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A video game genre is a specific category of games related by a common gameplay characteristic. Genres are not usually defined by the actual content of the game or its medium of play, but by its common challenge.[1]
Genres may encompass a wide variety of games, leading to even more specific classifications called subgenres. For example, an action game can be classified into many subgenres such as platform games and fighting games. Some games, most notably browser and mobile games, are commonly classified into multiple genres.[1][2]
The following is a list of all commonly-defined video game genres, with short descriptions for individual genres and major subgenres.
Action edit
Action games emphasize physical challenges that require eye-hand coordination and motor skill to overcome. They center around the player, who is in control of most of the action. Most of the earliest video games were considered action games; today, it is still a vast genre covering all games that involve physical challenges.
Action games are classified into many subgenres. Platform games and fighting games are among the best-known subgenres, while shooter games became and continue to be one of the dominant genres in video gaming since the 1990s.[3][4] Action games usually involve elements of twitch gameplay.[3]
Platform games edit
Platform games (or platformers) are set in a vertical or three-dimensional (3D) environment. Players guide a character through obstacles, jumping on platforms and battling enemies in order to advance. They often involve unrealistic physics and special movement abilities.[2]
Donkey Kong was one of the earliest and best-known platformers; the American gaming press classified it using the term climbing game at the time.[5] Super Mario Bros. was one of the best-selling games of all time; more than 40 million copies were sold (excluding Game Boy Advance and Virtual Console sales).[6] Jumping Flash! introduced 3D graphics to the genre, being the first console platformer to incorporate 3D graphics.[7]
Shooter games edit
In shooter games (or simply shooters), players use ranged weapons to participate in the action, which takes place at a distance.[2] Most shooters involve violent gameplay; lethal weaponry is used to damage opponents. However, some shooters, such as Splatoon, have non-violent objectives.
Shooters, aside from subgenre classifications, can be further classified by their perspective of play. First-person shooters are played within the protagonist's perspective; they often include a heads-up display displaying key information such as the current health of the protagonist.[8][9] In third-person shooters, the protagonist's body can be seen fully; the environment is rendered from a distance.[9] Some shooters incorporate both perspectives.[2]
Shoot 'em ups pit players, who are usually shooting from a vehicle, against large waves of opponents; the player must attack and avoid opponent attacks as well as obstacles.[10]
Light gun shooters are controlled with a gun-shaped controller; light guns function via a light sensor, hence the name "light gun". The technology has been used as early as 1920s for shooter games, although electronic video gaming did not exist at that time.
Since the 1990s, shooters, most notably first-person shooters, have became widely successful in video gaming, accounting for a large percentage of video game sales.[11] Wolfenstein 3D, created by Id Software and released in 1992, was credited for pioneering gameplay and graphics elements incorporated by many other shooters.[12] Also developed by Id and published one year after Wolfenstein 3D's release, Doom is broadly considered to be one of the most influential games in video gaming history.[12] Other successful shooter series include Half-Life, an widely acclaimed and commercially successful series noted for its influence on contemporary shooters; and the Call of Duty franchise, with more than 175 million sales across all its titles.[13]
Fighting games and beat 'em ups edit
Fighting games simulate close-range combat against a few opponents, often involving violent and exaggerated unarmed attacks against opponents. While ranged and melee weapons may be present in fighting games, they emphasize hand-to-hand combat.[2] Beat 'em ups (or brawlers) are a related, but distinct genre; they both involve close-range combat, but beat 'em ups pit players against large waves of opponents as opposed to a few.[2][10] Many fighting games incorporate heavily-emphasized attacks based on various marital arts systems. Fighting games were one of the dominant genres in video gaming until the late-1990s, where the genre saw a general decline. Fighting games released after the late-1990s, including ones that are part of popular franchises, did not attain the popularity of earlier fighting games.[14] Beat 'em ups saw a sudden decline in popularity in the same time period, but 3D beat 'em ups have kept the genre alive.[15]
Other subgenres edit
- In open world games, players can move freely in a virtual world and given the ability to directly influence the game without a linear structure.
Adventure and action-adventure edit
Adventure games emphasize their story and mental challenges. Players usually indirectly control the character and the outcomes of each action are predetermined; there are usually few physical challenges in adventure games.[2]
See also edit
Game interfaces edit
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Game platforms edit
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References edit
- ^ a b Adams 2013, ch. 3 § 1.
- ^ a b c d e f g Adams 2013, ch. 3 § 2.
- ^ a b Adams 2014.
- ^ Wolf 2012, p. 572.
- ^ "The Player's Guide to Climbing Games". Electronic Games. 1 (11): 49. January 1983.
- ^ "Mario Sales Data".
- ^ http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-platformer-in-true-3d
- ^ Call, Whitlock & Voorhees 2012, p. 5.
- ^ a b Adams 2015, p. 39.
- ^ a b Rogers 2014.
- ^ Konnikova, Maria. "Why Gamers Can't Stop Playing First-Person Shooters". The New Yorker. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ a b Barton & Loguidice 2009, ch. 5.
- ^ Liebl, Matt (April 2015). "Call of Duty franchise surpasses 175 million copies sold". America: Gamezone. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ Dunn, Jeff (2012). "http://www.gamesradar.com/fists-and-fatalities-history-fighting-games/". Gamesradar. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ Spencer, Spanner (2008). "The Tao of Beat-'em-ups • Page 3". Eurogamer. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
Bibliography edit
- Adams, Ernest (2013). Fundamentals of Game Design (3rd ed.). San Francisco: New Riders. ISBN 0-321-92967-5.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Adams, Ernest (2014). Fundamentals of Action and Arcade Game Design. San Francisco: New Riders. ISBN 0-13-381130-1.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Adams, Ernest (2015). Fundamentals of Shooter Game Design. San Francisco: New Riders. ISBN 0-13-381094-1.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Wolf, Mark, J. P. (2012). Encyclopedia of video games : the culture, technology, and art of gaming. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 031337936X.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Rogers, Scott (2014). Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design (2nd ed.). Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-87716-6.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Call, Joshua; Whitlock, Katie; Voorhees, Gerald A. (2012). Guns, Grenades, and Grunts: First-Person Shooter Games. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781441193537.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Barton, Matt; Loguidice, Bill (2009). Vintage Games. Boston: Focal Press. ISBN 978-0-240-81146-8.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)