Unit 22 A2
Not all games are the same that are put into separate categories
which are determined on the content of the game also the style of the game.
People have personal preferences when it comes to playing games. The games are
classed in a category called genres, and some games can have multiple genres
within them, for example “Hand of Fate” this is a board game where you move
your figure round a board, instances will be triggered and you will be taken to
a first person action mode.
The genres in which I will be talking about today are the
following:
·
Action
·
Role Playing Game (RPG)
·
Adventure Games
·
Real Time Strategy (RTS)
·
Puzzle
·
Platforms
·
Simulations
·
Sports
·
Stealth Shooter
·
Combat Games
·
First Person Shooters (FPS)
·
Educational Games
·
Massively Multiplayer Online
Action Games
Action games tend to be fast paced, they require the user to
be quick and agile with the controller, they will have specific time limits to
be able to overcome a situation that is placed in the user’s way. The action
genre can be merged with a lot of other genres to create a more diverse game,
for example the one I used in the introduction, it is board/puzzle game with
action elements built within. Another example would be the Batman games they
are very action based and most of the game is made up of hand to hand combat.
Role Playing Games (RPG)
Role playing games tend to be when the user has to play the
role of the main protagonist for example, Skyrim which is part of the Elder
Scrolls franchise, it gives the user the ability to mould the character how
they want applying different skills and traits and classes. The gameplay tends
to be made up of quests or mission which the user will have to complete to
progress in the story or rank their character up to a higher level. Most RPGs
tend to have crafting aspects built within them.
Adventure Games
An adventure game is where the user has to investigate all
of the game world as part of the main objective, this game will lead you to
discover locations and reward you for doing so, this genre can be combined with
other genres, for example in the Fable trilogy I would class an adventure but
it also contains some action where the user will have to fight some enemies in
addition to this they will have to complete some puzzles to progress to the
next area.
Real Time Strategy Games
Strategy games entail the user to play the game tactically
it usually they are done in real time and are of a competitive nature, for
example the user will have to build a base, defences and an army, they will
then have to attack the other parties within the game, the winner would be the
one that has the last building standing at the end of the game. A game that
would be and RTS would be Halowars, the user has to build buildings, create
troops and send them out to battle whilst defending their own base.
Puzzle
A puzzle game will try and make the user think about the
game and will have to use intellect, to beat the different challenges within
the game to achieve a specific goal; this could be advancing to the next level
or obtaining accolades and achievements. A successful puzzle game would be lemmings;
the aim of this game is to get as many lemmings to the end goal you have a
variety of different abilities for example giving one an umbrella to allow them
to glide of a ledge.
Platforms
Platform games, tend to be side on and the user will have to
progress through the levels will tend to be from left to right either battling opponents,
or completing challenges as the user is progressing through the levels, a good
example of this would be the older Crash Bandicoot series, you were in control
of crash the bandicoot, and you would be able to break boxes defeat enemies and
progress through the screen to enable you to complete the level and progress to
the next.
Simulation
In a simulation game the user will tend to be a “Puppet
master” for example they will control characters and/or the world, for example
a game like The Sims, you are to control at least one character you will have
to tell the character to do everything from going to the bathroom or eating
food. There are other aspects to simulation games which allow the user to build
up the house or the city to how they see fit.
Simulation games could also be games such as a flight
simulation or a farming simulation games these try to give the user as close an
experience to the real experience as possible.
Sports
Sports games are games that incorporate a form of sport
within the game for example, FIFA is a game which is based around football, you
are able to pick what teams you would like to play as and they follow the same
rules as the sports in real life. Players within the teams all have different
abilities and skills that try and replicate the players in the real world.
Other games that follow this genre would be Table Tennis or Madden which is American
football.
Stealth Shooter
A stealth shooter would be a where the user will have to use
patience and stealth to navigate through the levels dispersing of the enemies
that are in the way, the will have to use silent techniques to take out as many
enemies as possible before the end of the time or to get to the end of a
mission.
Combat Games
These types of games tend to involve to characters that have
a fight until the end, combining a combination of buttons to perform many
different moves. A good player will be able to string a lot of combo’s together
to ensure the character can do the most damage, the goal is to beat other the
other character whilst keeping as much health as possible.
FPS
FPS stands for first person shooters this allows the user to
be looking and only be able to see the game from the in game characters view so
you are just able to see the from the characters perspective, games that tend
to follow this genre would be for example Call of duty or Battlefield these
tend to be war games.
Educational Games
Educational games tend to be aimed at people who want to
train their skills and brain, for example a great game for the Nintendo DS is
brain training this is various games to allow users to complete challenges
within a short period of time this records and computers a user’s brain power
and the aim is to progress and get faster.
Massively Online Multiplayer (MMO)
MMO games stand for massively multiplayer online, this means
that many players can connect to a server and all play the game at the same
time, they would be able to meet up complete missions or quests or completing
challenges, these can tend to be combined with role playing games, for example
world of Warcraft which allows players to party up and complete quests.
Next I will be talking about the platforms which are
available to the player and what types of games that can be used on them, these
are:
·
Stand-alone console
·
Personal computer
·
Handheld consoles
·
Internet/Browser games
Standalone Console
A standalone console, would be something such as an Xbox or
a PlayStation console these have a good range computing power and have the
ability to be able to play a plethora of games, in addition to this they have
to ability to connect with and play game with other. You will need etxternal
devices such as a television to display the images.
Personal Computer
A computer is capable of performing many tasks, but for a
lot of people computers are used for a gaming aspect, there are many games for
the PC a lot more than for standalone console, a lot of indie games are
developed for the PC before being transferred over to consoles. The games can
for the computer can be acquired from the internet for selected game or can be
downloaded through third party programs such as steam.
Handheld Consoles
Handheld consoles are lighter than a stand-alone console,
these are portable electronic devices which can play a lot of games but not as
many as the above two. The system is complete with no additional devices are
needed for a user to play a game. Everything is included for example controls,
screens and sound. The games they are able to process are very limited in
comparison with PC and stand-alone consoles.
Internet/Browser Games
A browser game is a game which is housed and can be played
within the browser window, these tend to be made using Java, games are ran on
websites through the use of plug-ins. These games tend to be created using
these web technologies. Browsers can contain many different types of games and
can be both single and multiplayer.
Game Technologies
Next I will be talking about gaming technologies that are
used within games, these are:
·
Graphics
·
AI
·
Scripting
·
Audio
Graphics
Graphics are a main part of many games, and over years games
have prided themselves using graphics and the graphical quality has tried has
been increased to try and make the games more desirable.
AI
AI stands for artificial intelligence, it is how the NPC’s
react then their behaviour throughout the game, these can be created through
use of scripting or algorithms that would change dependent on how the user
interacts with the AI character. These methods tend to be used within games and
they attempt to make the computer seem more intelligent this will change the
way the AI characters act.
Scripting
Scripting refers to the code which is attached to an object,
this is the most common what to attach behaviour to an object but there will
have to be some background code that will state how the object behaves.
Audio
Video game audio is the audio in which is attached to a
game, this could be the music or sound effects that are involved and sounded
when an action happens. In today’s games
the music is to a higher quality of sound whereas in the past games such as
Mario have older more 8 bit music.
Gaming Platforms
Personal Computer, steam,
games
Hand held devices ds
Mobile phones app store
Internet flash games
Video
Network
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