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This Article Is Taken From The Game Programming MegaSite, A Definitive Resource For Game Developers!
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Genres are not a feature. Genres are definitions of attributes by which players can group games. Genres help them understand what they like and what they don�t like by providing a common reference. It is not necessary to "create" a new genre to be a good game, nor does it make a new game worse if it is not a new genre. In reality new genres are not created, basic genres are simply mixed. Different elements are played with in different ways that create new styles of play, but the basics remain the same.
Genres are like ingredients in a recipe. The early years of games were just like early meals, people ate meats and plants, the basics. After thousands of years of refining, we have complicated recipes to create thousands of different kinds of dishes. Games will evolve similarly, although considerably faster. What once began as pure action or puzzle games have now been combined together to form new variations and this will continue as they create new and interesting forms of play.
To communicate effectively it can often be necessary to abandon actual definitions for cultural misnomers. A good example of this is the role-playing game (RPG) genre. Computer RPG's usually do not require the player to play the role of any particular character, or player made characters. Usually an RPG is really a game set in a fantasy type of world where the player needs to kill monsters to complete missions and increase the character's experience points and money. This has nothing to do with the literal definition of role playing as the player does not have to act in any way except psychopathic. The name has stuck as most original computer RPGs were derived from real role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.
For clarity's sake, we are going to discuss both the popular and correct terminology so that we understand what games are really made of and at the same time can still discuss them with other people clearly.
Action
The action genre is defined by vigorous activity in the game. Most of the early games were all action games such as PacMan, Galaga and Gauntlet. Today the genre is still going strong with games like Doom and Quake which are still pure action games.
Action games are about creating adrenaline rushes and letting the player act out fantastic action sequences, such as jumping over cliffs while shooting the evil overlords. Games like Doom and Descent really grabbed on to the ability to immerse the player in the action with the aid of good looking 3D graphical environments, although action games are not limited to that alone. Fun can still be had with platform jumpers such as Earthworm Jim or motorcycle racing games like Motocross Madness.
The action genre is often the most publicized and filled with the most "hard core" players. Even as new games are gobbled up as soon as they are released there is an increasing sentiment of wanting more from new games then just mindless shooting. In the future we will undoubtedly see action games in the lines of Quake merging with adventure style games to deliver more story and character development. The ability to immerse the player not only in a convincing 3D world but also in a convincing story will be a very powerful force of entertainment. As computers become faster we come closer every day to truly interactive worlds which will no doubt be pushed forward by the pace of today's action games.
Adventure
The adventure genre can be split into popular terminology and actual terminology. In actual terminology this genre would be filled with games that were about exploration and a good mix between role-playing and action, neither dominating the game. In popular terminology it refers to games that are strong in character development and story and whose gameplay is based on puzzles.
All LucasArt's adventure games such as Maniac Mansion, the Monkey Island series, et al, are defined by the popular terminology. Games such as Myst, Riven and 7th Guest are also popularly termed adventure games.
Role-playing games such as Bethesda Softwork's Daggerfall are closer to the actual terminology, as they mix first person action with a blend of role-playing and character management.
The key to adventure games is delivering a story. Players want to become involved in the world created by the designer and interact with things in that world. In the adventure genre games they learn about the world by listening to what characters in the world have to say and watching cut-scenes as the story unfolds. They interact with the world through the puzzles, they forge ahead and by solving each puzzle, they are allowed to play the part of the characters.
Adventure games have long been seen as the underdog in terms of sales in the video game market, and while this is true of the United States, the European market and specifically Germany are avid adventure game players. Every year there is a new article on why the adventure game genre is dead but this genre is stronger than ever in the global world market.
Simulation
Simulations could come in almost any form of activity. Among the most popular are driving, flying, sports and warfare strategies. Simulations have been around since the beginning of visual computer games, such as Pong. Games such as Test Drive and Hard Ball showed that computers could effectively entertain players in areas that people didn�t think computers would be able to represent.
An important part of simulation is that it lets people do things that exist in the real world but they are not currently capable of doing. Flying planes takes an enormous amount of testing and studying before you can begin to get your pilots license, it is also extremely expensive to buy gas and rent or buy an airplane. In contrast the price of a top notch flight simulator is absolutely affordable and can give some of the pleasure of doing the real thing.
