WHAT KIND OF VIDEO GAME IS THE BEST

Video Games

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

DRAKE SADLER
CSIS-1070
Types of Video Games

Back at the genesis of the video game industry, games used to be made by lone (and

usually hobbyist) programmers at home in their spare time. Today, however, the video game

industry is the biggest entertainment medium around dwarfing cinema by a huge margin in

terms of revenue and employs huge amounts of professionals from numerous disciplines and

skill sets.

Causal Video Games

In the last decade, a market has developed for those more likely to play solitaire on the

computer than the latest epic role playing game or first-person shooter. Casual games

have a simple premise and do not require significant time to play

Online Browser Games

Blurring the distinction between casual and non-casual game, online browser games

are played by casual and hardcore gamers.

Browser games have the potential to reach a broader audience because they can be

played in any modern browser regardless of operating system. Moreover, they

accommodate any genre of video game from strategy to role-playing.

Social Network Games

Another kind of online game uses social networking sites, namely Facebook, to reach

players.

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Types of Video Games

Unlike regular browser games, social network games have access to a users network

profile and usage statistics. Thus, they often invite a users friends to play the game or

to help the user finish a task or quest. And unlike traditional video games, social

network games do not end with a winner, but offer infinite quests. These games make

money by selling virtual items that help fulfill a quest more quickly.

AAA Games

A game created or funded by a big-name studio and intended to appeal to hardcore

gamers is known as an AAA game (pronounced triple-A).

These games have high budgets, often comparable to major motion picture budgets in

scale, and are expected to make a large profit (although the flops can be equally as

costly as a Hollywood bomb). AAA games often contain cinematic cut scenes,

orchestral soundtracks, and employ famous actors to do voiceovers.

Indie Games

Finally, games made by independent studios or even a single programmer with

small budgets have become more popular in the modern video game industry thanks to

the increased number of platforms for self-release and funding.

Indie games tend to fill a niche between casual games and AAA games. They appeal to

non-casual gamers, but they do not offer the same cinematic immersion as AAA

games. Minecraft is one of the most successful indie games of all time, making millions

even before its official release. (Ltd.)

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Types of Video Games

I love a good, long story and getting to control one as it plays out is all the
better. While most games have a story behind them, I find myself getting
most attached to characters in RPG's. From Lavitz in "Legend of the
Dragoon", to Tidus in "FFX" to Liara in "Mass Effect," when I feel connected
to characters, games become something much more to me; something
personal. Add to that some potentially stellar gameplay and seeing characters
grow personally and physically, I now have an experience. I'm not saying I
couldn't find this in other game types, but I most consistently find it here.
- (Anonymous, https://www.thetoptens.com/video-game-genres/)

A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game and abbreviated to RPG) is a

game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take

responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or

through a process of structured decision-making or character development. Actions

taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and

guidelines.

There are several forms of RPG. The original form, sometimes called the tabletop RPG

(TRPG), is conducted through discussion, whereas in live action role-playing games

(LARP) players physically perform their characters' actions. In both of these forms, an

arranger called a game master (GM) usually decides on the rules and setting to be

used, acting as referee, while each of the other players plays the role of a single

character.

Several varieties of RPG also exist in electronic media, such as multi-player text-based

MUDs and their graphics-based successors, massively multiplayer online role-playing

games (MMORPGs). Role-playing games also include single-player role-playing video

games in which players control a character or team who undertake quests, and may

include capabilities that advance using statistical mechanics. These games often share

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Types of Video Games

settings and rules with tabletop RPGs, but emphasize character advancement more

than collaborative storytelling. (Anonymous, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-

playing_game)

A list of some of the most popular video game genres:

Role playing

Shooter

Action

Platform

Sport

Adventure

Fighting

Strategy

Racing

(Anonymous, https://www.statista.com/statistics/189592/breakdown-of-us-video-

game-sales-2009-by-genre/)

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Types of Video Games

Bibliography
Anonymous. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game. n.d.

. https://www.statista.com/statistics/189592/breakdown-of-us-video-game-sales-2009-by-genre/.
n.d.

. https://www.thetoptens.com/video-game-genres/. n.d.

ESRB. How Much Do You Know About Video Games? n.d. 19 9 2017. <http://www.esrb.org/about/video-
game-industry-statistics.jsp>.

Ltd., New York Film Academy. https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/5-types-of-video-games/. n.d.