Help me defend us!

[Archangel768]

I would direct him to a scene or two in Final Fantasy XII but, that would rely on the hope that he doesn't say something like 'that game is using movies to tell a story' or something along those lines. I'd probably use Final Fantasy XII over the others because it would come off as more mature (assuming your dad can only appreciate more 'mature' things). Otherwise I'd recommend X, VII, VIII. But X and XII mostly use movies to tell the story anyway so you have to hope he doesn't try and use that defence. Although he can't deny it's all in a game

Something like The Curse of Monkey Island would be pretty good. But games like Portal, Okami, Monkey Island games have a different kind of story telling. Especially Portal which is extremely subtle in the way it tells its story which he might not really get (I don't even get what's so amazing about the 'story telling' in the game because to me it doesn't really have much of a story.....)

I think Half Life 2 would be good. (although it is a shooter.)

Good luck with it all.

EDIT: like the person above says, Heavy Rain might be a good idea. It tells a story in a way that he can probably relate to using QTE so technically it's all done using gameplay.

EDIT2: I just realise you said PS2, PC, Xbox 360.

I'd just go with Final Fantasy XII. Or X if you think he'd be willing to give it a go. If he says it uses movies you can just tell him it's all in a game and technically you win the argument. Of course don't tell him about the movie thing and hope he doesn't say anything about it.

People say ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are great examples of storytelling in games. I haven't played them but they seem like they're quite good for the most part (although people say Portal is great for storytelling which I don't particularly agree with. It's subtle and works fine but, I wouldn't call it 'great' or a shining beacon in video game storytelling history.)

 

[Nulmas]

Others have mentioned:
Flower
The Portal games
Heavy Rain

The Metal Gear Solid games could do the trick, they are very movie like with all the cut-scenes, it's not Oscar quality stuff but it's much better than your standard action movie. Also, the games focus on sneaking past enemies and not shooting them. Most, if not all, of the games allow you to play through them without killing anyone.

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are very engaging but have little story. ICO would probably be better just because in Shadow of the Colossus you just go around killing colossi that didn't do anything to you, but it is a pretty emotional type game.

Maybe Mirror's Edge, it's all platforming and avoiding conflict with the enemies. You can easily go through the game without using a gun. I would think it would be a pretty visceral experience just watching someone play.

I haven't played L.A. Noire but that could be a good one. It's pretty much all solving crimes, I don't think there's that much mandatory shooting.

Ah, I knew I had forgotten something: ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are truly great indeed

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

How does he feel about horror? If he's a fan then Amnesia is an absolute must, hell me and my flatmates treated the experience of playing it like a book. Wait till dark, turn off the lights, play an hour each. Terrifying.

 

[Simalacrum]

I happen to be writing a blog piece about how I think videogames have the potential to be far superior narrative devices in comparison to films and books and whatnot actually, so would you like me to send you a link to the blog once I've done?

Anyways, I would actually recommend Red Dead Redemption - the narrative involves a lot of nuances and metaphors about the Old West, and how the protagonist is deeply connected with the dying ways of the West, etc. I won't go into too much detail since you haven't played it yet (you should, though!)

Actually, Grand Theft Auto IV also has such deep narrative too; I'd say going with the unexpected, stereotypically violent videogames and showing how they actually have surprisingly deep stories and such might be a good approach. :3

 

[OceanBlue]

Okami. Just Okami. One of the most beautiful games I've ever played.
Also, try some point&click-adventures.

 

[Scabadus]

I'm shocked that nobody's said Mass Effect yet (cue the post directly above me after I post this saying it). It's a story about combat so at it's core it is about violence, but the same can be said for a lot of great stories in films and TV shows and quite a few in books.

If you think that the simple act of shooting will bias your dad's judgement then try Neverwinter Nights. To enjoy it he'll need to understand at least the basics of D&D rules (no idea what edition but I don't think it matters, it's the truly basic stuff you need to be able to play competantly) but if you do that it's a fun and engaging story. Also it's got swords and bows, so its got that "similar to Lord of the Rings" vibe that helps people see past the combat. Just make sure you turn the violence to low or off in the options, otherwise you'll have trolls exploding over you when they die. Hilarious, but hardly helpful to the argument.

Do note that both these games are long and will take several days or even weeks, depending on playtie per day, to complete.

 

[Thaius]

You could try to jump right into a game, in which case I would recommend Heavy Rain (outside of having a great story, it's one of the few games that isn't all about violence, so it would simply work better in convincing him than an action game with a great story), but I think your best option would be to rely on a few arguments to soften him up first.

One thing I would recommend is a few smaller arguments. A good starter would be asking him why video games would be incapable of the same level of storytelling; a short discussion with him trying to explain why games couldn't tell good stories would lead to some gaping flaws in his logic pretty quick.

