Starter

Draw a picture of yourself playing your first ever video game

Then, drawn a picture of yourself playing the most recent video game

Reflection

How old were you when you first played a video game?

What device did you play on? Where did you play video games? What type of games did you play? What type of games do you play Where are you most likely to play video

games now?

Objectives

To investigate early video-game consoles and consider how the games industry has changed

To explore video game genres To know the formula for exploring genre

Word Bingo

Watch this clip and cross off any key words or terms that you hear

Word Bingo

Were there any institutions that you recognised?

Were there any video games you recognised?

Who has played Mario Kart? Who has played Sonic the Hedgehog? Has anyone ever played Pong?

Over to you!

www.ponggame.org www.atari.com/arcade http://www.webworksllc.com/games/ (the

arcade games) Spend some time playing these games Select one to write a brief review for

Video Games Genre

You won’t see a ‘science fiction’ section featuring Halo 4 (for Xbox 360) and StarCraft (for PC), despite the similar settings and style of these games.

Instead, you will find games categorised by platform (e.g. PlayStation, Xbox, PC) and gameplay (racing, first-person shooter, puzzle).

This can be seen clearly where there are games based on films: The Lord of the Rings is clearly a fantasy film series.

However, the numerous games based on it span different gameplay genres, from action-adventure ‘Lego’ games to role-playing and strategy games.

Identifying genre

How to identify a film genre

Narrative – the story being toldIconography – props and identifiable objectsCharacters – stereotypesSetting – typical location

Genre

Organise the pack of video games into type or genre

Look at the poster or cover art for the game and explain why you believe it to belong to this genre

Then, look at the trailer and explore how the genre is communicated

Homework

Keep a diary of your gameplay over the next week

Using a pencil and ruler create a chart like this on one page in your exercise book

Plenary

Can you identify one other genre of video game?

What examples of games can you think of?

Video Game Genres

FPS (First-Person Shooter)

RPG (Role-Playing Game) Simulation Strategy Racing Puzzle Platform Sports Trivia Rhythm/Exercise Music Education