Glossary of Video Game Genres



Glossary of Video Game Genres

Art/Drawing: These games ask players to draw or create other artworks through pads or controlling cursors, etc. on the screen, e.g. Let's Draw, Wii Draw or Art Academy.

Board Game - these are video game versions of popular board games, e.g. Cluedo, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuits, Boggle, etc.

Business Building Game - These games are sometimes used for educational purposes but some for entertainment. These games simulate running a business and running it. e.g. Zoo Tycoon and Restaurant Empire.

Classic Arcade - A classic arcade game is usually an old 2D game with an isometric view, lives and scores. e.g. Space Invaders, Pacman or Galaxians.

Construction/Building - These are a type of simulation game which task players to build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources, e.g. Sim City, Caesar, etc.

Dancepad - These games involve following the steps in a dance routine and players "perform" on a mat connected to the console, e.g. Dance Mat or We Dance

Fighting - Fighting games emphasize one-on-one combat between two characters, one of which may be computer controlled. e.g. Street Fighter or Fight Night.

FPS (First Person Shooter) - First Person Shooter games emphasize shooting and combat from the perspective of the character controlled by the player. e.g. Call of Duty, Doom and Gears of War.

Free Roaming/Open world - The player gets to roam freely through a virtual world which is mostly on a large scale. Usually, a player has a lot of freedom as to how they approach objectives and how they complete them. Games such as Just Cause, Minecraft, Rage and Skyrim are all open world type games.

God Game - A god game has players adopt the role of an entity with divine/supernatural powers or as a great leader and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to guard and influence. e.g. Populous or Overlord

Life Simulation - The player lives or controls one or more virtual lifeforms. A life simulation game can revolve around individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem, e.g. The Sims or Spore

Massively Multiplayer Online Role

Playing Game (MMORPG) MMORPGs feature common objectives of completing quests and strengthening one's player character, but involve up to thousands of players interacting with each other on the same persistent world in real-time, e.g. World of Warcraft, World of Tanks, Lord of the Rings Online, Star Wars; The Old Republic

Music - players simulate playing musical instruments, e.g. Guitar Hero, Wii Music, etc.

Party/Group - are video games developed specifically for multiplayer games between many players. Normally, party games have a variety of mini-games that range between collecting more of a certain item than other players or having the fastest time at something. Such games include the Mario Party series and Rayman Raving Rabbids.

Pet Care - Games that usually require you to groom, feed and care for animals, like Nintendogs.

Platform/Jumping These games involve travelling between platforms by jumping (very occasionally other means are substituted for jumping, like swinging or bouncing). Other traditional elements include running and climbing ladders and ledges. Examples are Super Mario, Rayman and Sonic The Hedgehog

Puzzle Game - Puzzle Games require the player to complete a series of logic puzzles or navigate complex locations such as mazes. e.g. Bejeweled, Tetris, etc.

Racing - Racing is a genre of video game that re-creates a car (or other vehicle) racing experience for the player. e.g. Forza Motorsports or Colin McRae Rallying

Role Playing Games (RPG) Most of these games cast the player in the role of one or more "adventurers" who specialize in specific skill sets (such as melee combat or casting magic spells) while progressing through a predetermined storyline, e.g. Dungeons and Dragons, Fable or Final Fantasy

RTS (Real Time Strategy) - RTS indicates that the action in the game is continuous, and players will have to make their decisions and actions within the backdrop of a constantly changing game state. Real-time strategy gameplay is characterised by obtaining resources, building bases, researching technologies and producing units. Probably the most popular RTS game is Blizzard's Starcraft, which is played competitively in South Korea and televised to large audiences.

Singing - players sing along to songs, often in karaoke style fashion and are usually rated on performance, e.g. We Sing, Singstar, etc.

Sports Simulation - players control teams or players in video representations of sports, e.g. Pro Evolution Soccer, Championship Tennis, Wii Sports, etc.

Sports Management - These games simulate you being a manager of your favourite sport e.g. Championship Manager, Cycling Manager, F1 Manager, etc..

Stealth Game - Stealth games are a somewhat recent sub-genre, sometimes referred to as "sneakers" or "creepers" to contrast with the action-oriented "shooter" sub-genre. Often, players must carefully work out how to complete missions, etc. which often involve sneaking up on enemies and exploring locations in a careful manner, e.g. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.

Strategy - These games require careful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory. In most strategy video games, the player is given a godlike view of the game world, indirectly controlling the units under his command, e.g the Total War series or Command and Conquer

Survival Horror - Survival Horror games focus on fear and attempt to scare the player via traditional horror fiction elements such as atmospherics, death, the undead, blood and gore. Players are placed in horror settings and given limited resources to facilitate survival, e.g. Left 4 Dead or Zombie Island

Tower Defence - These games involve computer-controlled monsters called creeps moving along a set path, and the player must place, or "build" towers along this path to kill the creeps. In most tower defence games different towers have different abilities such as poisoning enemies or slowing them down. The player is awarded money for killing creeps, and this money can be used to buy more towers, or buy upgrades for a tower such as increased power or range.

Trivia - Trivia games are popular on mobile phones, as well as PC or consoles and involve players answering questions on anything from Flags of the World to normal questions, e.g. Flags of the World, Trivial Pursuits or Are You Smarter than a Ten Year Old?

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