How To Teach Video Games To A Non-Gamer

man I'm gonna miss matpat doing these videos, sad to see there's only 8 theories left. Thank you matpat for everything.

He taught us to live video games, and now he’s gonna give us the tools to tell a new generation.
What a legend. We’ll miss you.

“All right son, we’re at step 9, I’m going to teach you wave dashing in melee”

This video is just so important to me.
First the classic intro and Mat leaving. Mat's being a role model for me for 10+ years.
Secondly my son is 1.5 years old at the moment and I'm thinking of all the fun stuff we will do, which obviously includes gaming.
Thank you very much for making this and all the other videos too.

He just taught us how to teach our kids how to play games. HE DID THIS BECAUSE WE ARE GROWING UP AND THE FANBASE THAT STARTED WITH HIM IN 2011 ARE ADULTS NOW. This is like really deep and some may not realize this and how important it is. Amazing that he did this as one of his final theories.

2:32 seeing the old intro after all these years & the logo finally having a color for each channel really hit us hard.

Level 1: dark souls

0:50 Untitled Goose Game, hands down. It's not super complicated, it's very open concept and lets you explore, the controls are pretty simple, and all in all it's a fantastic intro to gaming.

The fact that MatPat decides to even do a theory on playing video games the right way, shows us how much he truly wants to create a special tribute for his history on KRplus.

I can’t believe so many of us figured this stuff out on our own when we first started gaming but never thought about how difficult these simple things were when we ourselves initially started. Really shows how much our focus was on the game itself, than the controls. I feel the game itself is the most important thing.

MatPat's Guide to Gaming:
1. Touch/Motion Controls
Game: Khan Academy Kids/Wii Sports
2. Joystick only
Game: Super Monkey Ball
3. Joystick + 1 Button (2D; No Fail States)
Game: Paw Patrol: On a Roll
4. Joystick + 1 Button (3D; No Fail States)
Game: Paw Patrol Mighty Pups: Save Adventure Bay
5. Joystick + 1 Button (2D; Fail States)
Game: Sonic Origins
6. Joystick + 1 Button (Multiple Functions)
Game: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
7. Joystick + 2 Buttons (1/time)
Game: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
8. Joystick + 2 Buttons (2/time)
Game: Super Mario Bros.
9. Joystick + 3+ Buttons
Game: Super Mario 3D World
10. 2 Joysticks + 3+ Buttons
Game: Pokémon Sword & Shield

Your son will solve fnaf lore in the future

I started on Wii, and let me tell you. Playing LEGO Star Wars at 5-6 years old was a mind-blowing experience. I honestly think the LEGO Games (at least the older classic ones) are pretty much the perfect way to introduce gaming to young kids. Challenging but still fair puzzles, relatively easy controls, plenty of enemies, and even though you can die, you don’t have to return to a checkpoint when you do. You just lose a bit of money and respawn right where you just died. Add in the goofy sense of humor and fun, no-dialogue cutscenes, and you have a perfect “Baby’s First Videogame.”

Oh dear, the OG intro 😭😭😭
I've found this video very interesting and I've already sent it to some avid gamer friends with little kids that want their children to love as they do.
Thanks for all the hard work Mat all these years, you are truly the best. You'll be missed a lot.

Bro hiting us with nostalgia right before you leave youtube

I just think there is one important aspect of this whole topic that it might be missed and it is that the game itself the topic, characters, story, artstyle etc it has to have that one thing that also draws this person into a game. If you dont get that interest it could be hard to just play a game for its teaching-mechanic capabilities.

The fact that MatPat teaches his son to play games instead "playing those games are bad for you." really made me give respect to him as a father that allows his young generation to play video games.

Everyone remembers the game telling us to press R3, leaving us frantically searching the controller for a button you didn't even know existed

3:04 Can we just appreciate Ollie’s Thwomp costume? 😁

Something to consider: When I was a kid, RC cars and helicopters were much more popular. Crashing wasnt humiliating, it was fun. I got to quickly take on multiple joysticks and immediately see its impact in the real world.

Kind of a shame that most of the comments are about how sad they are about MatPat leaving instead of about the content of this video. For me, though, this is an incredible video! I write education and learning material for video games, and not only is the video itself full of useful information, I’m also going to check out that book, Learn to Play. My company offers an allowance for books and courses related to our work so I can probably get it through that benefit. Thanks MatPat!

