ChessBase has never had a very intuitive interface, but it seems to just get worse and worse. I just got the latest version and I can't even figure out how to view the games in a database. I did find the "next game" and "previous game" buttons on the menu. How do I just view the games in the database in a list, so I can select one to view?
(That I even have to ask this question, seems idiotic. All the more so that I am a software developer.)
Ok, I'll handhold you, but I have CB 13. I doubt it is much different.
When the program loads, you get a tree at the left side. Select Database Path/Bases. this should load a file list of the databases you have. Find the one with the largest number of "Games". For me, it is Big database 2002, but I think I loaded that from a previous version. Otherwise, you can click the "Board" icon at the top and open a new board. At the top of the Board is an icon labeled "Online". That will open a subwindow of games from the online database.
If that does not help, hit the help files.
You can also go to This Week In Chess and get weekly games from most major tournaments without annotations. I do this every month or so. It is roughly 4000 games a week.
Good luck. Help files are your friends.
~Professional Software Engineer
Might seem obvious, but you really should hit the help files in ChessBase for these kinds of questions. They are pretty thorough, and extensively hyperlinked.
Personally, I find it intuitive, and I too am a software engineer.