Adventure games
These are video games where the player takes on the protagonist's role in a story based on puzzle-solving and exploration. The focus on the plotline allows it to draw upon film and literature for inspiration; almost all adventure games are single-player.
Most adventure games don't have any action or combat challenges; this is what mainly sets them apart from action games. That doesn't mean that there's no conflict in an adventure game, just that combat isn't the focus of the story. Some adventure games also contain minigames that come from other genres, which doesn't always sit well with purists.
Some games blend adventure and action pretty well; these games have a more physical aspect and a much faster pace. The "action-adventure" genre is hard to apply, however. Adventure games are different from role-playing games (RPGs) in that they involve an element of team play and a points system. They don't have an internal economy or the numeric rules common in RPGs, and these games don't focus on gaining experience or on strategy.
There are games that blend aspects of RPGs and adventure games, though. Adventure games may contain puzzles, but they differ from puzzle games because they typically have an avatar that the player guides through an interactive story.