A Rundown of Genres

          Video games come in a variety of flavors. At first it, all started with a few genres. Now there’s so many that those genres have their own children (also called “sub-genres”). Gaming veterans are likely to know every type of game that can be played in existence, but for those of you who may be brand new to gaming, it can be overwhelming. You sort of have to try a game from every genre before you can find the one you ultimately like.

Arcade: A style of game found typically in arcades, hence the name. They have a high focus on gameplay and fun with very little focus on story. What’s the plot to Pac-man? Who cares? You’ve got ghosts trying to get you and you gotta eat those pellets and fruit. They can be easy to jump into and hard to quit.

Simulation: Also known as simulators, this type of game tries to emulate a real life experience. Most simulations games are used for educational purposes, but now the genre has begun to branch out into simulating things from a theoretical point of view. Look at Goat Simulator; I don’t think the things your goat can do in that game are even physically possible for humans, but it’s proven to be a ton of fun. There’s hardly a story needed, but setting a scenario can help add immersion.

Strategy: These games require tactical planning skills in order to play right. You command an army of troops to take down the enemy forces. Some of these games are turn-based and some occur in real time. The strategy game is all about patience and careful planning. When everything goes right, you feel amazing. When something goes wrong, you’re doomed.

Role-playing Game (RPG): A genre that originally stemmed from strategy games, RPGs are a type of game that has the player take on the role of at least one character. The focus is on the individual unit and how they progress. There can be more than one character with more roles to play. These games have some strategic gameplay mixed in with powerful storytelling. Lots of games borrow elements of this genre such as experience points, health bars, and class systems.

Racing: Racing games are all about speed. The first one to cross the finish line wins. Most racing games involve cars or karts. The main dynamics of these games are to either out maneuver the competition or to sabotage the other racers. They can be great to play with a group of people, but are also fine solo.

Party Games: Any kind of game designed to involve a large group of people. Typically, a party game is played with at least four players. With online multiplayer, this can expand to even more people. However, what sets party games apart from multiplayer games is the fact that they emphasize fun with mini-games and prizes. 

          Those aren’t all the genres of video games. That might take too long to list, plus there’s more than just video game genres. There’s also board games that have either similar genres or game types unique only to the non-digital format. Examples of non-digital games include:

Card Games: Any kind of game that focuses on the use of cards. There are video game equivalents, but I’m mainly talking about the non-digital versions. Card games are probably the easiest to play and the easiest to make. Some card games have a sort of outside gameplay in the form of collecting. These are what are called trading card games, or TCGs.

Board Games: Typically a game that uses a board of some type. The term is also used to describe most non-digital games (sometimes even referred to as “bored games”). The special thing about boards is that the boards themselves present the game world and rules. All play occurs either on the board or in the hands of the players if there are cards involved. Board games are easy to learn, but difficult to master.

Paper Games: A type of game done mostly on paper. Most video games are tested via a paper prototype. The world is created on the paper, like a board game, then a set of rules is established. The great thing about paper games is that you can set them up pretty easily. All you need is notebook paper and a pen/pencil. Then you let your imagination do the rest.

3D Games: I’m not sure what the true name of this genre is, but it refers to any game that uses 3D pieces such as wood blocks or plastic structures (not including tokens or totems). They have a similar set up to board games, but do not always rely on having a board. They usually have a creative set of rules and require some assembly before play begins. Examples of these kinds of games include Bandu, Jenga, and Funny Bunny.

          So we have digital and non-digital games. But what about sports? Those are technically games. They’re known as physical games and involve some physical activity in order to play. However, we give the name “sport” to any game that draws a crowd. If that game happens to be physical, we call it an “esport”. So what do we call non-digital games that draw in a crowd? Whenever there’s a tournament for a TCG, we always refer to it as a “TCG Tournament.” I’m not sure if we have even given a name to a type of non-digital game that can be spectated. 

          There’s a ton of games out there with seemingly limitless genres! All I can say is do some research on genres and see what intrigues you most. Eventually you’ll find one you like. Kind of like music.