Based on slides by Rolf Lakaemper (Temple) Game Genre CSE 788.14 Based on slides by Rolf Lakaemper (Temple)

Genres ADVENTURES

Solving of puzzles, finding various artifacts Sub-genres: Textbased Adventure Games cast the player as the protagonist of a story in which the player participates Solving of puzzles, finding various artifacts Sub-genres: Textbased Graphical Action

Textbased Adventures: First adventures Genres Textbased Adventures: First adventures Typical use of verb-noun phraser Earliest titles: ‘Hunt the Wumpus’ (G. Yob, 1972, Basic Game) and ‘Adventure’ (W. Crowther, 1972)

Genres ‘Hunt the Wumpus’ Essentially, you're wandering through a network of numbered caves, looking for the Wumpus; when it's nearby, you'll smell it, and you can try to kill it by shooting into one of the caves that's near you. If you wander into the same cave as the Wumpus, you die. Other hazards include bats--which pick you up and dump you somewhere else--and pits, which kill you. source code !

Genres …or ZORK (1981)

Genres Hybrid Text / Graphic The Hobbit (1982) spectrum emulator

Graphical (point and click) Interface Genres Graphic Adventure Graphical (point and click) Interface Introduced by Sierra Online’s King’s Quest 1984 Lucas Arts: Maniac Mansion 1987

King’s Quest I (by Roberta Williams) Genres King’s Quest I (by Roberta Williams)

The only commercially successfully remaining action genre Genres Action Adventure The only commercially successfully remaining action genre Reflex Based as well as puzzle solving Most prominent: The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986 (US: 1987 on NES)

Genres Legend of Zelda, NES 1987

Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Game Cube 2004 Genres Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Game Cube 2004

Genres Educational Games Attempt to teach the user using the game as a vehicle Mostly target young users Growing market ! …can also teach programming on a very high though entertaining level, e.g. ‘Robot Wars’ Best known: ‘Carmen Sandiego’

Genres Example: ‘Alpha Beth’ 1985 PLAY

Genres Fighting (Beat’em Up) Emphasize on one-on-one combat between (two) players Usually focus on martial arts Usually as dramatic and physically impossible as comical Sophisticated interfaces ! Early title: ‘Way of the exploding fist’, Melbourne House 1985 PLAY!

‘Way of the exploding fist’, Genres ‘Way of the exploding fist’, Melbourne House 1985, Sinclair Spectrum Version

‘Mortal Combat: Deadly Alliance’, Genres ‘Mortal Combat: Deadly Alliance’, Midway,2002, XBOX

Genres First Person Shooter Emphasize shooting and combat from a specific perspective, most of them place player behind hand/weapon Tend to be scaringly violent 3D effect is usually enhanced by 3D-sound Most prominent: DOOM, Quake, HALO First title: …

Genres Battlezone, ATARI, 1980

Genres DOOM Id software,1993

Genres HALO Xbox,Bungie Studios,2001

(Massive Multiplayer Online Games) Genres MMOGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Games) Subscription based virtual worlds for thousands of players to interact together Titles: Ultima Online, Everquest, World of Warcraft, etc.

Genres Everquest

Platform Games Probably the best known genre, ‘the’ computer game Genres Platform Games Probably the best known genre, ‘the’ computer game Running, jumping etc. on 2D or 3D platform ‘Side-scrollers’, usually (2d) from a side perspective. Most prominent: Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, Lode Runner, Sonic, …

Genres Jumpman 1983, ATARI 400

Genres Donkey Kong Nintendo, 1981

Genres Mario Bros Nintendo, 1983

Genres Super Mario Bros Nintendo, 1985

Genres PUZZLE Games Require the gamer to solve logic puzzles or navigate complex locations such as mazes. Genre crosses frequently with adventure and educational games Titles: Tetris, Sokoban, Boulderdash,…

1985 Alexey Pazhitnov, Vadim Gerasimov Genres Tetris 1985 Alexey Pazhitnov, Vadim Gerasimov

Genres Boulderdash 1987 Databyte

RACING GAMES Place player in the driver seat of vehicle Genres RACING GAMES Place player in the driver seat of vehicle Emerging in early 80s Extremely popular Various input devices Titles: OutRun, MarioKart,…

Genres OutRun SEGA, 1986

Genres MarioKart Double Dash Nintendo, 2004

Genres Role Playing Player acts as adventurer who specializes in certain skills Emerged from board (pencil&paper) role playing games Usually science fiction or fantasy setting Titles: Ultima, Diablo, …

ULTIMA 1 1980 Written in basic 3000 lines of code Genres ULTIMA 1 1980 Written in basic 3000 lines of code Memory takes less than one texture in current version…

Genres ULTIMA 1, 1980

Genres ULTIMA 9, 1999

Fixed Shooters The classic 2D shooters Genres Fixed Shooters The classic 2D shooters Space Invaders, Galaga, R-Type, …

Genres Space Invaders Galaga

Genres Simulation Aim to simulate a specific activity (e.g. flying an airplane / running a company) as realistically as possible Usually time consuming to play, huge manuals etc. Titles: Little Comp. People, MS Flight Sim., The Sims, Medieval,Warcraft,… The SIMS is the most popular game ever !

Little Computer People Genres Little Computer People Activision, 1985, C64

Genres The SIMS Bill Wright,Maxis, 2000

Sports simulation, of course. Genres Sports Sports simulation, of course.

Genres Winter Games EPYX, 1983,C64

Strategy Focus on careful planning and skillful resource management Genres Strategy Focus on careful planning and skillful resource management Thinking games Often turn based Usually war strategy Titles: M.U.L.E., Civilization, War Craft,…

Genres M.U.L.E EA, 1983

Sid Meier, Microprose,1991, DOS Genres Civilization 1 Sid Meier, Microprose,1991, DOS

Genres WarCraft III Blizzard, 2003, PC

Genres Traditional Board Games Card Games ETC