The Early Attempts

Before I got hooked on my first portable, K initially tried a couple of console games to garner my attention. There are several basic guides out there on how to get your girlfriend to play video games, and they usually suggest starting off with games that have the following features:

brightly colored, for all ages easy to learn, not too fast-paced multiplayer (cooperative) allow you to design your own character

So let's see how K did with his initial suggestions:

Game Title	Colorful	Easy to Learn	Co-op	Result
Serious Sam (PC)	yes	yes, shoot everything that moves	yes	Explosively fun, but annoying to set up 2 computers every time.
Lego Star Wars (XBox 360)	yes	yes, destroy everything made of Legos	kinda yes	K's jumping/item gathering/killing skills are far superior, so I felt like the clumsy sidekick.
Okami (PS2)	yes, a painter's dreamland	no, my poor analog stick coordination prevented me from drawing even a simple circle	no	Single player only means K gets to watch me get frustrated and freak out when enemies arrive.

Alas, it was too early for me to tackle multiplayer games. I first needed that sense of immediate accomplishment that could only be gained with baby step games like Brain Age and Phoenix Wright. I have finally reached a place where K and I can spend a quality evening at home together, gleefully slaying giant desert dragons and relieving them of various body parts. More on that later.