The perfect game I found to introduce my Mum to gaming was Little Big Planet which I feel gets overlooked a lot. It has all the tools to teach just about everything Matt went over, and with the level creation you can create a level to teach exactly what you need as well as customize the difficulty. You even have the stepping stone of going from 2D to not quite 3D with 3 rows of depth.

Matpat, you've helped me and my friends better understand games and the LORE around them and it made us think about the LORE around our favorite games. A game that my friends and I play alot of is Diablo 3, Reaper of souls. It is a graphic game and with a very weird character camera angle, but it allows you to build any kind of character you want to suit your play style. And if you ever get confused on the moves you can use it tells you what moves are set to what button. It helped me and my friends better learn the controllers and allowed us to get better in other games

A game I HIGHLY recommend introducing to a new gamer is Cat Quest 1 and 2! Its humour and story is very kid friendly, it's 2D, and you can play as a simple hack and slash melee player or a mage casting spells - adding complexity and inputs. It's the first game I introduced my girlfriend who's never gamed before and at first she found it hard, but now she's beaten Tears of the Kingdom by herself. The best part is Cat Quest 2 is co op too!

As a child my father introduced me to plants vs zombies when I was 3 or 4. The games easy mechanics and simple adaptability allowed me to have fun while still having a challenge. The cartoony art style adds a sense of humor and fun on top of it. This I feel is a perfect game for kids.

that intro literally gave me goosebumps. Were going to miss you mat. You carried all our childhoods

“That’s the thing about friends, isn’t it? The more you know them, the more it hurts to see them go.”
Thank you, for everything Matpat. Everything.

I freaking started crying when that old intro came on!! It's so moving to see it in a new video after so long. Thank you so much for having been such a huge part of me growing up all these years

2:32 man that hits hard. The classic game theory song while seeing Mario running with a bunch of console logos couldn’t be more nostalgic

I'm shocked you didn't mention the Lego games, like Lego batman or harry potter. Them being co-op, no camera controls, and pretty simple controls is a great learning game

Honestly, I always knew gaming was hard to get into, but after your video and how specific and step-by-step your instructions are, it sounds like teaching someone how to drive more than actually playing games. I guess I took that huge learning curve for granted.

for level 1, Bloons TD6 is a great game. It also introduces the mouse if you're on pc

MatPat: “What’s the first game you would give a new gamer?”
*laughing manically as I load up cuphead*😂

2:57
From ruining gaming childhoods to building new ones...
Now THAT'S character development.

I never truly understood how complicated pressing two buttons at once could be until I was teaching a friend how to play a platformer and they were letting go of run before pressing jump

Thank you for all this MatPat. I grew up with your silly old intro and I love seeing it again and with you going across these theories makes me sad. Thank you MatPat for being who you are and the changes that you are making. Wonderful.
When I first started playing on a PS4 I knew the controls of an Xbox. My first game was Resident Evil 6. I was doing that game like a charm. It was so easy. I moved onto other games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Resident evil 2 remake, Overwatch, Etc a lot of shooting games. They were easy just you gotta learn how to aim, timing, etc. I love a challenge though. I also tried a Nintendo and they have different controls for Resident Evil 6 and it becomes confusing if I'm used to PS4 so I relearn everything when playing with my friend.

There was a huge missed opportunity to talk about Lego games here, especially the old ones. They’re forgiving, have simple controls, no dialogue boxes, and can connect to other interests

I appreciate the info in this video so much, MatPat, thank you! My wife and I are going through the experience with our little one, she's currently two months, and we're trying to engage with her and keep her away from screens. Me being the huge gamer that I am, I can't wait to share my experiences with her, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. This video really, really helps. Thanks for all your hard work!

I'm recommending minesweeper, 2, maybe 3 inputs for chords and most non gamers will at least usually be familiar with using a computer

You mentioning motion control and Wii Sports is finally helping me understand my grandfather who, everytime we have a gathering at my grandparent's place, askes everyone to play some rounds of Wii Bowling. It's his way of trying to connect with his kids and grandkids that is fun for everyone. This was a really eye opening video, thank you MatPat!