Sports that are too dangerous for most people and also extremely expensive and inclusive such as NASCAR racing is made available through computer simulations. To fly a jet for the Navy will take a 10-year commitment of your life, or you can purchase the latest Jane's CD for under $80.
When creating a simulation, you need to understand what you are providing the player. Do they need a million buttons to flip or switch? If it's necessary to fulfilling the desires they have, then yes. Otherwise, you are over-simulating life. Like any game, you need to know your target audience, but simulation games especially walk the line between a true simulator and a simulations game. If you're building a game, be sure to remember it has to be fun!
Puzzle
Chess or Chess-like games, card games and trivia games all fall under the category of puzzles as a complete genre. However the puzzle aspect of games goes far beyond games that are easily seen as puzzles.
Quite a few games often are filled with puzzles, Adventure genre games such as the LucasArt's line of Monkey Island games are completely based on puzzles. The story unfolds as the player navigates through the world and to finish the player needs to solve whatever puzzle has been designed to temporarily stop them.
Some games often have very crucial puzzle elements that go unnoticed because of their interface. The recent game Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines was billed as a Real-Time Strategy game, but was actually closer to an action game with a heavy puzzle element. To beat each mission it was necessary to move your units to strategic spots on the map which were most often completely pre-designed by the creators and doing things differently ended in your units dying. To the games credit they did this well enough so that players did not notice or reject it as linear gameplay.
Some board games fall under this category as well, although they usually are very roughly translated into computer games and often they lose their appeal, as players cannot actually sit around the board facing each other.
There is almost no end to management in games, by definition games are about management of one sort or another. Management is not a popular term for game genres but it is a necessary component of all games, and games that rely on it heavily need to detail what level of management the player is working at.
Games that are very management based include Civilization, SimCity and Railroad Tycoon. Games that are fairly management based extend into games such as Command & Conquer and Warcraft, which both depend on management of the units as much and often more than ability to actually move them around quickly.
Management in games can allow the player to feel a sense of accomplishment that other types of games do not fulfill. In a game where a player must make a complicated jump over obstacles the player may feel a sense of satisfaction or elation at being able to complete the difficult maneuver, but they have not really done the maneuver themselves. Managing aspects of a game though is exactly like managing anything in real life. If you succeed in managing in the game you will feel a sense of real accomplishment, you may not have become a millionaire in real life, but if a real-life event was modeled like the situation in the game you certainly would have.
Management is control. The player must be in control of the situation. This is important to keep in mind because many management games have lost their focus with bad interfaces. If the player cannot easily control the situation, or understand the situation they are trying to control then they can not play the game.
Real-Time Strategy
Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games are a mix between action, management and sometimes simulation. The RTS Command & Conquer is a mix between action and management, and while it is about warfare there really is not a lot of strategy simulation. The fighting comes down to Rock, Paper, Scissors with different units in conflict (there isn't anything wrong with that).
Role-Playing Game
Role-playing games (RPGs) are a combination of action, adventure and management. Action takes the form of combat between characters, even when turn based. The adventure aspect is provided by the story of the RPG, which are usually very in-depth. Most RPGs have a high level of management functions the player has to perform. From gaining and wisely spending money to managing what types of characters will be in the party and whom to try to advance first in levels, all of this involves a lot of management skills.
Sports
Sports games can be a lot of different things depending on the sports. A football game for example is normally a combination of management, action and simulation. Most of the game is about managing the players; who is in the game, what play to do next. Lesser would be the action which requires trying to complete the play, but the success of these usually depends more on the play chosen then just performing the play correctly. Lastly comes simulation; while football games do follow the rules of football, the player is playing the entire team, which really removes any aspect of true simulation.
Simulation
Simulations are normally a combination of action and simulation. Driving games such as Need for Speed do simulate a lot of basic things that happen while driving a car, but the emphasis is on fun and doing things that you normally couldn't do and still survive. Other simulations such as AH-64D Longbow try to more accurately simulate the motions of a helicopter, but still keep things simple enough so that the player can enjoy the game, instead of just worrying about being shot or crashing.
To really understand anything you have to understand the it's elements. This is why it is essential for game designers to understand the differences between genres of games; the building blocks of games that make them fun, and why.
Without this knowledge you have to guess at what will be fun, what target emotions you are working to create and what kinds of play you are trying to bring out. Just as you should not build a piano without understanding scales and musical notes, you should not build a game without understanding it's genre elements.
