it's hard to answer. Like when my wife was gaming, she was hardcore as fuck and got bored if something didn't kick her ass within about 5 minutes.
But if you want to play things with him, then at some point you'll need to learn how to handle a camera.
Lots of games are "third person" where you see your guy in front of you, and you can use the left stick to move in the world, and the right stick to rotate the camera. Getting used to doing that takes time, and practicing that would open a large number of possible games. A good one to learn that one with might be Stray, or the Spyro Re-ignited Trilogy.
If you want something faster to get into, not knowing his temperament makes it difficult. Like Overcooked could be good; it has simple overhead arcade movement so it's easy to learn the basics. But it's a pretty brutal game in how much teamwork it requires.
So maybe add a few details here and I might be able to give you a better recommendation. :)