How Shambling Zombies Brought My Girlfriend And I Closer (And Reminded Me That Games Have A Long Ways To Go)

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Posted November 19, 2009 - By pklepek

How Zombies Brought My Girlfriend And I Closer (And Reminded Me Games Have A Ways To Go)

My girlfriend isn't one of those people who likes to sit and watch other people playing video games. The moment the screen lights up and the controller pulses, sync complete, either she's flipped open her netbook, found a book between the couch cushions or simply left entirely to watch a recorded show in another room. But she'll stick around if she can get involved in the action, like a Wii Sports Resort or the litany of LEGO-linked video games (LEGO Batman being her favorite).

It's not that she doesn't like video games; she loves them, proudly carrying a DS in her purse. It's that modern video games, largely dependent on a nuanced understanding of the interaction between two analog sticks complemented by the litany of buttons both on top and to the side of the controller, overwhelm her. I've seen it happen to plenty of other people. They want one stick and an A button, maybe a B. But not X, Y, L1, RB, LB -- you know what I mean. It took one video game to change that.

BioShock, because of its surprisingly deep contextual weaving of the writings of Ayn Rand?

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony, due to its respectful treatment of homosexuality?

Nope.

Left 4 Dead, owed to the fact that it let her live out an impossible fantasy: slaughtering zombies.

Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott Ending Next Week

This is not the first time I've written about this. Almost a year ago when the original Left 4 Dead was released, I first documented my girlfriend's experience coming to grips with the dexterity demands of the video games we debate day in and day out over at the MTV Multiplayer blog. But with Valve having launched Left 4 Dead 2 on PC and Xbox 360 this week and my girlfriend being one of the active participants who helped me review the sequel, it seemed like a topic to revisit here at G4.

As I wrote before, from the beginning I knew Left 4 Dead was a poor choice for introducing her into this environment but I had no options; she wanted to come to grips with all of these new buttons and mapped movement options explicitly because of the subject matter. She'd sought out time with Left 4 Dead because the prospect of properly mowing down a zombie horde was far more appealing than tackling the aliens in Resistance 2 (which she called "ugly") or Gears of War 2 ("no comment").

"My poor friends," I thought to myself during her first game. Instead of sticking to offline split-screen for her first adventures against the undead, my friends asked me to hop online, so I brought her along for the ride. Luckily, both were friends that knew this was her first attempt to try this fan-dangled shooter thing, so they were understanding when nearly every time we failed a stage it was because of her. But even I had trouble remaining patient with her sometimes -- a personal failing of understanding.

"She's trying," I'd tell myself, but that didn't make the frequent Smoker attacks less frustrating.

These were some very clear problems my girlfriend had when first trying out Left 4 Dead:

The difference between left button and left trigger ("Why are there two?")
Having to literally look up to climb a ladder ("Why do I keep falling off?")
Moving and shooting at the same time ("I always have to stop and aim.")
The amount of buttons on the controller ("I keep tapping X instead of Y.")

There was one comment that underscored everything.

She asked how I could move the screen around while running at the same time. "Uh, because the other stick lets you look around?" I said jokingly. Except, she was serious. She'd never put two and two together. And this has proven the biggest obstacle even a year later, after Left 4 Dead 2's release. When we both jumped into the Dead Center campaign to tango with some mall zombies, her ability to manipulate both movement and aiming simultaneously had improved (largely because she became temporarily obsessed with Batman: Arkham Asylum -- remember the LEGO connection?), but it still remained a significant obstacle to success in a twitch-based shooter like Left 4 Dead 2.

We have much further to go to give them [new players] the tools to enjoy the best of what gaming has to offer

I always appreciate playing these games with her because it reminds me how far we've come with introducing casual players to games with DS and Wii...but we have much farther to go to give them the tools necessary to enjoy what we typically associate with the best gaming has to offer on a deeper level. Unlike movies, music or books, a certain skill-set is required to enjoy video games. That doesn't exist in any other medium, but if the concept of slaughtering zombies or the embodiment of Batman was enough to get my girlfriend to dive in and figure it out, maybe everyone has their own hook out there.

The controller will always remain an obstacle. Even though Nintendo has brought gaming to an entirely new audience, they're being indoctrinated on another control approach. Maybe Project Natal and Sony's unnamed motion controller can help bridge the gap. As it stands, even if someone wants something more than what's available on Nintendo's platforms, coming to grips with what's being asked of their hands isn't going to stop being an issue.

The industry has one extreme and the other. It's not enough. We need something in the middle.

For now, I'll keep playing Left 4 Dead with my girlfriend. Boomer! (Not again...)

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Tags: Videogames

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sleekonia

hey my wife is a trooper, shes into L4D more than me. I mean don't get me wrong i love the game but i'll notice a huge jump in her achievement points by the time i get off work. and just to catch up Ill have to play co op with her so she'll tell me where and how to get it. its a shame... at least I'll always have Gears and Halo, she turns into a girly girl on both of them. either the music is too scary or she hates getting sniped online.

