The Video Game Dictionary

Yes, I know there’s n00bs out there, this is why this type of blog exists. I’m also allowing other members of WordPress to add onto this blog if you have words that need to be on here. Please, no words and definitions you made up yourself. Thanks.

FYI: Some of the links will send you to the actual site to check them out more. Others will send you to either a video game you can play online or to see trailers and such. XD

Action → An action game requires players to use quick reflexes and timing to overcome obstacles. It is perhaps the most basic of gaming genres, and certainly one of the broadest. Action games tend to have game-play with emphasis on combat. There are many sub-genres of action games, such as fighting games and first-person shooters.

Fighting → Fighting games emphasize one-on-one combat between two characters, one of which may be computer controlled. These games are usually played by linking together long chains of button presses on the controller to use physical attacks to fight. Many of the movements employed by the characters are usually dramatic and occasionally physically impossible. Combat is almost always one-on-one, though there are some exceptions such as the Super Smash Bros. series and Guilty Gear Isuka, pitting up to four combatants in the fight at one time.

Platform → Platform games (Platformers) are a sub-genre of action game. These games involve traveling between platforms by jumping (very occasionally other means are substituted for jumping, like swinging or bouncing, but these are considered variations on the same mechanic). Other traditional elements include running and climbing ladders and ledges. Platformers frequently borrow elements from other genres like fighting and shooting (such as the Castlevania series, which incorporates role-playing). They are most often associated with iconic cartoon mascots like Donkey Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, and Rayman, though platform games may have any theme.

Shooter → A shooter game focuses primarily on combat involving projectile weapons, such as guns and missiles. They can be divided into first-person and third-person shooters, depending on the camera perspective. Some first-person shooters use light gun technology.

• First-person Shooter → First-person shooter video games, commonly known as FPS‘s, emphasize shooting and combat from the perspective of the character controlled by the player. This perspective is meant to give the player the feeling of “being there”, and allows the player to focus on aiming. Most FPS’s are very fast-paced and require quick reflexes on high difficulty levels. Since the release of Doom, most FPS games now have a multi-player feature to allow competition between multiple players. Counter Strike: Condition Zero and Half-Life 2 are some of the notable games of the past few years in this genre. Examples of first-person shooter games include: the Halo series and the Half-Life series.

• Light-gun Shooter → Light gun shooters are a genre of shooter genre designed for use with a pointing device for computers control device for arcade and home consoles. The first light gun of this type was used on the MIT Whirlwind computer. Some “light gun” games actually use guns mounted on joysticks, giving the illusion of using a light beam, but all control is transferred through the movement of the stick; notable examples of this include T2: The Arcade Game and Revolution X. Examples of light-gun shooter games include: Time Crisis and Duck Hunt.

• Shoot em’ up → A shoot ‘em up (or shmup for short) is a genre of shooter game in which the player controls a vehicle or character and shoots large numbers of enemies. During the peak of their popularity they were commonly called simply shooters, but with the emergence of first-person shooters, shoot ‘em up has become an inclusive term to describe various kinds of non-3D shooter games. Examples of shoot ‘em up games include: the Star Fox series and Ikaruga.

• Tactical Shooter → Tactical shooters are variations on the first person shooter genre (though also, less often, on third person shooters). Some are similar to existing games, but modified to increase the realism of the original game. These games emphasize tactical play such as planning and teamwork (for example, co-ordination and specialized roles), whereas more conventional first person shooters tend to reward individual skill and heroism. In single player modes, the player commands a squad of AI controlled characters in addition to their own; in multi-player modes, players must work in teams to win the game. Also, in multi-player games, winning a match is likely to be dependent on capturing an objective of some sort rather than gaining the most kills (as is often the case in more conventional first person shooters). Examples of tactical shooter games include: the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series and the SOCOM series.

