Call of Duty, Mario, Battlefield, Zelda, Madden, and Pokemon.

god of war.

"don't be such a bitch"

Absolutely. I was blasting my way through the Smash Bros Brawl Subspace Emissiary with my son earlier on today.

Earliest computer games for my kids - CBeebies educational games on the PC (CBeebies is a BBC preschoolers' channel, so the games are based on their  TV shows) - it helped them learn how to use a keyboard and a mouse.

Earliest console game - any variant of Mario Kart and any variant of Super Mario Bros. For my kids it was the Wii version of both. 

Chess and minesweeper

My kids will be given the gift that I was. I grew up in the 2000's (I'm 20 now) so my "childhood" should have been the N64 and the Gamecube. However, I was lucky enough to instead have grown with the NES, SNES, and then N64. Because of that, I grew up with the games that made gaming what it is like those who were there from basically the beginning. My first game was super mario bros for the NES in an era where Mario 64 was changing gaming, and I learned first hang how mind blowing that was. I played Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. 3 and Excite Bike and Elevater Madness. I played Mega Man X (oh, and Mega Man 4) and A Link to the Past (And The Legend of Zelda) and Donkey Kong Country as if they were new. I got to play Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time with all that bit history and it made them special experiences. I don't care if I have kids in the year 2050. Their first system will be the NES. (Or at least the Virtual Console)

Ultimately it would be his/her choice, as long as it's not a 16/18 plus game. But I would probably recommend 3D Mario, Mario Party, Mario Kart, Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda as their first gaming experiences. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in particular, while certainly not my favorite title in the series, would be an excellent starting point.

I agree should be their choice.. I'll give him my Wii U with all digital games and watch a few trailers with him to see which he wants to play with me.  Starting with NES Vc the first year, SNES Vc the 2nd, N64 Vc, then my Game Cube, then Wii, finally when he's 10 yo he can play digital Wii U games.

A more "recent" choice, I would say Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom.

A classic choice, Ocarina of Time.

A nostalgic choice, Baldur's Gate. If I could "understand" what I was doing at 8 or 9 when I played it, my kids will be able to as well.

Something easy and accessible, but also meaningful and fun. Maybe Mario Kart Wii?

I would start of with old Nintendo games and then move on to the newer ones