Definition of Video Game Genres

In this post we will explain the video game genres. Here all of the major video game genres explained in simple terms.  This post is aimed at the beginners who are just learning about the different types of game genres that are available. Stay tuned for info on this subject.

Action Games – Action games are generally intense games that keeps the players engaged in the game play. There are several types of action games available some range from simple shooting games, target practice to more immersive game play such as action adventure, player vs player or more.  Action game features include rapid shooters such as duck hunting, platform games such as sonic and Mario or endless runners such as temple run.

Racing Games – Racing games been popular since the days of 2d top down racing games and motor bike racing games. We have came a long way since those day because now we have grand tourismo and forza game which defy reality with their high frames per second, damage control, speed control, various cars and upgrades and they make it so much fun to play. You are able to race in the worlds most beautiful places such as France, Germany and Italy to race against CPU or actual players online.  There are also Motor Bike racing games, airplane racing games and others they all follow the similar format. Racing games are generally very popular with young gamers who play games on their console.

Role Playing Game – RPG games are very popular and they usually revolve around a story with sub stories build inside them. One of my most popular type of RPG games are final fantasy. It has been going on for over 12 years now and they are making a new game every year. RPG games involve character upgrading the skills and weapons. Meeting checkpoints by following the maps and going from point A to B.  Characters must go through the story to find the arc and there are various action elements in the game which includes boss fights and characters either rescuing others or meeting some objectives in the game. World of war craft is considered a RPG although its a massively multiplayer game. RPG games include a turn based action sequence where the player can chose to attack or miss or defend depending on the skills available.

Adventure Game – Adventure games are focused on a single player mode they mainly follow a single character and story. Some of the popular adventure games are Uncharted, Assassins Creed, Lara Craft and Last of us.  Play starts off on a journey in the game and they must follow a narrative of the game to follow the path of discovery. The game features include interacting with other characters, upgrading the player skills, weapons and other things, gathering skill points. There are often secret levels inside the game which the character can only unlock once the completed the levels or met a few conditions. There are various difficulty settings such as easy, hard or ultra hard. This makes it more interesting for the player who likes to challenge themselves.

Real Time Strategy Game – RTS games are very popular. There is a game called star craft, it’s made by the same developers of war craft and it is very popular and its also called a nation sport of south Korea. RTS games involve planning, gathering resources, attacking enemy bases, upgrading teams, weapons and bases. These types of games are popular to play online against other people. There are old games such as Age of Empires and Civilizations where the play will control a single civilization or herd of people which they gather resources and allocate tasks to teams, the idea is to create a lasting legacy while building the civilization. These games are mainly played on the PC because it needs multiple keys from the keyboard and mouse point and click action.

Strategy Games – Strategy games are played through planning and taking action to take down the opponent. Some of the classic strategy games include Sudoku and chess. Feature of these games are turn based game play such as tic tac toe and others. Player will take a turn first then allow their opponent to take their turn. Each move makes it easier for the player to trap the opponent or the player will fall in to the trap of the opponent. One of the recent popular games was 2048 on the iphone and android.

Puzzle –  Video games that require mental skill as well as, or instead of quick reflexes. There are several types of puzzle games available some of the popular ones are the platform puzzle games where the  player is stuck in one level and only way to get out of is to solve the puzzle and then progress. Tetris is another popular puzzle game where the player must match the blocks without reaching top of the screen.

Platform Game – Platform games have been very popular since the 70s. Some of the popular platform games are sonic the hedgehog, super Mario brothers and super meat boy. Some of the main features of the platform games are running across a platform, jumping, collecting coins, jumping on enemies, boss fights and completing a level.  Platform games were mainly seen in 2d game play we have also seen lot of them transition into 3d however since the touch screen phone came around we are seeing the 2d platform games making a strong come back.

Simulations – Simulations games are often seen as strategic games but they are also used in education. Games such as sim city are seen as urban planning and they have lot of educational purposes to them, for example in sims city you build fully working on urban city with houses, shops, shopping malls, air ports and roads. There are other games such as flight simulation that’s very popular among people who are learning to fly a plane or someone who is doing it just for fun. Flight simulation game involves completely controlling a plane controls, flying a plane successfully and landing in on a given destination.

Sport Games – sport games are very popular specially football games such as FIFA. They are competitive games and they can be played online with other players. These games are very detailed with actual players from the real world. There is also cricket, basket ball and baseball games available to play on the PC, Xbox and play station. They are created to be very close to the real game while keeping the game intense so player feels they are always in control.

Stealth – Stealth games include play taking the part of a single player who infiltrate enemy territory without being stopped. Hitman and Metal great solid are very popular because they allow the player to use their massive inventory of items to allow the players to blend into the environment. Game features include collecting items, sneaking into the different areas, taking out enemy players without raising the alarm, achieving the objective without any one being alarmed and using multiple types of weapons and gadgets.

First Person Shooter – First person shooter games are where the player takes on the point of view of the in game character. The can see the barrel of the gun and they can use the gun as if they were using it on their own. They have the ability to reload the gun, upgrade, buy weapons and off course kill other players in the game for points. Some of the popular games in this genre is call of duty, battlefield, crysis, far cry and many more.

Educational Games – These games are also called serious games these games are designed for a primary purpose other than entertainment. They are designed for the defense military, media, flight and other purposes. These games allow the players to play a level and then gives them a detailed report on how they did. Recently we saw an driving test simulation where the player drives a beginner drivers car and drives through a track, they can do reverse parking, 3 point turn, knowing the traffic and round about. It gave the player a detailed report how they did and what they need to keep an eye out for.

Fighting Games – Fighting games are popular due to their competitive game play and skill based game play. Street fighter is one of the all time classics in this genre and they have defined what a good fighting game should be like. In recent times we have very good tekken games, mortal kombat, injustice games which added their own elements into the game play and made it more fun for the players. This game genre features include playing against CPU or player 2, using multiple button combats and combos, using super or ultra moves, using fatalities end of the game, using air combos to do more damage, there are time trial games, survival mode and other fun modes to keep the player interested in the game play. Some of the other features include upgrading characters, customising the characters to suit player choices and unlocking in game movies to watch at their leisure.

Massively Multiplayer Game – MMO games include hundreds of player playing on a server together either against each other or helping one another to build a community. We have seen a various different games come together in recent year for example call of duty and counter strike games allow players to get in teams and take on other teams. Games such as mine craft and journey allow the player to help the other players to achieve something or build something together. There are games such as star craft which are RTS (real time strategy game) where the player plays a military strategic game to win against another player.  Main feature of MMO games are all players can be online together and their interactions are done in real time.  They can level up in the game and unlock various weapons and other items in the game. They can chat with other players, create their own groups and gift players items they want to. MMO game play has become a norm in the games industry now and they are here to stay.

Competitive Games – Competitive games are created to allow the players to enhance a skill set to beat the AI or pass a level and move on to more. These games also hover over other types of games mentioned earlier such as fighting games, MMO, FPS, RTS etc. In this game you are playing against another player, CPU or solving a puzzle in order to move forward in the game. Flappy Bird game when it came out it was seen as a competitive game because it has a leader board where multiple people who scored very high can show off their score on there for the other players to try to beat it. Temple run is also another good example. These types of games are seen as a endless game because they don’t have a positive end they just continue on and they allow the player to get better and better as it progresses. The leader board plays a vital part in the game because it gives a sense of goal which everyone wants to surpass.  One of the classic examples would donkey kong or pac man games. These games were only available on the arcade machines and each player paid a coin to get there chance to make it to the top.




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