• Third-person Shooter → Third-person shooter video games, known as TPS‘s or 3PS‘s, emphasize shooting and combat from a camera perspective in which the player character is seen at a distance. This perspective gives the player a wider view of their surroundings as opposed to the limited viewpoint of first-person shooters. Furthermore, third-person shooters allow for more elaborate movement such as rolling or diving, as opposed to simple jumping and crouching common in FPS games. Greater interaction with the player’s environment is often possible. The emphasis remains on shooting, however; these games lack the platforming and puzzle elements of action-adventure shooting games. Examples of third-person shooter games include:Gears of War and Max Payne

Action-Adventure → Action-adventure games combine elements of their two component genres, typically featuring long-term obstacles that must be overcome using a tool or item as leverage (which is collected earlier), as well as many smaller obstacles almost constantly in the way, that require elements of action games to overcome. Action-adventure games tend to focus on exploration and usually involve item gathering, simple puzzle solving, and combat. Action-adventure games are often confusingly called “adventure games” by console gamers. Examples of action-adventure games include: The Legend of Zelda series, the Tomb Raider series, and the Grand Theft Auto series.

• Stealth → Stealth games are a somewhat recent genre, sometimes referred to as “sneakers” or “creepers” to contrast with the action-oriented “shooter” sub-genre. These games tend to emphasize subterfuge and precision strikes over the more overt mayhem of shooters. Most have first- or third-person shooter elements, but there are some exceptions like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. Examples of stealth games include: the Metal Gear series, the Thief series, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Hitman series. and (arguably) the Hitman Series.

• Survival Horror → Survival horror games focus on fear and attempt to scare the player via traditional horror fiction death, the undead, blood and gore. One crucial game play mêlée weapons. elements such as atmospherics, element in many of these games is the low quantity of ammunition, or number of breakables. Examples of survival horror games include: the Resident Evil series, Alone in the Dark, and the Silent Hill Series.

Adventure → Adventure games were some of the earliest games created, unlike adventure films, adventure games are not defined by story or content. Rather, adventure describes a manner of game-play without reflex challenges or action. They normally require the player to solve various puzzles by interacting with people or the environment, most often in a non-confrontational way. It is considered a “purist” genre and tends to exclude anything which includes action elements beyond a mini game.

• Graphic Adventure → Graphic adventure games emerged as graphics became more common. Adventure games began to supplement and later on replace textual descriptions with visuals (for example, a picture of the current location). Early graphic adventure games used text-parsers to input commands. The growing use of mice led to the “point-and-click” genre of adventure games, where the player would no longer have to type commands. The player could, for example, click on a hand icon and then on a rope to pick up the rope. Examples of graphic adventure games include: The Myst series and the King’s Quest series.

• Escape The Room → Escape the room is a genre of online graphic adventure game, usually created for Adobe Flash and utilizing a point and click style of play. The object of the game is to find a way to escape from a mysterious room. Examples of escape the room games include: MOTAS.

• Visual Novel → A visual novel is an adventure game game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art. As the name might suggest, they resemble mixed-media novels or tableau vivant stage plays. Many visual novels track statistics that the player must build in order to advance the plot, and permit a variety of endings, allowing more dynamic reactions to the player’s actions than a typical linear adventure plot. Visual novels are especially prevalent in Japan, where they make up nearly 70% of PC games released.They are rarely produced for video game consoles, but the more popular games are sometimes ported to systems such as the Sega Dreamcast or the Playstation 2. The market for visual novels outside of Japan, however, was nearly non-existent prior to the success of the Nintendo DS, for which several Japanese visual novels were released in the West, such as the Ace Attorney series. Examples of visual novel games include: Trace Memory and Hotel Dusk: Room 215

• Interactive Movie → An interactive movie contains pre-filmed full-motion cartoons or live-action sequences, where the player controls some of the moves of the main character. For example, when in danger, the player decides which move, action, or combination to choose. In these games, the only activity the player has is to choose or guess the move the designers intend him to make. Examples of interactive movie games include: Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace and Night Trap.

Construction and management simulation → Construction and management simulation games (or CMS‘s) are a type of simulation game which task players to build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources.

• City-building → In city-building games the player acts as overall planner or leader to meet the needs and wants of game characters by initiating structures for food, shelter, health, spiritual care, economic growth, etc. Success is achieved when the city budget makes a growing profit and citizens experience an upgraded lifestyle in housing, health, and goods. While military development is often included, the emphasis is on economic strength. Perhaps the most known game of this type is SimCity, which is still popular and has had great influence on later city-building games. SimCity, however, also belongs to the God Games genre since it gives the player god-like abilities in manipulating the world.