But one thing that could shut him up pretty quick is something as simple as menu music. Menu music is what sets the mood, it's the first thing the player will be hearing, so it's largely up to it to set a first impression. Check out the menu music for a given Final Fantasy game; if video games are all pointless blood and violence, why is this song playing?

<youtube=WPx3h5bwXVQ>

Heck, consider Halo, a first-person shooter all about shooting up aliens within an awesome sci-fi war story. It's often stereotyped as a shallow shoot-em-up. So why would Bungie think the best way to represent a non-stop action-fest is this music?

<youtube=R9crGX-MbZk>

Obviously there is something more to this.

Then show him some stuff like Extra Credits, or sites like Binary Narrative and The Game Overthinker. There are great arguments out there that can only be refuted by willful ignorance.

The fact is, some people just never will be into gaming. Maybe your dad will be, but the goal here should not get him to like gaming, it should be to get him to understand its value even if he does not personally enjoy it. Discussion and examples will work better in this case, I think.

EDIT: If you end up using Heavy Rain and playing it for him, make sure to have him make the decisions. It's a lot more effective that way, when he sees the weight his decisions have on the story. Worked for my mom, that's for sure.

 

[Kair]

Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 on emulator.

 

[Theseus32]

You need to strike a balance. You also need to keep in mind that odds are good the last video game experience he had was on 8-bit. I would strongly recommend Braid. Superficially simple, very accessible, tight game play, but with many layers of depth to it. Plus it's not that hard, and it has a great ending.

Alternatively, portal. Go with portal 1. Portal 2 was tricky in parts. You want this to be as painless as possible for him in order to allow immersion.

 

[Titan Buttons]

The new Donkey Country on the Wii is co-op and now violent, portal 2 as well.
Also Lego Pirate of the Caribbean/Harry Potter are really fun co-op games

 

[funguy2121]

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)

Farmville has a very compelling story. Dostoyevski can kiss my ass.

 

[Wintermoot]

maybe Chrono trigger or HL2 (although HL2 is a 18+ game it doesn't focuses itself on violence and gore)
also Portal 2

 

[AnAngryMoose]

If he likes sci-fi then I'd say go to Mass Effect. Yeah, you might need to help a bit to get used to the RPG elements, but if he can do that then the story is worthwhile.

If he likes puzzles go for Portal. He'd see that games can provide food for thought and have witty dialog.

Also, Red Dead Redemption would be good, especially if he likes Westerns (like my own dad) and if he sticks to the main story he'll be in for a treat. The ending makes it worthwhile, so you'd have to make sure he reaches the end.

 

[funguy2121]

The new Donkey Country on the Wii is co-op and now violent, portal 2 as well.
Also Lego Pirate of the Caribbean/Harry Potter are really fun co-op games

"Oh, banana!" Who the Hell is Kurt Vonnegut, anywho?

 

[Joccaren]

Personally, since he sees games as only violent, have him play Portal 1. Portal 2 has some lines that he may just use against gaming.

If he realises that there can be a story behind violence and such, and he appreciates in-depth stories, I'd get him to play Dragon Age: Origins (Provided you are on a PC) or Mass Effect 1. Though both these games have sequels, the story writing in these sequels is substantially weaker than that in the originals.

Make sure, whatever you do, that you get games that do not have horribly clunky gameplay on your platform of choice, have a level of violence and rude/offensive remarks that he won't find offensive, and a strong story. Then, you might have a case.

Also, if he really doesn't mind violence that much at all, have him play Bioshock 1. Don't tell him the twist, don't let him google it. Have him find out by playing the game. The moment you find out what has really been going on throughout the game, its one of those 'wow' moments, and is a fair shock to anyone's system, if they were immersed in the game.

 

[DazBurger]

Portal! Not the sequel.. Just Portal!
There is no better game to turn the non-believers.

 

[Mstrswrd]

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)

You ave a PS2, and your first choice isn't Shadow of the Colossus or Ico? Come on. Anyway, Portal, Portal 2, Okami, possibly Ico (that may be a tad abstract, so maybe not), I'll go ahead and say Metal Gear Solid 3 (despite the fighting, since it's a James Bond esque spy thriller), Braid, Outland (again, some puzzle-like combat, but artistic and stylized), Rez (do that one, do that one), and do Silent Hill (make him shit his pants. Fear is one of the most basic and primal emotions, so it's effective). Prince of Persia 2008 (all combat is bloodless, kind of a puzzle, and actially fairly rare).

Apologies if some of my descriptions were on games you've played; I don't know what you have or haven't played, so I'm assumig none of these for an easier time.

 

[Spacelord]

Definitely Portal 1 or 2.