What's the most embarrassing game to describe to non-gamers?

So I popped into our local game store today with my girlfriend. She's not a gamer by any means, but knows enough about Minecraft and game like that. She played some New Super Mario Bros with me and we love playing Surgeon Simulator together. I spotted a sign advertising the new Animal Crossing game and blurted out how excited I was for it coming out soon. You could have cut the air like butter. "What." she said. I tried to hang onto a sliver of self respect as I tried valiantly to explain why I, a 28 year old man, though Animal Crossing was awesome and how it's really addictive. How you have to pay back a raccoon called Tom Nook with bells so you can buy a bigger house and decorate it. How you grow fruit trees and send presents to your animal friends. Totally failed, girlfriend thinks I'm a manchild.

What other games sound fucking stupid when described to non-gamers?

Dwarf Fortress/Crusader Kings 2

You'll sound like a crazy person.

Have your girlfriend actually play it then prepare to buy another copy for yourself because she won't want to give it up.

This is my exact plan. That game is crack. Sweet, animal crack.

Hotline Miami.

It truly is the murder simulator that parents and politicians have been warning against. Ish.

I had to think about this one. I don't get embarrassed about much when it comes to games but I know I got a bit of grief for Katawa Shoujo. And that was from gamers! =[

*pat* *pat*. We've all been there. There's creepier pornographic visual novels anyway. Not that I know about those. >.>

I dunno if I'd be embarassed, but trying to exaplain what goes on in Binding of Isaac would be an awkward affair.

@apathylad: I know, my boyfriend calls it my "burn rape game" waaaah! Talking of pornographic games! I was playing a game where the guy was sleeping with an underage girl who turned out to be a blob... or something? I didn't finish the game! Hmm, I do need a new one to play though!

I think when you explain these games to people, sometimes you can't entirely make them "get it", but the direction to go is to not just describe the mechanics and aesthetics, but describe the experiences the mechanics and aesthetics give you. Animal Crossing is kind of about paying a raccoon and collecting fruit, but the way I see it, it's more direct and relatable to say it's about being part of a world that's simple and charming, interacting with likeable characters, feeling a sense of progress, having the joy of building a collection, feeling a sense of productivity, allowing yourself to be creative, especially in creating spaces, etc. I'm sure a lot of people would still think it's dumb that a man might be interested in decorating a house, or the fact that the cute, fuzzy animals are part of the charm of that game, but I still think you can better cut to the core by explaining why those parts of the game that might sound childish to non-gamers interest you.

I think the end-game of this question is just us naming a bunch of sex games though. My pick would be Stroker for the C64, imagine explaining that to someone.

Surely the right answer is any game within The Sims series, right?

"Hey you know what I like to do for my leisure time? I like to play dress up with simulated people and control their simulated lives."

(I say this as a longtime fan of The Sims.)

Modern military first-person shooters.

Try explaining one to a four-year-old.

The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Animal Crossing. I still haven't been able to convince my friends why that game is fun. Pretty sure all they see is the childish animals and art style. The lack of any substantial objective makes it difficult to explain as well.

Some anime heavy jrpgs maybe, but I wouldn't really say I'm embarrassed. More that I'm well aware of how some people react to anime, and am tired of explaining them only to get a weird response in return. That same kind of thing goes for competitive games like Starcraft. Not embarrassed by them, but there's always that one person who sees it and says "so its a game about clicking and all you're doing right now is watching other people click". To them, I give a proud yes.

Tried to explain to my girlfriend why I play Minecraft. All I got was befuddled looks.

Maybe Viva Pinata. I never played it besides the demo, but I remember people being weird about it looking like a kids game.

Rapelay? No in all seriousness I think games like Animal Crossing and Viva Pinata come pretty close.

Katawa Shoujo. Any way you slice it, people are gonna look at you like you're a brony.

Yeah, Viva Pinata is another one, for sure. It's definitely got deep mechanics and all that, but it's coated in Saturday morning cartoon Fudgehog cuteness that is gross to people looking in on dudes who play it. Pokemon would be another for me. I'm always screaming "but it was a game before it was a cartoon etc!". But yeah, again, 28 year old guy who catches Pikachus and Meowths. Bad.

