Even 20 years ago, there was no place to classify computer games by genre, but virtual entertainment existed, and in large numbers already. Many current series originate precisely from that era. Today, developers and journalists always rigidly tie every creation of the game industry to a particular genre. At the same time, different people do not always agree on the same product.
Main groups
So that the classification of computer games by genre does not seem too complicated, it is worth identifying three classes, which include most of the game programs:
- Dynamic games. The gamer is required maximum reaction speed and accuracy. A minimum of intellectual tasks.
- Games planning. The main thing in them is the development and assessment of the situation. At the same time, one has to think not only about the current state of affairs, but also about what may happen in the next moves and what advantages can be obtained in the future. The closest and most obvious parallel is chess.
- Story games. They may contain elements of the two classes described above, but the goal is to advance in the plot, and not to defeat the enemy.
Arcade
Arcade is one of the oldest genres. Their main feature is the simplest control. For example, gamers do not need to know anything about how to drive a car in real life. Just press the arrow button to rotate.
However, this does not mean at all that in the arcade it is very easy to win. Many developers follow the golden rule: easy to learn, hard to win.
Arcades can be divided into several subgenres:
- Scroller is a game with linear levels that scroll left or right. These include the classic Golden Ax.
- Room - first you need to perform some task in a limited space, after which the door opens, which will allow you to go to the next level. A typical representative is Digger.
- Shooting range - the goal is to hit targets (Duck Hunt, some levels of "Contra").
Today, thanks to independent developers, many arcades appear at the junction of genres. They combine the simplicity of the original class and are complicated by additional elements.
Action movie
Computer games of the genre of action involve human control. The main difference from arcades is complexity. Moreover, it is expressed not in the amount of effort spent to win, but in the elaboration of the gameplay and environment. Almost always, the developer tries to make virtual reality as realistic as possible (inability to climb a steep wall or jump above a few tens of centimeters, first-person view, speed limits, etc.).
It can be said that the ancestors still remained arcades, but great freedom immediately set them apart in a separate category.
If you rank computer games by genre, action will come first. It so happened that all products in this category are always at the forefront. It so happens that behind the primitive gameplay is a monster of graphics, all the beauty of which can not be seen on every computer. It is worth recalling Doom3 or Crysis.
Action Options
The genres of computer games, a table of which is often published in thematic magazines and on the pages of other information resources, are often divided into several smaller ones. Moreover, the action is one of the most "densely populated".
First of all, it is worth noting the balance between action and mental work. Some militants assume shooting at everything that moves, others require mandatory training, study of the terrain, and the development of tactics.
The first ones are very close to arcades (Serious Sam, Doom, CoD). They captivate the gamer with a large number of enemies, speed of action, story clips.
On the other side of the scale is a stealth-action. This subgenre has appeared relatively recently. Shooting or killing here is either not necessary at all, or it is extremely rare. Each movement should be neat and invisible. Not far from him went survival horror. Here the enemies are often much stronger than the player, and the weapons are either weak or can be used to a limited extent (few rounds).
Genres of computer games are often classified according to the method of warfare. And the choice here is small. If shooting is supposed, then the product can safely be called a shooter, if a cold weapon is a slasher.
Vista also affects the subclass of computer games. If the camera is located behind the back of the main character, the inscription Third person is added to the name. If it seems that the gamer is looking at the world through the eyes of the character, the name gets the prefix First person.
It should be noted that the characters of computer games by genre can move. That is, in a series about the same hero, products of different subclasses may be present and at the same time not have a common gameplay. Do not choose entertainment based on the name.
Standing apart is fighting, or martial arts. The gameplay of such products is not like other action games.
The last thing you can write about action movies: sometimes they inherit RPG elements. This is expressed by the presence in the protagonist of skills and characteristics that significantly affect the gameplay. Also, as you progress through the levels, these skills change, strengthen, or lose along with changing equipment. Similar mechanics are a required attribute of action-RPG.
Simulators
Action and arcade games are not all genres of computer games, a list of which could be entitled with the phrase "dynamic entertainment". Here you can add simulators. Definitions that make it blurry and incomprehensible are often added to this concept.
