A good way to teach someone to use both the WASD and the mouse efficiently?

X is really excited about getting into video games, but she tends to forget to move when attacking or to attack when moving.. also (a huge problem in isometric games like Bastion) she tends to only press one WASD key at at time, moving in straight lines rather than continuous paths.

What would be a good method or game to teach her to rest her fingers on the WASD keys and use several at a time, while also not forgetting to attack?

Solution 1:

It's a matter of practice.

1. Game genre

   I think there are 3 genres which are very appropriate to play in order to learn movement/mouse coordination:

   • FPS (First Person Shooters): e.g. Counter-Strike: Source, Alliance of Valiant Arms, Call of Duty, Team Fortress 2, ..
   • MMORPG (Massive multiplayer Online Role Playing Games): e.g. Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, Forsaken World, Rift, ..
   • MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena): League of Legends, Smite, Dota, ..

   They rely heavily on simultaneously positioning and attacking (using the mouse), so I think these would be the perfect games to practise with.
   It does not mean you are limited to these genres.

2. Tips and tricks

   Another way would be to observe her play and notice what she can improve.
   After giving tips, let her try out the tips if possible, even if there is no objective nearby.

   Giving a reason for your tips and tricks also works very well. That piece of information is something that will stimulate the brain to think about the action and put it into action easier.

   Although giving tips is great, remember to let her discover most of the game. She needs to get used to the mechanics rather than copying what others do.

3. Enjoy the game.

   The last important thing is for both of you to have patience and get used to the world of games. Practice makes perfect.