1 game to represent gaming to someone who has no clue about it.

[ZeroMachine]

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

It isn't my favorite game (nor is it my favorite Zelda game) but it is the perfect gateway game for a multitude of reasons that I am currently too tired to list.

 

[Mallefunction]

It depends. Like some people DON'T at ALL like violence, others embrace it. My mother only liked Little Big Planet and I had her try about 5 different games which were relatively simple to pick up. She's very anti-violence so I was also limited to non-violent games.

She actually HATED Portal because she said that it wasn't fun. She thought the concept was neat, but looked over at me and said, "So when does it get fun?"

Point is, everyone derives fun and intrigue from a different source. No ONE game can encompass all humans.

 

[Fleeker]

It depends. Like some people DON'T at ALL like violence, others embrace it. My mother only liked Little Big Planet and I had her try about 5 different games which were relatively simple to pick up. She's very anti-violence so I was also limited to non-violent games.

She actually HATED Portal because she said that it wasn't fun. She thought the concept was neat, but looked over at me and said, "So when does it get fun?"

Point is, everyone derives fun and intrigue from a different source. No ONE game can encompass all humans.

They don't have to like the game to appreciate the industry. If you choose one game to represent the industry it needs to be simple, easy to learn, and give them a taste of what the industry is about. I chose Ms. Pacman (you can go back and read my post for my reasons) because even if someone hates it they get a sense of the control over your character and how to handle adversity that exists in video games. You can hate Ms. Pacman and still get a sense of what the industry is about and that other types of games exist. If you go with something deeper then you could taint the industry. If someone gave me an in depth FPS as the 1 game then I wouldn't like the industry but you give me something basic to introduce me and tell me about all the genres afterwards you would have my interest.

 

[ACman]

I dunno. An of the past four Zelda games?

Angry Birds?

Mario?

Civilization?

 

[Nikolaz72]

Peggle. . . or plants versus Zombies.

 

[Steve Fidler]

Team Fortress 2

Co-operation, Conflict, Many play styles, customization and collectibles. It's got a little bit for everyone.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Portal worked well for me when trying to show my girlfriend what gaming is about. It has humor, puzzles, and a good story. And it doesn't revolve around the "go here and murder things" that turns most people away from gaming.

So if someone knew absolutley nothing about video games you'd show them a game where you do one thing for only about 3 hours?

OT: Probably a Bioware game or Metro 2033.

 

[jimahaff]

First you don't want to overwhelm them with details, or with complexity, I assume that you are going to have them play the game; if that is the case then keep things simple. Nothing that is going to color their experience, and bias their opinion of gaming. So as much as I love bioshock that is a horrible idea. I would also stay away from First person shooters in general, not only might the violence turn them off, but the shooters tend to be some of the most competitive games.
You also want something that isn't too hard to learn control's for, RPG are out here as well because they are overwhelmingly complex for a newbie.
If you want something that came out recently try Red Dead Redemption. The game has incredible aesthetics, a good story, and while the controls are a little complicated things like the auto aim and dead eye make the game easy enough for beginners to grasp.
If you don't mind going old school then Mario is the way to go, it is an old game but is has aged well, and the gradually scaling difficulty, lack of hard core violence, and cartooney art style help to ease people into it. Plus it is probably one of the simplest games ever made, and pretty much everyone has heard of Mario.

 

[TraderEddy]

[deleted]

 

[Evaheist666]

I've played games since the Atari 2600 days but I have to say Doom. It's what made a gamer-for-life out of me.

 

[mrhateful]

Neverwinter night 2, Its one of the best, easy to get into RPGs and its PC only which is like +1 in anyway review.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Portal worked well for me when trying to show my girlfriend what gaming is about. It has humor, puzzles, and a good story. And it doesn't revolve around the "go here and murder things" that turns most people away from gaming.

So if someone knew absolutley nothing about video games you'd show them a game where you do one thing for only about 3 hours?

Yeah, actually. Portal = simplicity + good design + good writing. It's a very polished experience, and easy to pick up on.

OT: a Zelda game, a Sim Noun/The Sims game, Prince of Persia:SoT, Minecraft, Psychonauts (except for that last really hard level), maybe a JRPG of some kind. Tales of Symphonia jumps to mind for a JRPG since it has a co-op - you can play a second character if the person in question needs help. The goal is fun + good design + good or no writing + easy.

If you want something like a book, I'd recommend some kind of interactive fiction (I'm not a big fan of this genre, but I liked Shade and Violet a lot. Shade is like an unsettling short story and Violet is funny.) I've heard good things about "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream" if the person likes creepy SF. Planescape:Torment jumps to mind because it's probably one of the best written book-like games, but the weird DnD setting may turn people who aren't sufficiently nerdy off if it's the first game they pick up. I wouldn't recommend Witcher 2, even though I think it's up there as an excellently written book-like game, because it's hilariously complex and pretty difficult compared to other titles.

 

[Jegsimmons]

probably any valve game and halo. after all they aren't really frustration, fun gameplay, very nice graphics and design, and leaves you wanting more in a good way.

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

That one with the peggles. I forget its name.

Bejeweled? No, that's not right...

Either Bioshock or Red Dead Redemption. Both have fantastic stories and environments.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 I think its not too threatening, complex or diffcult to begin with and has lots of different gaming styles in it, you can even collect coins by 'shooting' them FPS style. It's also gorgeous. That's for a completely new to the medium person ofc.