In fact, there are only two subclasses: a simulator of technology and sports. The former suggest a high complexity of physical calculations. Their task is to bring the prototype behavior as close as possible to the real one.
The second is an attempt to simulate sports competitions. The player in the same way as in action controls a person (or even several). With the first, this genre is related by the most realistic behavior of the characters and their interaction.
It should be noted that sports managers in no way belong to the class in question - they are more likely economic strategies.
Rts
Describing the genres of computer games planning, it is worth starting with real-time strategies (RTS). The reaction speed in them plays the same important role as in action movies. It’s worth being distracted for a minute, and the game can be considered lost. However, behind the lightning reaction, an equally important stage of planning and assessing the situation is hiding.
RTS usually has two equivalent parts: base detuning and battle. The game of strong players is usually verified, as in chess. But because of the need for quick action, the media often refers to representatives of this class as mass action.
Global strategies
Describing the genres of computer games, a list of which began with RTS, one cannot ignore global strategies. Their essence is in the systematic development of the plot with rare fights. The whole party is tied to a delicate calculation and does not impose any requirements on the skills responsible for speed and accuracy.
Global strategies are not limited to building a base. Often, many cities can be located on the map, in addition to military measures, there is diplomacy. Often there is technological progress and some other characteristics that should be developed to achieve victory.
The gameplay can be both turn-based (TBS), and with battles taking place in real time. Although developers sometimes mix both of these types. For example, in Total War, almost all moves are made as in TBS, but when one army attacks the other, battles unfold in the same way as in a full-fledged RTS.
A genre very close to that described above is a local strategy. Its representatives are almost completely deprived of micro-management. The production of resources and their capture nevertheless remained, but their choice is very limited: only those that are used exclusively for military purposes are available. Without direct clashes of armies in such projects can not do.
I must say that the genres of computer games in history are most often represented by just strategies. There are similar representatives in dynamic entertainments, however, they are almost always limited to recreated setting, the plot can also be invented. In strategy, developers often painstakingly endure entire eras, not allowing gamers to retreat from real events.
Wargames, or war games
If you completely remove the production, and leave only the need to conduct military operations, you get a "wargame". The possibilities of tactical victories from this only increase. The weak commander will no longer be able to win at the expense of industry and economy.
Tactical games
Tactical strategies are similar to other genres of computer planning games, their main difference is that control is carried out not by units and armies, but by only a few units. In addition, each fighter will have individual characteristics, his personal equipment and weapons. The character development system is similar to the one used in RPG.
Managers
If wargames and tactical games do not have development elements in themselves, then in managers everything is done exactly the opposite - there is all this. However, at the same time there is no war; victory can only be economic. Sid Meyer is believed to have invented this genre.
Due to the simplicity of developing such products, there are quite a lot of game developers here. It’s enough for the developer to know a few mathematical rules and write scripts that will use them. Moreover, the main opponent of the gamer will not be computer competitors, but just a set of predefined rules created to simulate market relations.
Apart are the sports managers. Their main difference is the almost complete absence of graphics and dozens of tables, which are sometimes impossible to deal with in a week.
Indirect control
A very young genre is indirect control strategies. The main idea of this genre is the inability to give the unit a direct order. It is necessary to arouse in him a sense of need for action. And it is desirable that the action is such that is necessary for promotion of the plot.
This idea is very close to the previous genre, the difference is in goals. Moreover, the contrast of the latter is so strong that no one will call the strategy of indirect control a manager. Representatives of this genre are very few, due to the difficulties associated with the development. Medieval, Majesty, Black & White - these are, perhaps, all the big names that you can remember.
Puzzles
If you choose genres of computer games for children, pay special attention not to this. Often its representatives are called time killers or secretaries' entertainments. However, the opinion is too superficial.
Basically, as the name implies, representatives of this class primarily occupy the head, not the hands. They can either transfer the mechanics of board games to the virtual world (chess), or use their own (Armadillo, Tower of Goo).
Story entertainment
This category should include those representatives of virtual entertainment who put at the forefront not so much the gameplay as the narrative, atmosphere, high-quality plot. They are most often said about them: "This is the game in which you can live."
Often in them there are traits of both action and strategies, but not for this they first set the plot adventures. It is this state of affairs that does not allow us to rank Diablo and its clones in similar projects, no matter how much the fans of this product would like.
