[game_preservation] Descriptive terms for Video Games

[Rowan Kaiser]

I mean, I guess you could make the case that Tetris *looks *kind of like
putting a puzzle together, which might be where the genre got its name...but
in general, I think the concept of "puzzle" means something that you sit and
think about. A game like *The Fool's Errand*, that's a puzzle game.
*Tetris*seems to play better when you get into a Zen-like,
non-thinking zone. If you
have to puzzle out what to do next, you're probably about to lose! Still,
it's part of that labeled genre and I accept that, even if I think it's
kinda silly.

As for the second part of your statement, which is more interesting and
relevant, I think you could do a pretty comprehensive labeling system if you
base it around three categories: Gameplay Genre, Setting, and Perspective,
in descending order of importance (this system would not look so different
from MobyGames, which is part of why I like MobyGames!)

I think the vast majority of games could be delineated pretty clearly from
this system (Shooter, Science Fiction, First-Person), and even most hybrids
would only need an extra selection or two to make them clear (Action,
Horror, 3rd-person for *Resident Evil*, Action/RPG, Horror, 3rd-person
for *Parasite
Eve*).


Rowan



On Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 1:59 AM, Andrew Armstrong <andrew at aarmstrong.org>wrote:


>  Wait, Tetris isn't a puzzle game Rowan? Looks like a puzzle to me

> (admittedly in most incarnations an unlimitedly timed abstract puzzle), now

> we get into the crux of the problem being humans classifying the things in

> the first place and disagreeing :)

>

> I'd agree with whatever actually works; show me a system and if I can't

> find certain games with certain search, tag or category terms it's not

> encompassing enough (be that by content genre, gameplay genre or abstract

> "social" genre).

>

> Andrew

>

>

> On 15/06/2011 06:01, Rowan Kaiser wrote:

>

> Well, there are two aspects to discussing genre which have come up here, I

> think. The first is genre as a classification tool, which theoretically

> gives people the opportunity to determine the essential characteristics of a

> game in a word or three or ten, which is, I think, the aim of the initial

> question here.

>

> On the other hand, there's genre as a social construction, which,

> regardless of accuracy (how is *Tetris *a *puzzle* game? It's an abstract

> action game!) is used and will be used. This, Jim, I think is where you had

> problems with your RPG classification. You may consider it inaccurate, but

> the social construction is popular shorthand. It is how gamers understand

> games, I think.

>

> Rowan

>

>

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