• Business Simulation → Business simulation games generally attempt to simulate an economy or business, with the player controlling the economy of the game.

• God Games → Unlike other genres of games, God games often do not have a set goal that allows a player to win the game. The focus of a god game tends to be control over the lives of people, anywhere from micromanaging a family to overseeing the rise of a civilization. Examples of God games include the genre-setting Populous, Black & White, SimEarth and Spore.

• Government Simulation → A government simulation game (or “political game“) involves the simulation of the policies, government or politics of a country, but typically excludes warfare. Recently, these types of games have gained the moniker “serious game“.

• Life Simulation → Life simulation games (or Artificial Life Games) involve living or controlling one or more artificial lives. A life simulation game can revolve around individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem.

• Biological Simulation → Biological simulations may allow the player to expermient with genetics, survival or ecosystems, often in the form of an educational package. A relatively recent example is Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

• Pet-raising Simulation → Pet-raising simulations (or digital pets) focus more on the relationship between the player and one or few life forms. They are often more limited in scope than other biological simulations. This includes popular examples of Virtual Pets such as Tamagotchi, and the Nintendogs series.

• Social Simulation → Social simulation games base their game play on the social interaction between multiple artificial lives. The most famous example from this genre is Will Wright’s The Sims.

Role Playing → Computer and console role-playing games (CRPGs or simply RPGs) draw their gameplay from traditional role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Most cast the player in the role of one or more “adventurers” who specialize in specific skill sets (such as combat or casting magic spells) while progressing through a predetermined storyline. Many involve maneuvering these character(s) through an overworld, usually populated with monsters, that allows access to more important game locations, such as towns, dungeons, and castles.

• Computer & Console Role-playing → Due to cultural differences in role-playing video games, there are two different types of RPG‘s. The first involves the player creating a character and a non-linear storyline along which the player makes his own decisions. In the second type, the player controls a party of predefined characters through a dramatically scripted linear storyline. These styles are sometimes referred to as Computer/Western RPG‘s and Console/Eastern RPG‘s respectively, although there are numerous exceptions. Examples of computer/Western role-playing games include: Ultima and The Elder Scrolls. Examples of console/Eastern role-playing games include: Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.

• Action Role-playing → The action role-playing game or action RPG is a type of role-playing game which incorporates elements from action games or action-adventure games. Examples of action role-playing games include: Dungeon Siege and Kingdom Hearts.

• Massively multi-player online role-playing → Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, (or MMORPG‘s), emerged in the mid to late 1990s as a commercial, graphical variant of text-based MUDs, which had existed since around 1979. By and large, MMORPG‘s feature the usual RPG objectives of completing quests and strengthening one’s player character, but involve up to hundreds of players interacting with each other on the same persistent world in real-time. Examples of massively multiplayer online role-playing games include: MapleStory, World of Warcraft, and RuneScape.

• Rouge-like → The roguelike video game sub-genre borrows its name and game-play elements from the 1980 computer game Rogue. Superficially, a rogue-like is a two-dimensional dungeon crawl with a high degree of randomness and an emphasis on statistical character development. Though traditionally featuring a text user interface, many such games utilize graphic tiles to overcome character set limitations. Examples of rogue-like games include: ADOM and NetHack.

• Tactical Role-playing → The tactical role-playing game sub-genre principally refers to games which incorporate gameplay from strategy games as an alternative to traditional RPG systems^. Like standard RPG‘s, the player controls a finite party and battles a similar number of enemies, but this genre incorporates strategic gameplay such as tactical movement on an isometric grid. Examples of tactical role-playing games include: Shining Force and the Front Mission series.

Strategy → Strategy video games focus on gameplay requiring careful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory. In most strategy video games, says Andrew Rollings, “the player is given a godlike view of the game world, indirectly controlling the units under his command.” Rollings also notes that “The origin of strategy games is rooted in their close cousins, board games.” Strategy video games generally take one of four archetypal forms, depending on whether the game is turn-based or real-time and whether the game’s focus is upon strategy or military tactics.

• 4X → 4X refers to a genre of strategy video game with four primary goals: eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate. A 4X game can be turn-based or real-time. Perhaps the best known eXample of this genre is Sid Meier’s Civilization series.

