Unit 2 – Types of Video Games
Items In This Unit
Introduction- Maze games
- Fighting games
- Platformer games
- First Person Shooter games
- Board games
- Sports games
- Educational games
Introduction
A video game genre is a specific game classification and is open to subjective interpretation. A particular game may belong to several genres. While there are many video game genres, we will cover some of the more popular game genres.
Maze Games
The maze game genre is still one of the most popular genres- It describes any game in which the entire playing field is a maze.
- In order to beat the maze player action is required while escaping and outracing monsters
- Some maze games use time limits as the main challenge
- By far the most popular maze game is Pac-man which has been ported on most if not all popular game consoles as well as arcade machines
Fighting Games
A fighting game genre is perhaps one of the most popular as it is based around close combat between one or more characters, in a fixed or limited environment.- The characters fight each other until they defeat their opponents or the designated fight time expires.
- Some of the most popular fighting games include:
- Soul Calibur (Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- Streets of Rage (Sega)
- Tekken (Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- Mortal Combat (Mortal Combat)
Platformer Games
Platform games or platformers are subgenres of the action game genre.- The player-controlled character must jump and climb between suspended platforms while avoiding obstacles.
- The player has some control over jumps and general movement direction to avoid obstacles and/or various enemies.
- The most popular platform game is Nintendo’s Super Mario
First Person Shooter
Genre for games with gun and/or other weapon combat in a first-person perspective- The player experiences the action through the eyes of the game’s hero
- Currently one of the most popular genres
Board Games
This genre is for a video game mimicking real-life board games. Some of the most popular ones include:
- Chess
- Backgammon
- Scrabble
- Monopoly
- Othello
- Trivial Pursuit
Sports Games
The sports games genre has come a long way in providing realistic virtual sports action
- Most sports have been recreated with a video game, including team sports, and track and field
- Major sports games publishers include:
- Electronic Arts
- Sega
- 2K Games
Educational Games
The educational game’s genre has become a part of many school curriculums- While not strictly for children, educational games foster the learning of specific subject areas such as Math, English and Sciences
- Educational games reinforce traditional learning
- Educational games use elements of other game genres in an effort to make learning fun and easy