283: Introducing The Escapist's Genre Wheel

[Twentydragon]

I really like the way it orients everything in an easy-to-follow way. I've even gone ahead and extended the background for use as my desktop wallpaper.

I have to wonder, though: where do party games fit in? Games like "Mario Party" and "Rayman: Raving Rabbids" don't quite seem to fit any of the genre labels you guys have up there currently.

Also, with regards to everyone's two-axis suggestion, I think that's being a little too nitpicky. It would help to see these genre labels as blending *slices*, rather than points. Individual games, then, can easily be plotted as a point within the wheel.

 

[Farlander]

I have to wonder, though: where do party games fit in? Games like "Mario Party" and "Rayman: Raving Rabbids" don't quite seem to fit any of the genre labels you guys have up there currently.

Well, as far as I see it, they're Action/Conflict on the chart. Action - cause requires the constant use of reflexes, Conflict - pits you against equal (or almost equal) adversaries (in these cases - fellow humans).

 

[radred]

[/quote]The Total War games all contain two radically different play modes, and therefore two different genres. They include RTT sections and Grand Strategy sections, but they don't mix them. Basically, they have bits that are one genre and bits that are another genre. No genre-classification system can deal with that. It's TW's fault, not the wheel's. Rome would go in SC and ASC.

This is a very nice classification system, but I'm unsure of its practical usefulness. Aside from the minor niggles that I've just mentioned, I think my problem is that it's entirely gameplay-focused. Video games these days are more than just games, and I think a classification system should reflect that. I'm not saying it can't work, just that I'd want to see it really put into practice before I'm sure it would.[/quote]

maybe a clasification of "total war" could be used. as the total war series are the most famous of them i think it would be fitting to name the genre after them.

also, who agrees we need desktop sized genre wheels?

 

[Twentydragon]

Well, as far as I see it, [party games are] Action/Conflict on the chart. Action - cause requires the constant use of reflexes, Conflict - pits you against equal (or almost equal) adversaries (in these cases - fellow humans).

Ah, that makes sense. Guess there just wasn't room for four genres on the wedge. =)

also, who agrees we need desktop sized genre wheels?

Gotcha covered. [http://ennead.twentydragon.com/random/genre.png]
EDIT: Moved image; fixed link.

 

[Blackbird71]

Very interesting. Two questions though:

Where exactly do pure quiz games lie on this wheel (such as the aged "You Don't Know Jack" series)?

What exactly is the difference between "Driving" and "Vehicle Simulation"?

 

[Micah Heller]

OK, i concede to your point, but i still think that some RPGs, not all, but some should be near the center, as in oblivion, to go back to that example, if you can adapt to your crummy stats, you can easily do the same things as a higher level player, par se, you can hit from a very long distance, even at a low archery level if you simply adjust to arrow drop, and yes,damage is decided by stats, but how is that different than borderlands? or any other FPS that has stats

 

[Micah Heller]

Also, to twentydragon, vehicle sims are where you say, virtually test drive a car, racig is like NFS or grand turismo

 

[garjian]

where does desert bus fit?

its a game with no action, conflict, exploration or strategy...
but it IS a driving sim.

 

[WarpZone]

where does desert bus fit?

its a game with no action, conflict, exploration or strategy...
but it IS a driving sim.

Action: The bus is drifting to the right. OH SHIT! BETTER STEER LEFT!

Conflict: This game sucks ass... but they're paying us to keep playing it...

Exploration: They want us to *what!?* That's a new one. Well, sure, we can give it a shot if that two hundred dollar donation comes in... just give me time to limber up, first... and... actually, make it $250 because we'll need to rent the llama and the fog machine.

Strategy: Are you kidding me? Pee first. Bring friends. Sleep in shifts. Ration your caffeine. Desert Bus is ALL about strategy!

 

[garjian]

where does desert bus fit?

its a game with no action, conflict, exploration or strategy...
but it IS a driving sim.

Action: The bus is drifting to the right. OH SHIT! BETTER STEER LEFT!

Conflict: This game sucks ass... but they're paying us to keep playing it...

Exploration: They want us to *what!?* That's a new one. Well, sure, we can give it a shot if that two hundred dollar donation comes in... just give me time to limber up, first... and... actually, make it $250 because we'll need to rent the llama and the fog machine.

Strategy: Are you kidding me? Pee first. Bring friends. Sleep in shifts. Ration your caffeine. Desert Bus is ALL about strategy!

heh, well if its all of them it still doesnt fit

 

[mdqp]

Does this idea of a chart to classify games comes in pair with Yahtzee's Extra punctuation "contest, challange and gratification" idea for rating games? Do you think it was discussed as a whole? Anyway, this is just a tool, it can't possibly cover all the videogames in this world. Definitions change over time, and label as "RPG" and "action/adventure" seems to be inadequate to definy a lot of games, recently. Finally it's not really useful by itself, since a review needs to elaborate on the game's content, but once you elaborate on it, you describe the game far better than by using the "tag" you place on its genre, thus making the creation of such a system a bit pointless. So, it's just something you have to put in front of the article to steer away people that wouldn't be interested in the genre, but this is already achieved by the "old" labels (of course, this is just my opinion).

In case I didn't make it clear previosly (I am sorry, I don't speak english very well), I think that both this system and the previous one are flawed, but get the job done either way (giving basic informations on what to expect in a game before even bothering to read a review), so I feel it isn't particularly useful.