Matpat is literally TEACHING US HOW TO GAME. This feels so wholesome. I’m gonna miss him.

my dad wanted to learn how to play games this christmas. the game he chose was ASSASSINS CREED ODYSSEY. surprisingly he actually didn't do horribly but he really couldn't get his head around the 3rd person camera meaning that when we got to the shroud of penelope quest, the first major combat that you easily do by just hiding in the bushes and shooting arrows, he just couldn't cope any more and stopped playing. in hindsight i probably should have told him that he'd probably picked the most difficult game on my ps4 bar maybe overwatch

7:58 automated like button flare thought the word button meant like button

I love that they modernized the old intros! It is so great to see style and food theory get their spots to shine! And the new consoles in this intro was great to see. I am glad that they kept the old intros while still getting over outdated stuff.

There is something bittersweet about Matpat teaching us how to teach the next generation of gamers to help ensure there will forever be more gamers that love it the same ways we do. It feels like a passing of the torch. Love you matpat. Thank you for all

The intro is the perfect description of what it’s like for me to play video games! I wish I could get into them but I die so much I get frustrated and give up. I too have so much trouble with buttons and which one does what (which is why Beat Saber is my favorite video game). Thanks for this episode!

I'm late, but hear me out for a entry level game: Yoshi Story for the N64. Earlier levels are simple and linear. The objectives are usually simple, eat 30 fruit which are everywhere. And it's pretty hard to die, because the health recovery system is by eating fruit the objective of each level. Plus it's a cute game :D.

I love how in these last theories he’s focusing on topics more personal like his son, with the chewing gum on style theory and now the intros to gaming

Wasn't expecting this video to make me feel better about my motor skill disability and how much i struggled with "simple" games like Mario as a kid, while validating how much my skills have improved through the years, But i'm definitely not complaining. Thanks MatPat :)

Yall just need to stop bothering this man about him leaving Game Theory. I understand all these comments on the first video but they should end there and this is the second video and im still seeing these comments. Comment about the video itself becuase thats what game theory is all about.

Lego games are a great co-op experience that is appropriate for kids

This episode made me way too emotional from the intro to the premise to the conclusion. I swear, the final theory is going to have me in tears.

Shocked you didn't mention any of the older Lego games, especially the original Lego Star Wars.
The game has a fixed camera, and the player only has to worry about 2 buttons separately.

Love this video!!! Ive been kind of going through this process with my friend, and this will be super helpful!

i love love LOVE this video, it's so sweet, cute, features dan, informative, and such a wholesome concept for a theory, and it's so heartwarming and admirable seeing you approach learning with such empathy and compassion, i just think about how different life would be if we applied this thought process to music or sports or schools, at least growing up at the cusp of technology within education it was nothing like this, ollie is so lucky to have you and steph as parents and i can only hope to use this video one day with my own kid(s), i tried getting my mom to play games with me when i was younger, specifically little big planet 1 & 2 but she always said she didn't have the hand eye coordination for newer games, but i remember watching her beat tomb raider II on her ps2 when i was like 4 and ik how hard and unforgiving that game is so SOMETHING AIN'T ADDIN' UP

After 13 years, MatPat has graduated from Game Theories to Game Theorems

Amazing video man! I have a 3 year old that is amazed by my job and want to learn how to play. But gaming for him is too hard. The game you showed in the first step is the one I liked too and he enjoys it too

My nephew and I jumped sorta straight to Mario oddesy, but we split the controls. He held the joycon that controlled cappy and jumping and I controlled movement. This way he didn't feel overwhelmed and we both improved our patience and communication skills since we had to cooperate on everything. Game theory has been teaching us so much over the years and it has genuinely been so rewarding using it all to now help and teach my nephew. Thank you Matpat for everything and I am looking forward to your future endeavours

This was an awesome take on teaching gaming as a skill. I'm currently working as a Behavior Analyst/Group Leader in a school for students with special needs. I've been working on trying to find a way to teach some of our students to play games as a form of team activity and came to many of the same conclusions. The kids started out with Wii sports but with some of them being more advanced in game skills with others I'm planning to use Mario Kart 8 as a way of helping to bridge the gap between those with more fine motor schools and those with disabilities that limit their ability to operate joy sticks and buttons. Love your content and appreciated the perspective from actively trying to teach Olly!

