When some of my friends hosted a New Year’s party to ring in 2010, I was ecstatic. A chance to see familiar faces, sip delicious drinks and play a few games. And, oh, what games there were: Twister, Cranium, Charades. Joining these were, of course, the decidedly more visually stimulating video games.

Let’s put in ‘Rock Band’ so the girls can play,” the host said. Enter baneful glare from yours truly. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends. But, quite frankly, they’re guys.

Now, I’ve got nothing against guys. Guys are confident, adventurous and quite a few are really good-looking. They’re also a bit self-absorbed, and that’s a-okay. But this smidgen of self-worship means that sometimes guys don’t think about those around them. In this particular scenario, my friends had forgotten just how much I, as a girl, love video games.

Far from being a rare occurrence, I frequently hear the idea that when it comes to girls, video games just aren’t our forte.

Girls game. Indeed, they’d love to join the guys — and I yes, I am addressing this to the guys and I admit now that much of what you’ll soon read could be said to be generalization. So I say to the guys, there are some simple tips to follow first if you want to get your girl to game.

Step one: Realize that most girls have been conditioned from a very young age to be kind and gentle creatures, and the decreased levels of testosterone in the woman’s body means she’s not as aggressive as you. In other words, don’t have her jump into your next “Killzone” match and expect her to grow comfortable with it. Start off slow with games that are casual gamer friendly. These are competitive without being overly aggressive and don’t require the dexterous finger-and-thumb twiddling that more seasoned gamers possess. If you need more suggestions, ask your local specialty store or trusted expert.

Step two: Relieve the tension. Human beings are social animals, and girls are often more social than guys. Therefore, it might logically seem like the proper thing to start this endeavor at a party or gathering surrounded by friends. But trust me, you’ll find more positive results if it’s just you and her.

Girls are already self-conscious enough of their looks and mannerisms. The last thing they need is to worry about making a fool of themselves in front of their friends. If you want your girl to game with you, make sure it’s communicated that you want her — and specifically her — to game with you.Be patient and don’t expect things to just come to her. Coach her along without being antagonizing or overbearing and she’ll walk alongside you. Not in front, not behind — alongside.

Step three: Find out her tastes. Despite what some commercials may have you believe, girls are not biologically inclined to play “Barbie Horse Adventures.” If your girl has dipped into the pool of gaming and found it to her liking, she can usually swim just fine by herself.Remember when you first tried new gaming experiences and developed your tastes accordingly? Well, that’s what your girl is doing now. Allow her some freedom and encourage her to branch out and try new experiences, even if it means you do so with her. Of course, what you may find through this adventure is that your girl simply doesn’t like gaming. Which leads to the final tip.

Step four: Be happy with her, and her alone. The reason you should be getting your girlfriend, fiance, wife, what-have-you is because you care about her as a person. If you care about her as a person, you’ll see her as one, with her own needs and desires. Respect that, even if it means she turns out to be uninterested in gaming. Make sure your girl knows that you value her for who she is. If you’re trying to get your girl into gaming so the two of you can share an interest and hobby, congratulations. Your heart’s in the right place.

If you want a trophy to show off to the guys, then you may want to check your experience bar. Don’t be that guy. As much as I love my friends, don’t be like they were New Year’s Eve. Don’t assume things like they did. They assumed, for example, that a girl would prefer to play games like “Rock Band” over “Halo,” because she couldn’t play the more sophisticated and complex games. Girls can play. Girls do play. Some girls are rolling their eyes at this column because I’ve generalized the feminine gender and none of these things apply to them. They’re fine. But some girls are just aching for a player two. You willing to pick up the controller?

Sophie Prell is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Alta. This column appears courtesy of Sophie Prell’s blog, “G3 – A Girl’s Guide to Gaming.” For more gaming-oriented news, reviews, and commentary, check out “G3” by following this link or Sophie’s Facebook fan page.