How to Explain the Game to a Nongamer?

[kunoichi squid]

Alright so we all love this game a lot and could explain the game to fellow gamers, but how do you explain the game to a nongamer? In my case I'm trying to explain the core concepts of the game to my mom who doesn't understand technology in even the slightest bit. She doesn't know how or why the characters keep changing colors, the clothing, etc. The only thing she understands is the objective of Turf War. She also doesn't understand matchmaking, the "weird names" (read: usernames/IDs) in my lobby, or even the leveling system.

Thanks for everyone's help in advance!

 

[Ansible]

Consider instead of explaining it to her outright, explain it to her as if you were teaching her how to play (if you already haven't). Take it slow with her and keep it basic as possible. That should keep the information overload to a minimum.

If nothing else, give her these four core concepts to comprehend:

• the characters are kids that can turn into squids (and octopuses)
• their weapons are like water guns or paintball guns
  • and the mess they make lets them swim around/move faster
• their colors keep changing because that is their team color for that match
• clothing is partly fashion sense with each piece of clothing also giving you a special power, like running faster

Nearly everything in the game is built around that. Once she begins to grasp it you can drip feed her details while also encouraging her to (re)ask questions, with some of your answers tying back into the four concepts above.

And take your time with her--it's not always easy to pick up on new things, especially when it's something completely outside your realm of knowledge or understanding.

Let us know how it goes! :D

 

[Hiro Protagonest]

I think both squids and octopi use ink sacs to change their color.

Otherwise it's mostly just stuff done for the gameplay.

 

[ϛ(°³°)/`]

I usually just say that it's "Nintendo's version of a shooter" and that it's "basically paintball, but you can use the paint to move faster, swim up walls, and hide".

 

[MindWanderer]

To be fair, no one really understands matchmaking or the weird user names. And the leveling system is fairly pointless.

 

[Nutmeat]

Its all too complicated, just tell her you’re on drugs and change the subject the next time she asks.