Learning simple guitar chords is the most important thing for the absolute beginner. To play guitar, all you really need to know is a handful of open position chords, a few strum patterns and you can play lots of songs. These basic chords are the foundation of almost every style of music – rock, pop, folk, country etc…
The problem most beginners run into is how to change between chords at the right time. Beginners often attempt to play the chords to a song by strumming to the syllables of the lyrics but find it difficult to keep a consistent rhythm. Learning basic repetitive strum patterns is also an essential part of playing guitar. For now you can start by memorizing these basic chords.
Of course there are plenty of cool riffs to learn too!