[game_preservation] Descriptive terms for Video Games

[Andrew Armstrong]

On Tetris specifically, even fast paced games can be puzzles; I see no 
requirement of time to be thinking about where things go; the original 
game concept it is based on is mainly limited by the fact it can end, 
but anyway!

I think the ranking of different genres is the important point; the 
choice of divisions or inclusions of different ones is great, but having 
it priorities so at a glance you know if a game focuses heavily on one 
mechanic or gametype over another would be even better (where it also 
notes secondary ones though).

For instance, many games include multiplayer (surely some form of genre 
we'd all agree!), however some do it primarily or solely (MMO's, 
competitive shooters, DOTA games), and some secondarily (secondary to 
the single player campaigns) or some do it in tandem with equal 
importance (music and DDR games, strategy games, many shooters - some of 
these you'd possibly even say the singleplayer and multiplayer aspects 
are completely separate instead of the same game!).

Knowing the focus and intent of a game, where perhaps it does contain a 
side quest where you race stuff but isn't really a sport game, but 
perhaps that side quest could be actually a widely accepted unique 
selling point and gameplay feature especially at the time so important 
to note, having some division where it can be noted but not be the 
primary focus would be cool.

Definitely a good idea if using a large amount of categorisation for 
different game types.

Also, Jim, interesting to see why RPG isn't under Adventure! Always 
confused me a bit that :)

Andrew

On 15/06/2011 10:14, Rowan Kaiser wrote:

> 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 <mailto: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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