The old theme awoke my sleeping soul… it’s been too long and I’m not ready to see you leave MatPat, but you deserve the best from life. Call it due payment for giving us your best all these years. Love you buddy and all the theories you’ve energized me with!

I was scared that the last 10 theories of Matpat were going to be the usual stuff like franchises I've never heard before. But seeing this is warming my heart, because it feels like the stuff I used to first watch game theory, but also the new dadpat talking about his son.
We're gonna miss you

I’ve always been interested in lore, but I’ve never really been able to immerse myself in the more active and difficult side of gaming, outside of a few Wii, Wii U & Xbox titles. This video has encouraged me to take those first steps, so thank you :)

So glad Monkey Ball got a mention. When I was younger, Pokémon and Monkey Ball were my entries into gaming, Monkey Ball especially because everyone in my family loved to play it, even my parents.

This single-handedly makes me feel SO much better about how terrible I was at Mario Bros. 3 as a kid and how far I've come since those days. My brothers would tease me about how bad I was at gaming, but truth be told, I was starting from a higher level than I ever realized and this makes me understand why I struggled and got as frustrated as I did. Thank you, MatPat.

The first game I had my mom play was Untitled Goose Game. She didn't make it past the first area, but she said she had fun just being a nuisance to some poor gardener. In a way, I consider that a win- she had fun, and that's what games are all about.

I find everything so intuitive, and so seeing this video, definitely gave me some perspective why when I play games with others, like cousins, that they are much slowly then me for a reason.

This was an amazing video and it was a very creative video. All props to you.

mat Pat teaching me how to not raise an iPad kid is a weird experience that I am very thankful for. Starting watching as a kid myself its amazing to grow up with game theory, and now being 22 and starting to think about having kids myself its s surreal experience. Thank you mat for growing with your audience and being there for us, I think I say this from all of us but thank you.

6:44
As a kid, I found khan acadamy to be super annoying, but in high school, I want to give that man a kiss on the forehead because I think he single-handedly passed algebra 2. Super helpful tool.

Dude I got actual chills hearing the old intro again

3:58 Ain't got no mountain dews or Doritos but the lemonade garlic chips should suffice.
Definitely gonna use this guide when I inevitably introduce gaming to a friend who's not into gaming or my future children. Thanks, MatPat!

This feels so comforting! My brothers tried to get me into playing solo games with Mario and I sucked! My brothers didn't understand what was so hard, and it totally put me off from platformers. I got back into platforming with Celeste after gaming for a couple years. It feels really comforting to hear someone talk about how hard Mario is for a starter.

I never in my life have considered to see a game theory on game design and I already want for it to be a series! I might miss MatPat, but the work of his crew already shines through with their ideas.

I've had a lot of success using Heave Ho and Moving Out as games with minimum consequences, but something to aspire to, while allowing learning of timing/controls.

2:31 you just gave me so much nostalgia

My biggest fear with matpat leaving is that the "theory" channels is that the channels will seem separated rather than being a whole "company"

I'm gonna miss these theories Matpat makes and miss him entirely,But as Doctor Suess says "Don't cry because its gone,smile because it happened".

I think on the stick + 2 buttons phase, the introduction of old Arcade Fighting Games (or at least their most accessble versions) and slightly more complex racing games (F-Zero and the like) definitely can put more perspective on genre's more than anything as it goesa to show just how much can 2 buttons and a directional input can do. Its also worth noting that, while considering this for children, in consideration for higher ages of cognitive function, more nuanced games can definitely to challenge and drive, a key part about learning is motivation, and higher aged non-gaming audicences are capable of self-motivation from pure interaction and stimulus alone. So definitely trying out multiple genre's across ages is a key part of the process.
At the end of this, you'll definitely have made someone have fun, and the fruits of that labor are the memories created along the way, so motivating someone to continue playing definitely crucial for this step and the entirety of the process. Even grandpa can learn to quickscope.

I love these videos on psychology and game design!

Thank you for explaining to me why I could NEVER make it past the first big jump in Mario as a kid. It’s literally been a mystery for years.

