they play a game against people who have already played the game. I will usually tell friends the first time they play a more challenging game to expect to lose the first time they play, and just spend the game learning it and understanding the strategy. And I'll expect the same the first time they teach me a more challenging game.

There is also a bit of a curve to learning to think strategically. That may sound stupid and obvious, but if you're coming at strategic board gaming with a mindset of Risk, Clue, The Game of Life, or Sorry!, you may be a bit unnerved at first. Essentially, you have to think in terms of doing things that will maximize the number of victory points both long and short term. For some people that isn't fun, which is totally okay. For other people, it's very interesting to see the melding of a great strategy game with an interesting theme.

However, if learning a complex game isn't your jam, there are many "light" board games that can be taught in five minutes that are great fun. Azul, Splendor, Modern Art, Cascadia, Parks, etc, etc, etc...

For those who feel like any type of strategy games are too mathy or less fun, social deduction and bluffing games with a large group are fantastic. Games like Avalon, Spyfall, Hail Hydra, or the less savory Secret Hitler can be enormous fun. Very simple to learn, and you mostly spend the evening yelling at each other and accusing each other of being evil.

And there are also fantastic card games out there which are fun, strategic, and easy to learn. Scout, Skull, Gang of Four, Skull King, etc.

Point is, writing off "games" is somewhat silly when there are so many different kinds that are more approachable to people. Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the game that fits you.