283: Introducing The Escapist's Genre Wheel

[bolastristes]

Introducing The Escapist's Genre Wheel

The Escapist breaks games down to their basics and devises a genre classification system that covers all (ok, almost all) of the bases.

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Who the hell buys a game for It´s genre!? : fanboys and casual gamers.

Personally, don´t give a damn about genres, for me It´s just good games and bad games.

I honestly don´t see a real point of this article.

Well aren't you posh? Nobody buys a game for it's genre... but you're naive if you think that genres don't suggest whether or not you'd enjoy a game. For example, I know I will not like any sports games ever. The subject matter bores me. Also, anything that is remotely RTS related will turn me away as I blow at them. This causes me to not have any fun, so I ignore the genre as a whole. That being said, I don't think it's implied that someone will buy a game just because of it's genre, it still has to be good. IE - "Ya, you should pick up Alundra. It's kinda like a Zelda type game".

Well, yes, I can see your point, but a ¨3 page¨ article?, I´m just saying that there´s a lot more than meets the eye, who directed the game, who made the score, who designed the gameplay, who designed the characters, etc, etc. Mr Pitts took this subject too seriously, a genre will never be determinant, It´s just a guideline for newbies or casual gamers, Maybe that´s why I felt a little bit offended with this article... I mean, Shinji Mikami for instance, he made survival horror games, a beat em up, and third person shooters, Is the genre determinant here?, no, not at all, I personally loved those games, I loved RE, I adored Godhand and I loved Vanquish, and not because I loved R.E I have to love ALL Survival horror games...
The same with sport games, I don´t play sport games, but not because of the genre, I don´t play them, cause Sega was the only company who knew how to made them...PES may be the only next gen sport game that I really love and respect though.Anyway, the point is that I (and every educated gamer) should buy a game for It´s authors, not for It´s genre.

 

[742]

i could be wrong here but i dont think exploration in this context necessarily means uncovering the fog of war or shouting "land ho!" but more examining things in depth, game mechanics (like torturing sims) and the pretty colors the gems make while you-do unspeakable addictive time-sink things that i cant bring myself to name without reinstalling.

also im pretty sure this is just meant to supplement the whole "review" bit of a review, which says things like how the mechanics mesh, how well the art style fits and any notable designers who might have worked on it-if not please add my voice to the pitchforks and torches crowd(or more practically and greener(because who has a pitchfork? have you ever tried to run with a lit torch!?) lighters flashlights and maybe frying pans? wrenches? normal forks?)

 

[Docbrown]

this is great however it is stmped by minecraft as it is all four

 

[coolguy5678]

(I'm also not sure why you put music games where you did. Take Guitar Hero - ignoring Star Power, it's entirely devoid of strategy. The game literally tells you what the optimum set of input is.)

I don't follow. Music games are in Action/Exploration, which seems fair.

Indeed, AE sounds fair. The issue is that it should be as far as possible on the A side of the A/S axis, since music games have (almost) no strategy element. But you can't do that without sacrificing the E/C distinction, so I'm really just providing an example for my first point.

 

[Twad]

Sweet chart. Nice work there guys!

 

[gl1koz3]

To those who are "seeing problems" (i.e. action-RPG), I don't see any problems identifying something as action and RPG at the same time. Comma separated, of course. If you want just one of them, find the dominant genre and call it that dominant genre X plus-some-elements-of-Y.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Hmmm. An interesting notion though it causes me a few personal conflicts about how things fit.

Where would you place the Legend of Zelda for instance?

It's commonly considered an RPG or an Action Adventure game depending on who you ask, but it's main gameplay features revolve around solving environmental puzzles and fighting things. (although, to be fair, bosses are also often puzzles of a sort, but you still need quite good reflexes.)

The contradictions a game like this presents would lead towards trying to shift it towards the middle of opposing areas.

Further, while you might be able to group certain things together as being similar, this too presents problems when I consider my own tastes;

What am I to make of liking platformers, but disliking survival horror?

Or finding Real time strategy OK, while hating sports games?

In fact, going through how all the existing genres supposedly fit onto this system, it strikes me how many supposedly closely related game styles there are where I quite like one type, but dislike the other.

Then again, while I have preferences, and certain types of thing that I dislike, I play just about anything in the end, so I guess what turns me off about a game has little to do with it's genre.

 

[OrionKurnous]

Great idea! Love the concept.

 

[Junkle]

I think people are focusing far too much on the words on the outside of the graph. I'd say that they're there simply for one reason: clarification. They are for a general sampling of games of that genre.

In that light, many of the problems being discussed simply become problems of deciding where on the wheel certain games fall. The genre titles can be viewed more as guidelines.

Next, cross-genre games. If you aren't going to (effectively) ignore the genres on the outside of the graph, then decide which parts the game is based on, and go from there. Even in that case, there will always be games that defy this chart. There will never be a perfect chart, but this is a one of the better ones.