@gaminghooligan:

Seems to me Crusader Kings 2 would be rather easy to describe, if you kept it rather vague. You're a king or a noble and you're dealing with a lot of political intrigue, perhaps your backstabbing son, the neighboring nobles and kings, or various members of your retinue. There are wars and alliances and a lineage to deal with, as you try to hang onto and increase your political influence.

Dwarf Fortress is sort of the same thing. Keep it vague and don't discuss mechanics and you'll be alright. Your in charge of a group of Dwarfs who set out to set up a place of their own. You make a settlement, find resources, and fend off wildlife and the elements and monsters as you try to build up your home from a hole in the ground into a thriving fortress.

Describe it like that and they won't think you're crazy. They might just think you're boring... :( But if they're not into games any game sounds boring to them, probably.

I don't know, Pokemon? I'm not ashamed that I enjoy Pokemon, but there is a strong preconception about it being for kids that's not easy to explain through to a non-gamer.

Although frankly, I think it's hard to explain any game to a non-gamer. Even something as simple as a shooter is awkward to explain why it's fun to shoot people to someone who doesn't already have an appreciation for games. It's like when your mom would ask you what game you were playing even though you know even if you told her at best you could expect blank stares.

I tried to explain Custer's Revenge to a friend who is the son of a priest. That wasn't awkward at all. But then we went to dinner with his dad and granddad (also a priest) and the party at the next table was a bunch of women in their 40s or 50s discussing blow job techniques so it wasn't the most awkward thing that day.

Persona 4.

"OKAY SO YOU'RE A JAPANESE TEENAGER AND YOU GOTTA SOLVE A MYSTERY BY GOING INTO THE TV AND ALSO JUGGLE THAT WITH RELATIONSHIPS AND SCHOOL. HIGH TEST SCORES LEAD TO POPULARITY. POPULARITY LEADS TO INTIMACY."

Vinny played it I think last week?^^

Gal Gun.... I've had to tell people about this game an alarmingly high number of times.

I was playing this on my Vita when I visited my family back in December and my brother asked what game I was playing. I just said it's a JRPG and left it at that. He understood. haha

Japanese sex games make for very awkward conversation.

If you can deal with the slow burn through the first game, Muv-Luv Extra and Alternative are pretty cool. Alternative in particular does an interesting job poking common tropes with a pretty sharp stick. The only real downside is that the sexytime scenes definitely don't mesh with the story.

Train simulator 2013!

Persona 3:

You're a teenager that's part of a secret organization hunting shadow monsters during the night when time stands still and people turn into coffins. You help fellow students and people around town with their issues, including a classmate that's hot for teacher and a teacher that's hot for student.

Also, you summon things like a giant penis demon and an incarnation of Satan himself by shooting yourself in the head. Finally, you're basically teenage Japanese Jesus.

I think you'd be embarrassed to describe that one to gamers, never mind non-gamers. Source: I own Euro Truck Simulator 2.

I've been thinking about this all morning and all I got is literally every JRPG ever.

The Banjo Kazooie games. All jiggies, jinjo's, gruntilda's and mumbo's

You are thinking of Saya no Uta. Fantastic story and absolutely worth going for all of the endings.<

Try Fate/Stay Night. Or Utawarerumono.

@artemesia: saya no uta has always seemed to creepy to me to play.

Though since I finished Chaos;head maybe I shouldn't talk

Anyway, for the OP, just explain to her that it's sort of a fantasy reality show you play; close enough to the truth (admittedly I only know of animal crossing by proxy but still).

as for mine... uh, maybe something from Ice Pick Lodge (The Void or Cargo The Quest for Gravity)

Diablo and the games alike.

"So I kill the mobs to get better loot to kill the mobs to get better loot".

Farming nightmare or whatever its called must sound insane to a non-gamer.

@killroycantkill: For you sir =D

I had to explain to a bunch of fighting game dudes why I liked Persona 4 when Persona 4 Arena came out. That didn't go so well.

I had to explain Dragon Age 2 to a bunch of non-gamers once, which got me stared at too.

Hell, my biggest issue related to the topic involves my roommate,who is a gamer. Try explaining the gameplay concepts behind Flower and Journey to a dude who plays FPSs, Fifa, and RPGs only.

Starting an explanation with "So you're the wind trying to pollinate all of these flowers" got me some blank ass stares.