1. Start small! Buy her a DS or other handheld with great puzzle strategy games that would pull her in. When moving to online competitive games use games that are easy to understand and play without complicated weapon systems and such.
Casual games for beginners to recommend are Brainage, Animal Crossing, Wario Ware, Cooking Mama, and Trauma Center. Hardcore (yet easily controlled) games we recommend are Halo, Gears of War, and Quake.

2. Teach her the basics! Carefully explain the mechanics of the game and what each button/key does in-game and how to use it. Please note that the hardcore games that should be easy to pick up entail mostly shooting and moving without using a lot of buttons or combos!

3. LAN it up! Bringing people over in a social environment will pull her in. Nobody wants to sit on the sidelines and most people have a competitive streak. If you host regular LAN parties on any game she will join in soon enough and her first kill/score should reel her in!

4. Find other girl gamers! There are tons of girl gamers playing online all the time now. If your girl likes being around other girl gamers, point her towards some girl clans to join who usually train newcomers and provide safe and fun environments, or simply keep an eye out for other women they can make friends with. Most girls like to play with other girls and stick together, so if you can find one of these elusive unicorns, usually they will do the rest for you in bringing your girl into the game more. Plus, if she sees other girls doing it well, it will give her hope and kick in her competitive edge to do better.

5. Pay attention and praise! Make sure she is getting a lot of support and assistance and you are including her in every aspect while gaming. The moment she feels that she is being excluded, or something is more important than her, is the moment you lose her UNTIL it becomes as important to her as it is to you. After she is as addicted as you are, then this attention thing diminishes.

6. Let her pick the game! Take her to get rentals or go online to show her all the different games and types and see what piques her interest. If she chooses something herself she might be more interested and apt to play it herself.

7. Double up your system of choice! Buy or convince her to buy another of your favorite system so she has something to call her own and you don’t have to split-screen or take turns on.  If you don’t live together, remind her you can play together and chat (even video chat) on almost every platform out there. Keep stressing that she can spend more time with you wherever you are and that it is much better then messaging! If you live together, it’s even better to double up because you won’t have to share and can play together on games not in split-screen or taking turns.

8. Take it easy! Don’t try to make her go on a 10-hour gaming spree; be attuned to when she is getting bored or frustrated and get her off the game. It is crucial that beginners don’t get too frustrated as they will hold those negative feelings and associate it with gaming, so make sure you start in small increments and do something else if she seems to be losing interest. This means YOU will have to get off the game with her, so come back later when she is fresh again! Eventually, her skill will get better and she will want to play in longer stages gradually.

9. Take one for the team! Bring her into to online games with you and play on the opposite team and let her kill you a few times. Nobody likes sucking at a game, so give her the encouragement and support needed to make her feel she is doing well, even if she isn’t, by sacrificing a few lives or a few losses in the name of love!

10. Have fun! It is important that your girl is always having fun when she first starts to game, so do everything in you power to ensure this happens. From social interaction, praise, jokes, easy games, etc. Everything you do to ensure a fun and happy environment while she is gaming will help her want to keep coming back, so take a look and make sure there is always a smile, laugh or smirk coming off of that face!

NEVER:
• Tell her she sucks.
• Constantly kick her ass as nobody likes to lose every time. Until she’s got the hang of it and can hold her own, you help her feel like she is doing ok and is picking up the game well.
• Introduce her to MMORPG’s (unless that this is the game you’re playing and you aren’t going anywhere soon, as you might lose her forever).
• Force her to play something she doesn’t want to.
• Let her know you let her win/get a score/get a kill or give her that assumption if she does it legitimately.
• Let her think gaming is more important then her.
• Rub it in her face when you kill/score on her. However, encourage her to rub it in yours! (It sucks, I know, but you have a higher purpose - right?)

Game on and good luck!  We can’t wait to see more girls gaming!

Editor’s Note:  The Frag Dolls do not encourage people to use these tactics with EVERY girl who games; you will likely come off as condescending and are likely to get your butt kicked.  These tips are to help introduce gaming to those girls who have very little experience with videogames and/or might be reluctant to try them out.