Anyway. If we view this from a mildly art perspective, you've got to remember that complementary colors make brown when combined. Make of that what you will. Next, colors nearby to each other can clash horribly when placed next to each other. Just because you like one game doesn't mean you're bound to like similar games. In fact, they game you dislike may have elements that you liked in the other, but either don't quite fit with the one you do like or you just hate it.

The last way I'd say you can use this chart is not to assign games around the outside, but give them varying distances from the center. For instance, a game that is equal parts of all 4 would go straight in the middle (minecraft has been given as an example.)

I'm gonna stop now. If you want more of my opinion, ask.

 

[darth gditch]

Wow, this is really nice.

Takes a deeper look at what video game genres are and can be.

 

[kouriichi]

You forgot "Sexy" games. Like DOA: Beach Volleyball, or Sexy Beach 3.

I mean, how could you forget such an important genre of videogaming!??!? /endsarcasum

 

[Drake_Dercon]

What about the so-called "action rpg" genre, where a very well designed game can find itself squarely in the middle of strategy, exploration, conflict and action?
Though, that may explain why most action rpgs tend to feel incomplete in some aspects.

Otherwise I found it quite comprehensive; a good, logical look at where relative games seem to fit in. I find myself in a bit of everything on the wheel, as well as wondering why the action/conflict hemisphere is the only one that tends to be recognized as "video game" by people outside of the "gamer" group. They'll still recognize that others within the circle as games, but if asked to define games through a frame of reference, most people will think first and foremost of halo, call of duty and gears of war (assuming they recognize these titles). Why is it that those games define the industry to outsiders more than civilization, mass effect, silent hill, dragon age, gran tourismo, the sims, guitar hero and even wii sports?

 

[Zero_ctrl]

Spoiler: I made a Wide-Screen version of the picture, in case anybody wants it as a desktop.

 

[nickpy]

A sound idea.

Odd thing for me though is, what I do and don't like seems to be fairly evenly spread around the entire wheel - which is a bit... disconcerting.

i.e. the Games I like include (but are no means limited to):
- Civilization Series (SC Turn-Based Strategy)
- C&C Pre-Generals (ASC Real-Time Strategy)
- Runescape and the Zelda Series (SCE RPG)
- The Sims 1, 3 (SE Simulation)
- NFS: Shift, Gran Turismo 5 (ASE Vehicle Simulation)
- Mario, Commander Keen (AE Platforming)
- GTA Pre-4, Timesplitters (ACE Driving & Action Adventure?)

I find it odd that my tastes seem to be so evenly spread about the wheel. Infact, the only segment I do not appear to like is AC.

Often when people ask me what games I like, I reply "Games which are fun" - the same with music and film. There are no particular genres that I seem to love over others. I simply enjoy media which I find to be good. True, my what I "like" and what I "dislike" tends to focus more on certain areas, like I would say a large majority of my favourite music resides in 80s rock'n'roll, electronic, pop and classical. But I think that is more down to gravitating toward areas I have most experience in. In most cases where someone highly recommends a game to me and I get it despite thinking it won't be for me, I will like it. Not because of it's particular genre, but simply because it is a good, compelling, enjoyable game. For example, I bought minecraft just to see what the fuss was about - i couldn't really see how it would an enjoyable game, at least for me, but I (after working out what the hell i was supposed to do: note to notch, a tutorial is badly needed) found I thourougly enjoyed the game, simply because it's well designed and fun. And the things not even in beta yet!

Do I just defy the formula with my oddness, or am I missing something?

 

[Ekonk]

Really cool, but it does forget all the artful indie games in which there is neither strategy nor action. But hey, you said 'most' of the bases, so good job!

 

[Yankeedoodles]

Interesting. Will y'all be using these classifications in reviews in the future?

 

[FaceFaceFace]

I really, really like this. I think the "genre-defying" games don't necessarily break it, either. Rather, it allows you to look a little more closely at the game. It may also create and interesting situation where the player determines the genre by their own interests: if the game could be on either side of the wheel with equal validity, then the focus that is more important to the player will be the one they identify as dominant. Maybe not the definitive genre chart for this reason, but definitely an effective and useful one.

(And depending on how relative you think the truth is, maybe it is definitive)

 

[daftnoize]

I do think many games can go in several genres, action rpg, survival horror puzzler etc.

Also as a puzzle game geek, little disapointed that puzzle and family are in the same section...

As always though really truely impressed by the level of debate on the escapist. Keep it up everyone.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

Awesome job. I'm sure I'll argue more when I'm not coming off a 6 hour dwarf fortress bender....

 

[veloper]

Conflict vs exploration and action vs strategy are good dimensions for comparing games.

When you put them on a circle however, only pure action or strategy games appear to allow a blend of conflict and exploration.
I reckon it would have worked better on a 2 dimensional chart.

Finally, when a game clearly belongs to an established genre like a shooter or diablo clone, then it's still more informative to call it a shooter or tpl, than an A-C.