Do game genres need to be redefined?

[DoPo]

EDIT - Why does the first set come out as [ ]'s and the second as 's? Weird... I typed them both in as 's, must be something to do with the code governing these posts.

I think when used in anything looking like a tag are replaced by [ ]. And from then on, the forum software takes on and does it's job properly, namely as if all the tags are in square brackets (it would be annoying to define all of them twice). Or something along those lines.

OT: it is a no-win situation - the genres aren't perfect for describing what's inside them but change is highly improbable. Maybe impossible. They do work, though. Sort of. If I tell you that game X is an FPS you would get what I mean. Unless I try describing Portal, for example. It's not really a shooter, although it is first person. And so on.

Some genres just have too much diversity in them. "Strategy" is a really broad definition. From turn based to real time and some that are in-between. It does describe the general concept of the games but you can't say "This is a strategy and that is a strategy as well, so they are mostly the same". This is where sub-genres come in. And yet, even they aren't perfect. If a new type of strategy comes out that is neither turn based, nor real-time, nor really part of another sub-genre you're stuck You either make up a new label or try to broaden another label a bit. Or, you just say "Well it's like X however you have this and that". It's inevitable that it will come to this. It's the same with most other media, too. Labels are inherently prone to failure as the medium grows and evolves.

 

[theSteamSupported]

Tags do a much better job describing creative products than genres will ever do. By tags, I mean the main elements that define this work, whether it is music, movies, animation or games.

For example, Legend of Zelda would have 'exploration', 'mysticism', 'problem solving', 'quasi-medieval' and 'melee' as tags. For Super Meat Boy, it would be 'jumping', 'running', 'trial-and-error', 'contemporary' and 'satire'. For Civilization, 'strategy', 'history', 'conflict', 'abnegation' and 'turn based progression'. Etcetera.

The Escapist's Genre Wheel is something I come to think of now.

 

[Woodsey]

It's a incredibly broad category that lets us define games at a bare minimum. It really doesn't matter, and it's really not that complicated 95% of the time.

 

[TheCommanders]

RPG stands for ROLE PLAYING game. Role playing means you have a character that to some degree you can influence in regard to their actions, personality, appearance, or abilities to fit a ROLE.

Your new(ish) here so I'll cut you a little slack.
This topic is done to death and is also flame war kindling. In the future use the search bar.

Role playing is not what you are saying BTW. It never was.
It has always referred to games which let you "micro-manage statistics". When talking of role-playing elements in a game, their aren't talking about moral choice - they are talking about some sort of statictical micro-management and level ups.

Actors role play. Actors also read from scripts. Scripted scenes leave no character choice. Your definition has just had a hole punched clear through it.

Now kindly use the search feature and stop making flame bait threads.

Oh God, please not the RPG argument again.

Agreed. It's been done to death and then done some more.

People need to learn to use the "Search" feature more...

Perhaps that part was a mini rant but wasn't the focus of my post. I'll edit it out so I can hear about what I actually came to talk about, which was genres.

 

[Hap2]

Games define the genres, not the other way around. I'm not sure why being anal about which game fits where would make a game any more/less enjoyable.

 

[TheCommanders]

Games define the genres, not the other way around. I'm not sure why being anal about which game fits where would make a game any more/less enjoyable.

I'm more thinking along the lines of how we enable people to find other games they might enjoy, based on games they know. Part of my point in that games get shoehorned into genres, and because of that, some people will never play them (the more casual gaming audience that doesn't have the time to thoroughly research a game before buying it).

I liked what theSteamSupported said about tags, that seems like a more modern solution to the problem, especially considering how much of game shopping takes place in digital forums nowadays.