• Artillery → Artillery is the generic name for either early two or three-player (usually turn-based) computer games involving tanks fighting each other in combat or similar derivative games. Artillery games were among the earliest computer games developed; they can be considered an extension of the original uses of computers themselves, which were once used for military-based calculations such as plotting the trajectories of rockets. Artillery games are a type of strategy game, though they have also been described as a “shooting game.” Examples of artillery games include: GunBound and Scorched Earth.

• Real-time Strategy → A real-time tactics game shares feature of the simulation and wargame genres. These titles focus on operational aspects and control of warfare. Unlike in real-time strategy games, resource and economical management and building plays no part of the gameplay. Examples of RTT games include: Warhammer: Dark Omen and the Close Combat series.

• Tower Defense → Tower defense games have a very simple layout. Usually, computer-controlled monsters called creeps move along a set path, and the player must place, or “build” towers along this path to kill the creeps. In most tower defense 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. Examples of tower defense games include: Desktop Tower Defense.

• Turn-base Strategy → The gameplay of turn-based tactics games is characterized by the expectation of players to complete their tasks using the combat forces provided to them, and usually by the provision of a realistic (or at least believable) representation of military tactics and operations. Examples of TBT games include: the Jagged Alliance series and the X-COM series.

• War Games → Wargames are a subgenre of strategy video games that emphasize strategic or tactical warfare on a map. Wargames generally take one of four archetypal forms, depending on whether the game is turn-based or real-time and whether the game’s focus is upon military strategy or tactics. Examples of video wargames include: the Panzer General series and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series.

Vehicle Simulation → Vehicle simulation games are a genre of video games which attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of operating various kinds of vehicles.

• Flight → A flight simulation tasks the player with flying an aircraft, usually an airplane, as realistically as possible. Combat flight simulators are the most popular sub-genre of simulation. The player controls the plane, not only simulating the act of flying, but also combat situations. There are also civilian flight simulators that do not have the combat aspect.

• Racing → Racing games typically place the player in the driver’s seat of a high-performance vehicle and require the player to race against other drivers or sometimes just time. This genre of games is one of the staples of the computer gaming world and many of the earliest computer games created were part of this genre. Emerging in the late 1970s, this genre is still very popular today and continues to push the envelope in terms of graphics and performance. These games “tend to fall into organized racing and imaginary racing categories“.

• Space Flight → Space flight simulator games are a sub-genre that involve piloting a spacecraft. Space simulators are different from other sub-genres, and are not generally considered to be simulators, as their simulated objects do not always exist and often disregard the laws of physics. However, simulators of real spacecraft do exist: Orbiter is one example.

• Train → Train simulators simulate the vehicles, environments and often economics associated with railway transport. These are frequently historical in nature, reminiscing on the evolution and emergence of the railroad in various countries and the economic booms that often accompanied them.

• Vehicular Combat → Vehicular combat or car combat games focus on fast-paced action, as the player operates a car or other vehicle and attempts to disable or destroy CPU or human opponents. Vehicular combat games often allow a player to choose from a variety of potential vehicles, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Vehicular combat was born out of racing/shooter combinations like Spy Hunter, RoadBlasters and Rock ‘N‘ Roll Racing, but differs in that the players can, if desired, take their vehicles off predefined routes and do battle wherever they please.

Other Notable Genres

• Music → Music games most commonly challenge the player to follow sequences of movement or develop specific rhythms. Some games require the player to input rhythms by stepping with their feet on a dance pad, or using a device similar to a specific musical instrument, like a replica drum set. Other games avoid rhythm-based game-play and instead focus on pitch-based, memory-based, or sandbox-style game-play.

• Party → Party games are video games developed specifically for multi-player games between many players. Normally, party games have a variety of different types of mini-games that range between collecting more of a certain item than other players or having the fastest time at something. Versus multi-player games are not generally considered to be party games.

• Puzzle → Puzzle games require the player to solve logic puzzles or navigate complex locations such as mazes. This genre frequently crosses over with adventure and educational games. Some arcade games, in particular Tetris-variants, are often labeled puzzle games, despite the fact that game-play depends on hand/eye coordination and quick reflexes, rather than thought and logic.