Posted: November 22, 2009 9:06 AM
Silverwolf001

I guess its cause I've always played with these kind of controllers. I was so surprised that anyone not familiar with shooting finds it so difficult. I never even thought of it as remotely difficult. I guess its all just second nature.

Posted: November 20, 2009 3:19 PM
Cmac4

Yo... A couple suggestions as far as games to sort of ease some one in that worked really well with my girlfriend are. We started off with portal out of the orange box because it has pretty much the simplest control scheme i could think of, while some of the actual puzzles were a litter hard for her to grasp right off the bat so i had to help with those but it really helped with the whole having to move both sticks thing. And after that i showed her Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion because it has a relativly easy control sceme to but slightly more complicated then portal...she also loved the fact that you got to build your own character she said it made her feel like she was really in medievil times slaying evil witche and trolls. After she started getting the hang of more controls we started playing Army of 2 since its a shooter built completely around Co-Op i figured it would give us something to do together but also she really started getting a hang of shooting while moving. So now today were playing L4D2 Assassins creed 2 and other games that have about as complicated controls as it gets.

Posted: November 20, 2009 3:08 PM
kentatayfoe

I just gotta say my girlfriend does not normally play videogames, only the occasional xbox game, Fable. She told me she finds shooter games so frustrating but was always wanting to be able to enjoy them as much as I do. When playing Left 4 Dead 2, she came over and watched and decided she wanted to give it a shot, as surprised as I was, I let her join in and we played, i was so surprised. I told her the basic controls and from there she started beating those zombies to a pulp, Left 4 Dead 2 is such a innovated game to even allow someone with little experience or interests in shooter have the much fun! So I let her try Borderlands! and...not so much :P

Posted: November 20, 2009 1:37 PM
dantastic4

Well for me I used to date a gamer chick and it was'nt what it was cracked up to be.Me and her would constantly get into fights over the controller.Believe me I'm a very patient gamer and tried with her but she was just to damn stubborn.Its kind of like thoses cosplay chicks that go to those conventions and blow money on making costumes and toys.They maybe a nice Idea at first but then they wanna always go to conventions and blow more money instead of saving for,I don't know maybe a house or a car or a future.The girl I'm with now does'nt like games and to be honest thats perfectly fine by me.She has her reading novels and planting flowers.I have my games and bad b-movies.So you guys that try and get get yours ladies to game remember be patient with her and most of all if shes just not into it consider it a blessing.

Posted: November 20, 2009 1:32 PM
IcemanMX

That was a great article, Mr. Klepek. I really enjoyed reading it since it reminded me of the times that I've tried to play (non-Wii) games with my wife. For us it was RE5, because it let her either move or shoot, but not at the same time. We actually got through "professional" difficulty together. Granted, I did most of the leg work, but I understand where you are coming from. There really is no "middle ground" when it comes to a transition between really casual and hardcore. Maybe this is a niche that is waiting to be exploited.

-M

Posted: November 20, 2009 12:00 PM
meh_siah

I dont think its any coincidence I find my girlfriend interested in the following games; Uncharted 1 and 2, BioShock, GTA IV. She enjoys theses games to the point of getting upset and demanding a second playthrough of chapter if I progress without her present(Uncharted especially). This speaks volumes of their deep narrative, character development and overall engaging cinematic experience. She describes the following games as "douchey"; Gears of War, KillZone2 and Halo... and as much as I enjoyed all of the above mentioned games, shes right.
P.S. She laughs at, not with, 90% of the people I come accros while playing
MW2 on xbox live. Enjoy you anonymity losers, a girl laughs at you even when your online and "safe".

Posted: November 20, 2009 11:17 AM
mittens1231

Damn I got my girl a dsi and she loves it. But where the fun is at is on the ps3 and sometimes the 360. I want to get her a ps3 to play since she got a 360 but her brother plays it all the time so no time for her. And we can communicate most of the time since i play when we cant see each other. But she doesnt want one.... you think if i get it for her she'll be mad? She doesnt want it because its alot of money. I think im going to get it.

Posted: November 20, 2009 9:02 AM
duhreetoh

Boy I sure have been hearing a lot about your girlfriend her experiences with zombie video games lately.

Posted: November 20, 2009 8:57 AM
Bandit690

Wow.....are video games becoming as complex as learning to play a guitar now days, Where you actually have to practice to get better? (if that makes any sense)
Ahh....really makes you want to go back to the old consoles for a few minutes, then say WTF!? WHY CANT YOU DO ANYTHING IN THIS GAME? and then you pick up your Xbox controller once again....

Posted: November 20, 2009 8:44 AM
hellastu

at least your girls will play newer games my girls stuck in 1998 with her n64 i mean i love to go back and play some zelda or supersmash bros. i mean i cant even get her to play guitar hero

Posted: November 20, 2009 8:27 AM
RebeliousMinds

I just recently started getting my gf into games, believe it or not the game that has hooked her is Indigo Prophecy, I think it is a great starter game, because it gives you leeway to make mistakes and has a great story. Also the action sequences are training up her reflexes in a simplified manner which I think will transfer over to more reaction based games like L4D. I've got her all excited for Heavy Rain now too.