I have one tiny little "criticism" for this list: the frustration management aspect.
As a lot of gamers know, the "gamer rage"TM is something that needs to be kept in check. And if one doesn't get confronted with failure enough times during their journey into learning how to play videogames, they might get frustrated more easily and at lower trigger levels, given that the frustration management is not learned from the start and they don't get desensitized to the frustration aspect of games, such as losing, dying, miscalculating a jump (Witcher 3 fans, represent) or simply having a game crash on them and they didn't save, making them lose progress.
The last point can be overcome with the autosave feature which is now practically omnipresent.

Roller Coaster Tycoon. It's so simple in execution yet still introduces you to maybe learning more button combinations with the mouse and some stuff on the keyboard simultaneously

This is an amazing video! Excellent, well-researched, useful, family friendly! This was awesome!

My daughter is 4 and her first "game" was Astro's playroom. She started "playing" at 3 she would just run around for a few minutes and then she gradually learned that the other buttons did things on the screen. She can now complete some of the basic stages of sonic color which is simple enough for her to play with a little guidance from am adult. She has also played a few rounds of big brain academy and does well if we explain what she needs to do.

Ah that intro
I remember that one. It's so cool seeing it with all the four colors you have now.
Despite me not watching you that much anymore, I'm still going to miss you a lot MatPat.

Might be more of an early to middle step, but I am a fan of the katamari series. Yes, they use both joysticks, but that is all you use for the whole game aside from picking levels. It also has an optional move that involves clicking the sticks, but isn't necessary.
Also, it was fantastic to hear the old intro song again.

I love this video. It is one of your last videos on this channel, and, instead of catering more to your current audience, you're helping bring in a new generation of gamers, just like there is now a new generation of theorists. Poetic.

Seeing the Updated OG intro with the new colors, consoles, and games genuinely made me shed a tear 🥲

Man the classic intro with all the new logos hit me with a wave of nostalgia I was not expecting. I’m gonna miss videos from you matpat, you’ve been an instrumental part of my development as a person and I’m so thankful for the hours of thought provoking content you’ve given us. I hope you come to miss it and come back to host a video every once in a while, but if not I guess I do have a decade of theories to rewatch 😂

Ive naturally gone theough this journey.
Starting with point and click PBS games, moving to flash games, then Wii motion controls, New Super Mario DS, Mario Kart, 3D World, and finally various Switch and simpler PC games.

I'm so happy we got the old intro back for this one

For my first nephew, I just went ahead and built a video game for him to play. It was focused on teaching him to read and was mostly just exploration. There were some easy monsters that he could one-shot with unlimited ammo, but they wound up making him so anxious that I included a button so he could turn the enemies off until he was comfortable with bringing them back to add a bit of challenge to himself. It went pretty well until that laptop died on me and I lost it.

as a person whos been gaming since like 6/7 years old, it never really occurs to me how new a game can be to someone. For example, FPS games. My friend was trying to learn how to play valorant and I have been playing for a few years now, so i know how to play and he was saying it was difficult for him to learn. Great video man!

I'm not suprised that the most replayed part of the video is the old intro. It has been updated with modern logos and its amazing. I honestly cried watching the old intro go by.

Some of my first games when I was very little were Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Yellow. Very simple one button actions, yes you need to know how to read but even before I could read very well I could still figure things out. While I don’t play Pokémon anymore, it was definitely the game that made me fall in love with them and keeps me playing games today

2:39 thats the most beautiful thing i ever seen

17:27 the way matpat talked about the number of buttons feels like he gonna teach us al the way to pro smash league levels

Elmo's Letter Adventure on the Nintendo 64 remains to be a favorite of mine. Different parts of the game progressed through some of the steps he talked about and had dialogue to go along with the text on screen. Inspired me to read more and learn the alphabet quicker, it's why it has a special place in my mind.

Old Skool Mortal Kombat.
It's a bonding experience with whoever you play with. Nobody knows how to play it "properly" but you can clearly understand that the d-pad pad moves you and button mashing does cool things. Through repetitive button mashing it eventually kicks in that certain buttons or button sequences do predetermined things, all at your own pace.

Matpat has had the ultimate character development arc
Ruining Childhoods Since 2011
Creating Childhoods in 2024