• Programming → A programming game is a computer game where the player has no direct influence on the course of the game. Instead, a computer program or script is written in some domain-specific programming language in order to control the actions of the characters (usually robots, tanks or bacteria, which seek to destroy each other). Final Fantasy XII also includes some elements of a programming game, as the player creates the AI of his characters, although the player can also choose to directly control the action.

• Sports → Sports games emulate the playing of traditional physical sports. Some emphasize actually playing the sport, while others emphasize the strategy behind the sport (such as Championship Manager). Others satirize the sport for comic effect (such as Arch Rivals). One of the best selling series in this genre is the Madden NFL series.

• Traditional → Most popular board games, card games, and the like have been computerized to some degree or another. Computer game programs can be worthy opponents and can help improve one’s skill at traditional games.
  • Chess, Checkers, Othello (also known as Reversi), and Backgammon have world class computer programs.
  • Mah-jongg and related games are immensely popular in China and Japan.
  • Go is popular in East Asia. It is infamously difficult to program a computer to play Go well: see Computer Go.
  • Magic: The Gathering has had computer versions for some time.
  • 42 All-Time Classics is a game for Nintendo DS that features online play through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Purpose Genres → While most video games are designed as entertainment, many video games are designed with additional purposes. These purposes are as varied as the nature of information itself – to inform, persuade, or stimulate. These games can have any kind of gameplay, from puzzles to action to adventure.

• Adult → Adult video games, like adult movies or other media, are intended for an adult audience. In general, the purpose of adult games is to provide erotic entertainment, rather than just game-play. There exists a wide variety of adult games, though many lack mainstream appeal and represent a niche category. The object of an adult game may differ from a mainstream video game, in that the reward can be a visual representation of nudity, partial nudity, or sexual activity rather than points, etc. Some games may focus on humor or drama rather than arousal, or simply have normal game-play accompanied by nudity.

• Advergame → Advergames have recently become popular due to the Burger King, King Games Collection, though Advergames, like the 7up Cool Spot game and the Dominoes Yo! Noid games, were around much earlier. The majority of Advergames are found online and mostly include simple and cheaply made Flash games. It is expected that Advergamimg will become a very popular and far more highly invested in the coming years as TV ad revenue lessens and video games are shown to have a greater and greater impact on public opinion.

• Casual → Casual games have very simple rules or play techniques and a very low degree of strategy. They also require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play, making them easy to learn and play as a pastime. There are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer. Casual games typically are played on a personal computer online in web browsers, although they now are starting to become popular on game consoles. The purpose of the casual game is to entertain, but with a much lower commitment than other video games.

• Christian → Christian games attempt to provide the dual purposes of spreading the Christian ideology to non-believers through the medium of video games, and providing gamers who identify as Christian with a common pool of games that neither challenge their beliefs nor offend them. Christian video games were first developed by Wisdom Tree for the NES without license. While largely regarded as derivative titles by the mainstream gaming culture, Christian games have nevertheless expanded in distribution since their inception.

• Educational → Educational games, as the name implies, attempt to teach the user using the game as a vehicle. Most of these types of games target young user from the ages of about three years to mid-teens; past the mid-teens, subjects become so complex (e.g. Calculus) that teaching via a game is impractical. Numerous sub-genres exist, each for a different field (math games, typing games and so on).

• Electronic Sports → Electronic Sports games are multi-player games that are usually played competitively at the professional level. These game are often targeted at the ‘hardcore’ gaming audience, and usually require fast twitch-based reaction speed and coordination (such as First Person Shooters) or high levels of strategic micromanagement/macro-management such as Real Time Strategy games.

• Exergame → An exergame (portmanteau of “exercise” and “game“) is a video game that provides exercise. “Exergames” sub-divide into two main implementations, those with a game specifically designed to use an exercise input device (for example, the game Wii Fit using the Wii Balance Board) and those implementations using a genre of a game. Games fit into the category of entertainment, and similarly Exergames are a category of Exertainment (formed from “exercise” and “entertainment“). Exertainment includes one aspect of innovation or entertainment to an exercise workout.

• Serious → Serious games are intended to educate or train the player. These games tend to promote “education, science, social change, health care or even the military.” Some of these games have no specific ending or goal in the game. Rather, the player learns a real life lesson from the game. For example, games from websites such as Newsgaming.com and gamesforchange.org raise political issues using the distinct properties of games.