Quests
Computer games in the genre of quest - the most thoroughbred representatives of the plot adventures. In them, a gamer is assigned a certain role in advance, and from this point of view, an interactive story is told. Quests are almost always linear, you can go from beginning to end in only one way. The possibilities of solving each problem are a minimum. The main actions are communication with the NPC, the search for items, their combination.
This state of affairs simplifies development to a minimum and enables the screenwriter to polish the storyline to shine. Alas, today quests are not a popular genre, and therefore do not pay off. A rare representative of this branch falls into the top lists of sales or search queries. Therefore, today you can often find low-budget products in this area.
Quests are often said to be computer games of the detective genre. This happened due to the large number of representatives telling about detectives. Many developers simply “wrap” the plots of famous books in an interactive shell.
Puzzle quests
This kind of virtual entertainment can have an intricate and complex plot, as in ordinary quests, but it may also be that it is not there at all. In this case, the atmosphere replaces the script. The gameplay consists entirely of solving riddles and puzzles of varying difficulty.
The most famous representative of the class is Myst and its many sequels. Like simple quests, puzzles today are very unpopular.
RPG
In RPG (role-playing games), the plot and freedom of action are assembled into a single whole. Also added action and planning elements. This genre pampers gamers with tactics, an advanced combat system, and developed gameplay. But do not confuse the secondary and the primary. It is because of this that Allods and Diablo are often called "role-playing".
Thus, only that product can be considered an RPG project, the main one of which is the plot, interaction with the NPC, and freedom of action. It is because of this that the classics of the genre are Arcanum, Fallout, Planescape. Often, "role-playing" is defined precisely as computer games in the fantasy genre, which is absolutely wrong. Despite the fact that often the most popular representatives of this class offer gamers to visit fabulous worlds, the setting does not affect in any way which group to record the product in.
In addition to the plot, wagering is considered an equally important attribute. The gamer can try on the role of a magician, warrior, thief. The principle of "good - bad" is not left behind. However, developers make things a lot more complicated. You can do a good deed, which will not be accepted by all. In addition, not every NPC will trust someone who has done a lot of “good” things. For some, intelligence will be the main criterion for predisposition.
The world will react to every action of the protagonist. And the individual NPCs in it will not leave the plot unchanged. Accordingly, it turns out that each level can be completed in dozens of ways that will lead to different finals.
MMORPG
Describing the genres of computer games, you can not ignore the MMORPG. It incorporates some features of strategies. Many gamers do not use the role component of such projects, but primarily plan the character development.
There are almost no differences in products representing online RPGs. The formula remains the same, only insignificant coefficients change. In this case, the player spends most of the time on a tedious "pumping". Interestingly, in MMORPG there are almost no other goals besides reaching the last level.
Online "roles" are waiting for a developer who can breathe freshness into the genre. Alas, the amounts needed to create such projects are too high, which is why those studios that can afford the release of MMORPG go the beaten path, trying to avoid risks.
MUD
We can say that this genre is antiques. However, such games are developing and have success, although not among a wide range of users.
What is a MUD? The description will be quite simple: a characteristic of the area where the character is located appears in the window. The commands are also given in the text: use things, move, turn, open the door. MUDs often use the classic D&D role-playing system . She determines how the character will develop.
The most interesting thing is that the gamer does not receive all the keywords that can be entered into the console. Moreover, this list changes when moving between locations. After reading the description carefully, you can find out what is hidden from the eyes of inattentive users.
Smart users are encouraged by MUDs. And the secrets of some popular representative can not always be read on the forum, because knowledge in such games is power.
For the smallest
Like any other virtual entertainment, game dev works can be divided into the following genres of computer games for preschoolers:
- Puzzles This includes simple puzzles, mazes. They develop logic, thinking, memory, as well as the assiduity of the child.
- Computer options for desktop entertainment. These include tag, dominoes, checkers. The child learns planning and forecasting.
- Musical games - created specifically for the development of hearing and a sense of rhythm.
- Educational programs are one of the main virtual entertainments in the life of a preschooler. They are aimed at the development of certain skills: the study of colors and shapes, the alphabet, counting, etc.