Video Game Genres

Action

• FPS (Halo), TPS (Gears of War), or “beat-em-ups”

• Key ideas: Excitement and pace! Require eye/hand coordination and quick reflexes. No deep thinking, but some tactical thought required.

• Camera• First-person: more immersive, can’t see all

around (more fear?)• Third-person: more identification with

character, wider view

Action

• Level Design – is crucial!– If player is forced to slog through the same

area over and over again (Halo), they know you're being lazy.

• Weapons must be:– Varied– Well Balanced– Powerful Feeling

Action

• Ammo / Items – much or little? (conservation and fear or

plenty?)– adaptive to their use?

• Engine choice important

RPG (Role-playing Game)

• Final Fantasy, Oblivion• Key ideas: characters, character growth, and

combat. Large worlds to explore.• Character growth (leveling up)

– “lord of the slimes”– Several paths (build orders)– Several classes?

• Design for both the “role player” and the “roll player”– similar to the rule we apply with application software

like Microsoft Office

RPG (Role-playing Game)

• Linearity vs non-linearity– japanese vs. american– Allow for non-linearity by grouping

“quests” into story arcs

• Combat - hack-and-slash or strategic?

Adventure

• Legend of Zelda• Key ideas:

– Story– Exploration– Item Collection– Puzzle Solving

• Increasingly a hybrid with action and/or RPG.

• Story – This is key. Adventure games are all about

characters and story.

Adventure

• Item Collection– Avoid pointless “key hunts”

• Puzzles – Must be intuitive, but not easy– Make them reasonable to be there!– Make them fit with theme, and villain, if

applicable– Use each puzzle as a storytelling

opportunity

Strategy

• Civ, Dawn of War, Warcraft• Key ideas:

– Resource Management– Distinct teams– Balance

• Resource Management– make resources relevant to story– make resources encourage the gameplay you intend– if resources run out from a certain location, users are

forced to scout and roam