The act of gaming can arguably be traced all the way back to circa 1980, and the endless library of video games has expanded exponentially for decades. That being said, there are still novices to the culture logging into various virtual worlds every day. While not everyone is going to be able to dive head-first into games like Call of Duty or The Witcher series, there are still plenty of easy games to just pick up and play.
Complexity and quantity of content don't always make for an enjoyable game. Sometimes it's the simple approach that makes for the most successful title, and there are plenty of games that don't rely on depth or overly-complicated mechanics to deliver a good time.
The Legend Of Zelda
The original Legend of Zelda is a deceptively easy game to pick up, it's finishing the quest where things get a little tricky. With that in mind, it's still a classic adventure that any gamer should try at least once. Especially if they're looking to brush up on their gaming history.
Retro games are often some of the easiest to pick up and enjoy without much instruction, exposition, or even story. However, the Zelda series is one of the most treasured tales in all of gaming. It might not be fully entry-level, but it's easy enough to test the waters.
Wii Sports
If a player can swing a bat, roll a bowling ball down a lane, or throw a punch, they can play Wii Sports. Granted, motion controls were a gimmick and still in the developmental stages at the time of its release, but there's no denying the hours of fun the game offered.
It might have been a simple selection of sports games, but the ability to physically get up and "play" a round of golf or baseball from the comfort of the living room was a novel concept for its time. With a remake coming out for the Nintendo Switch on the way, it might be time to brush up on the material.
Final Fight
Walk to the right, mash the buttons, and watch the bad guys fall. If a player can master those three simple tasks, they can essentially conquer any side-scrolling beat-em-up. While there are several examples of this time-honored genre, Final Fight is the one that set the bar for the games that followed.
It's an arcade classic that's simple enough to play, yet just difficult enough to devour a player's quarters left and right. Playing as one of three fighters, gamers new and old can easily step into the action-packed title to deliver their own brand of street justice.
Centipede
Shoot the bugs and don't get hit are the only things a player needs to know when playing Centipede. Atari is one of the cornerstones that built the gaming industry, and this shooter is one of the most famous and addicting titles under the brand.
It's that combination of easy gameplay and addictive nature that keeps players coming back for more even decades after it first graced arcades. Easily one of the most recognizable vintage games to grace a cabinet or a screen, it's a pleasantly repetitive experience that lends itself to any level of gamer.
Space Invaders
The likes of Galaga, Gradius, and Ikaruga all owe their very existence to games like Space Invaders. Similar to Centipede, its simple controls are easy to grasp and its repetitive formula hits that addictive part of a player's brain just the right way. With that in mind, it's still a somewhat primitive experience no matter the console.
Space shooters are a dime a dozen, but there is perhaps no better-fitting example of simplistic than Space Invaders. It might not be the most interesting entry in the genre, but there's a reason it can still be found in arcades everywhere.
Pong
It doesn't get much less complicated than two lines and a dot. Even so, Pong is still one of the most enjoyable games in the gaming world. Despite its incredibly minimalistic approach to a game of tennis, it's still as enjoyable and easy now as it was back in the '70s.
The age of Atari's clunky 2600 might have come and gone, but Pong and its legion of clones can still be enjoyed across a multitude of platforms. It's also worth noting that the game is much more interesting when playing against a human component rather than the built-in computer adversary.
Tetris
Often imitated but never duplicated, Tetris could very easily be considered the king of puzzle games. There's practically not a console or even a mobile device around that can't handle this classic. It was a smash on the Gameboy, and it's still enjoyed by millions in the modern era.
From the standard-issue original to remixes and spinoffs like Tetris 99, it's clear that the audience for the title is still large and engaged as it was back in the '80s. The decades and consoles come and go, but Tetris will remain long after the likes of Mario and Kratos have gone.
Kirby’s Adventure
A last hurrah for the NES, but one that kickstarted a beloved series and introduced the world to a beloved character, Kirby's Adventure was made for new gamers from the design of its pink puffball protagonist. Of all of Nintendo's classic characters, Kirby is perhaps the most user-friendly, and that's made resoundingly clear in his original console title.
It's a standard platforming game, but Kirby's infamous copy ability is what makes it unique. The game isn't particularly difficult and the enemies are by no means a threat, but his cute and cuddly nature paired with the intoxicating romp through Dreamland make his titular adventure one any player of any level can both enjoy and finish.
Super Mario Bros. Series
Considering Mario and Luigi are often the first video game characters most gamers are first introduced to, it goes without saying that the Mario Bros. games would be particularly easy to pick up and play. From the 8-bit original to the newer titles seen on the Switch, Mario has been the king of the platformers for decades.
It's the adherence to the classic formula that has kept the plumber neck-deep in coins for so long. Get Mario from point A to point B, jump on the enemies, collect the coins and power-ups, save the princess, rinse and repeat. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
Pac-Man
There's a reason Pac-Man Fever swept the decade in the '80s, and it's because everyone wanted to grab a piece of the ghost-munching icon. The original arcade classic was designed to offer a less-violent alternative to the space-shooter games of the early arcade days, and the result was culture-defining.
To say that anyone can play Pac-Man wouldn't be far from the truth. If a player can operate a joystick, they can maneuver Pac-Man through the maze to gobble up the ghosts and dots for the highest score. Easy to pick up and hard to master, enough time with the original maze-runner will make almost anyone into a gamer.