I've been reading the Codex for a bit more than a decade now, just not participating. The games list that Infinitron put is completely representative of the Codex, and almost all the games are in one sense or another interesting and/or good. Why do you do this to yourselves? There's nothing wrong in spending an afternoon installing Skyrim mods and jerking off to them when you get a new GPU, or getting "lost" in a couple of the dungeons. Similarly there is nothing wrong with Portal, the new XCOM and Civ. You don't get extra manliness points by ignoring your own games list.
Enjoying those doesn't remove value from other games. Why everything has to be so black and white? Why the extra internet testosterone? I'm not arguing for peace on Earth, just for a little less hypocrisy.
Personally, I research games extensively before I decide what to invest time in. I value my entertainment time very highly and am not looking for time wasters. I look for games that are fun (the way I define fun), deeply satisfying, challenging, intellectually stimulating etc, that I can spend months with (over multiple playthroughs), and remember them fondly afterwards. Sure, no game is perfect, but they have to satisfy a few of my requirements at least.
So no, Skyrim has not persuaded me to give it a try (and yes, I understand that Bethesda spend their evenings crying over my decision).
Can everyone stop using the example of Civ? Civ4 is probably one of the most hardcore games ever created, what is wrong with you all?