While maybe not kid friendly due to themes in the game, but i think The Binding of Issac is a pretty good place to start.
It is easy to learn, but provides enough space for skill growth. It offers a nice mysterious progression of enhancements and curses to amplify that core gameplay. Furthermore, the gameplay loop with randomly generated levels, item tables, and shuffling boss rosters, the game really offers so much for someone to get new to games excited about.
My wife never grew up with video games, where i was the opposite. we dated for about 3 years and one day she asked me about BOI. I showed her how to play it on my PC and the rest is history. i think she had clocked almost 1000hrs in the game. Now, she plays games more than I do! She bought an Xbox and plays whatever is on game pass. I am almost certain she is close to perfecting Hades.
A close second would maybe be the Aliens arcade shooter with the big ol guns you point at the screen!
It’s also worth noting many games now have a “story mode” like difficulty, an easy mode with almost no risk, just something to allow you to experience the story.
What comes to mind is the Uncharted series, though I would probably try to avoid any sort of 1st or 3rd person shooter like game with the typical dual stick controls.
The Portal games. They show how games can build alternative realities in a fundamentally more tangible way than other mediums while not assuming previous experience with games.
Minecraft is also my go to. You have the initial hurdle of teaching them to walk with one stick and look with the other, but if they can get past that it tends to pull people in for hours.
Well, I would definitely recommend Java edition, which is only for desktops, laptops or Android over bedrock, but it is still a good game in either edition.
You get to be an animal, and run around and explore an expansive but uncomplicated world. You meet other animals (players), and try to communicate with only animal noises and emojis. And you run around together collecting resources, that unlock more animals or animal things to use.
There isn’t one single answer to this, it depends on the person’s predilections. But good beginner games have in common that they have simple controls, start out easy and introduce new elements piecemeal. An engaging world and story can provide the player with direction.
Portal 1 is one of those games that I’ve heard lots of people enjoy that don’t usually play games and it ticks all those boxes.
The Super Mario jumpNrun games are also great as an introduction as the controls are very intuitive and explorable. Plus it’s fun to move around and traversing the world.
Minimalist puzzle games like Monument valley can also do the trick for some folks.
IDK it kind of depends on what they might be into. Maybe something like Minecraft, Portal/Portal 2, or Skyrim where the mechanics aren’t too complicated. I think multiplayer can be a big way to keep people interested too. I’ve gotten my parents who dislike video games to enjoy Golf with Friends and Jackbox games.
If they like puzzles that’s also kinda easy there’s tons of low barrier to entry stuff.
It doesn’t directly answer your question, but this playlist of videos is tangentially related. It’s showing the experience of trying various games/genres of games for someone who is not at all a gamer. It was really interesting to see some of the things that gamers might take for granted which are completely foreign to someone who hasn’t been steeped in gaming.
This was where I introduced my daughter to games a few years ago. The controls are simple, the game isn’t asking too much and it’s just good fun to walk around and “Honk”. She absolutely loved it.
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