Help me defend us!

[wertyscp]

Definitively Heavy Rain, not because it's best, but because it's the easiest. If your father thinks games are a waste of time, chances are that he is not familiar with a controller, and he probably won't be able to complete most games that people are recommending here.

 

[GoGrapefruit]

Or just call him a pussy and get him Duke Nukem Forever

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

Monkey Island, if he's even the tiniest bit of a geek he'll appreciate its witty writing.

 

[Sacul]

Portal 1 and The Secret of Monkey Island. Make sure to remind him that movies have violent shoot 'em ups too yet there are still incredible works of art in the movie industry just like there is in the gaming industry. Unless of course he thinks the same about movies...

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well you may have laid it on a bit thick comparing them to books, they don't have quite the same depth but they can easily go head to head with movies.

Some of the games with a great undertone that will spark some imagination(people who read books should appreciate these):
- Bioshock 1
- Portal 1&2
- Half Life 2(ya it's straight up a shooter but let him play it last and maybe he can see the bridge between fun and story)

I would have suggested some old RPG games but they can be a bit too much for a newcomer.

 

[Hafnium]

As others have correctly pointed out, you need certain criteria for finding a game that would prove your point. Most of my favourite games are big and complex or in a genre with a steep learning curve. Avoid all that, and make it simple. That's why Portal is such a good suggestion, and I'd add Trine, Magicka and the Monkey Island remakes on steam. I say MI assuming he'll be able to get adventure games and has a sense of humour.

In short, show him something simple and fun, with little to no combat and an easy learning curve. Forget Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Final Fantasy as well as horror and gory games at this time, they are for people who like games of their genre, not for people who don't yet like games.

 

[emptyother]

So I got into a discussion with my dad about how a game can be as engaging, worthwhile, and with a story as good as a book. He sees games as violent, blood filled, time wasters with no value,...

It is true, games are mostly violent, blood filled time wasters. MOSTLY!

What books does he read? What movies does he enjoy? Find something close to that.
Portal 2 is without blood he problably wouldn't enjoy it if he hates Science Fiction...

And if he think video games are time wasters, Minecraft would probably be out of the question.

Red Dead Redemption is great if he likes westerns, but not if he (like me) prefered western comedys. And the story is great, but a lot of shooting in between.

Old adventure games, maybe? Or new adventure games? Back to the future is a good choice if he enjoyed the movie-trilogy.

 

[Nightvalien]

portal

 

[Lord Of Cyberia]

OKAMI. It's GLORIOUS. Or Mass Effect. NOT RED DEAD REDEMPTION. Aren't half the objectives Shoot Women, steal their horse, tie it to a railroad track and stand there laughing?

(Because that sounds HILARIOUS, I'm sad to say)

 

[monkey jesus]

Alan Wake.

Just picked it up cheap and played it in the dark. Shat my pants.

 

[Amishdemon]

I would say BLOPS because yes i know i has violence but the violence is neccesary with the story to show how dirty war is.

 

[Chris^^]

So I got into a discussion with my dad about how a game can be as engaging, worthwhile, and with a story as good as a book. He sees games as violent, blood filled, time wasters with no value, so I want to convince him otherwise! I got him to agree that if I could find a game I thought he would appreciate, he would play it all the way through.
So I need suggestions.
My first thought was Red Dead, but I haven't played it myself so I fear that the missions might just be shootout after shootout. Second thought was Silent Hill, but I don't want him to shit his pants.

So, I need a game that represents games at their absolute best, but something accessible enough for a total non-gamer to play and enjoy.
(Also, it'd have to be a PS2, PC, or Xbox 360 game)

if you want engaging I'd suggest Fallout 3 - the opening act of growing up I found particularly immersive, and all the back story that can be discovered I found to be absolutely exceptional. Mind you I'd avoid the Bloody Mess perk haha.

I'm sure Portal has been suggested a lot, and I'm wracking my brais for any more games which are less violent with a good story.

 

[Jakub324]

Metro 2033. It's like a book. Great detail, great atmosphere, decent gameplay and 10/10 story.

 

[CCountZero]

So, I need a game that represents games at their absolute best, but something accessible enough for a total non-gamer to play and enjoy.
(Also, it'd have to be a PS2, PC, or Xbox 360 game)

First, check all of your friends and see if any of them have a PS3

Then follow this guys advice:

Heavy Rain

This guy was the first to say Heavy Rain, and he is spot on.

Your dad reminds me of my own, and it would most certainly be the best game to prove your point.

Personally, I'd rather call it an "interactive movie", but it would be a good starting point, and you dad won't suffer from what he doesn't know. To him, it'll simply be a game.

 

[FalloutJack]

I like several ideas in this thread, especially Portal games and Shadow of the Colossus and Ico. HOWEVER...

I would also recommend Dark Cloud. If has the patience for an RPG, I might suggest a Persona game as well, like one of the recent ones.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

After all the previous suggestions, your best bet would be for Portal. I'd go with the sequel because there is no blood to prove your point even further, Also, try Sam and Max. Incredible point and click adventure games.

 

[Irriduccibilli]

If you could tell us what type of movies and such your dad likes, because right now we are just shooting in the dark, coming with suggestions. If he's a guy that likes sci-fi, make him play Mass Effect, if he likes adventure in different worlds, make him play Oblivion/Fable. If he likes action, make him play Call of Duty (anyone, I suggest CoD4, first Modern Warfare), if its historic games = Red Dead Redemption/Assassins Creed, if it's horror = Amnesia. If he is an military man, or ex-military = Battlefield. Survival/zombies = Left 4 Dead, it also gives you a chance to play it together with him. Lastly, if he likes Indiana Jones = Uncharted 2

EDIT: So I just noticed that you don't want him to play games with only shooting and blood, well, then I would still say Mass Effect, it's more than just shooting enemies, same goes for Uncharted and Amnesia, Oblivion and Fable

 

[Harkonnen64]

KotOR I & II are some of the best story based video games out there in my opinion. Violence is there, of course, but no blood or gore and the real-time element makes it more engaging than a straight turn-based RPG.

The lead-in to the big reveal in KotOR I was subtle and damn-near flawless and genuinely felt like Star Wars.

KotOR II didn't have a big reveal and the main villain was somewhat obvious, but both the antagonist and protagonist are made interesting enough through various discoveries throughout the game that it stays engaging. (Until the last act, that is-- damn development schedule.)

 

[KezzieZ]

It's already been said but I think Portal, Portal 2, ICO, and Shadow of the Colossus would be some of your best bets.
They're all very engaging and at least fairly well-known (so they can't try to throw in the "Well, it's good but I'm sure it's a rare example. No one even knows about it." argument).

 

[ExileNZ]

Personally, I'd recommend Portal or Heavy Rain.

You'd need to do some coaching for Portal, goading him along as necessary rather than just leaving him to his own devices - he's not a gamer, mouse + WSAD is not a natural occurance in his repertoire.

Heavy Rain seems good for a dad, because even if it's got some violent and/or disturbing content, he COULD just spend hours helping his son with his homework.

Black and White is also good like this - I got bored 5 minutes after leaving the tutorial, on which I had spent hours showing my mum how easy it was to get attached to Kitty and his worshippers.