Posted: November 20, 2009 8:02 AM
river_tron

I got my wife into gaming very slowly. She was a fan of Sonic back in the day, but never picked it up again as an adult. I introduced her to the wonders of Galaga and Ms. Pac Man and she was hooked. Then it was Geometry Wars type of shooters and her reflexes were improving drastically. I'd love for her to learn 1st person controls, but it was pretty hard for her as well to come to grips with all the buttons and camera controls. She's hooked on Fat Princess Online right now and is awesome at it.

But....

Now I wake up every Saturday to find her already hogging the PS3 and I have to wait to play.
Double edged sword my friends. Cool, yet not cool at all.

Posted: November 20, 2009 7:50 AM
johnnytruant

Yeah, this is the game that got my wife into FPS games. It took her a long time to figure out the dual analog stick, and although she's mastered looking side to side, the up and down still gets her. Ladders are a chore, and mudmen kick her ass. I've noticed that when they show up she tends to crouch instead of look down. She still doesn't do much running and gunning, but she has no problem moving through a crowd swinging a machete. It's almost as if the changes they've implemented in the second game are there to gradually teach people to play FPS. Still, despite the whole looking up and down thing she's gotten really great, we tend to play through campaigns on advanced. She tends to get impatient playing online with people who really suck, and is way better than me when I'm drunk and trying to play.

Posted: November 20, 2009 6:57 AM
strudle666123

Excellent article. I'm slowly introducing my girlfriend to gaming. Shes always down to play games like spyro on the ps2, but I'm introducing her to call of duty this Sunday and see how she handles it. maybe ill do what the author did and find a game that tickles her fancy and fulfills a fantasy.

Posted: November 20, 2009 5:34 AM
Mr.Rager

I know how hard it is to jump controllers. I jumped from the n64 controller,to the PS1.to the Gamecube,back to PS2,to the 360(shooter controller master piece,to the PS3.

I got my PS3 after my 360.So,I didn't have much skill playing shooters with the PS3 controller. So,the day KILLZONE 2 released. My friends were laughing at me bcuz i was walking into walls. But now I'm better,

Posted: November 20, 2009 4:58 AM
Ailya

This is such a boys club :L

Posted: November 20, 2009 3:58 AM
iENDERi

Removing the controllers from the eqaution is probably not the answer. This story reminds me of when I properly got my wife into video game with Halo 2. She too, like most people including myself experienced the learning curve of Dual Analoge control, and although the first couple of weeks of playing single player with her was a slightly frustrating process, I kept my sanity by remembering my first encounter with this control set up back on PS2 with the Medal of Honor series.It definitely took some getting used to even for a seasoned gamer as myself. I knew that once she was able to wrap her brain around the concept she would be fine, and here she is today completing spec ops missions with me in Modern Warfare 2 on VETERAN difficulty. So I have to say that this new idea of taking away the controller to make games more accessible for new players is a flawed ideal considering that anything worth doing comes with a learning process. Gaming is an activity which is alot like a sport. And most sports have some sort of equipment that you must learn how to use. Imagine if they came up with some new "control method" that allowed you to play paintball in real life without learning how to handle a paintball gun or the other equipment associated with that game. Having paintballs fly out of a head mounted thought controlled device, or something bizarre. Even when the time comes when we have the option of using mind control to drive gameplay, which I hope is still far off, I think people will still connect better with a controller in hand, and feel the joy of refining their hand eye coordination.

Posted: November 20, 2009 3:35 AM
Aerindel_Prime

I bribed my girlfriend to play through the first two halo's by telling her that I would hold out on her until she got through. It worked, she got through both on normal difficulty but once she did that she never plays anything besides Hexic 2.

Her problem wasn't the controls, she just seemed to be constantly lost in the levels, It seemed like she just couldn't tell when she was going backwards in a game. I kept telling her, "See those bodies, you killed them, that means you've been here before(long pause) that means your going the wrong way"

We did go through ODST together on legendary but afterwords she admited that mostly she just followed me.

Posted: November 20, 2009 3:14 AM
JLove89

For my fiance it was Halo. Our friends would come over and we would spend hours playing split screen. One day we were just relaxing and watching TV and out of the blue she says, "I want to learn how to play Halo so I play next time everyone comes over." We spent the rest of the day playing so she could get the hang of it. Since then she still plays with us when we have a big group over and we are slowly working our way through special Ops on MW2. She enjoys playing but it is more of a social thing for her, she does it to have fun with friends. The rest of time her reaction is the same as Patricks girlfriend (usually pulling out her laptop to harvest imaginary crops on Facebook). But she also never nags me about playing games like some of friends have to put up with, because she understands firsthand that it can be fun. I am lucky to have it so good.

Posted: November 19, 2009 11:40 PM