Types of Video Games

Sam Gunderson
Mrs. Boresen
Expos, 6th
Types of Video Games
2/04/09

Whether it is chopping up zombies with a chainsaw, creating a character to fight the forces of evil, or playing a football game while you are sick, video games can entertain various types of people. Most people like at least one type of video game; some have just never played them before. Four main types of video games are action, sports, RPGs, and strategy games. Each of these can be divided up into smaller categories, almost each of which have some very famous games.
Action games are composed of adventure and shooter games. In adventure games, the player will play through a story much like an RPG. The Diablo series by Blizzard would be an example of adventure games. While they are similar to RPGs, adventure games usually have one story with numerous ways to play through it. There is often less character development because you can decide who your character and party are. Shooters are usually quite a bit more popular. On the newer consoles, such as the Xbox 360 and the PS3, most games are shooters. The Halo series, Call of Duty series, and Gears or War series, are only a few famous games for the Xbox 360. Shooters can be first person like Halo, where you see through the eyes of the character, or they can be third person, where you can see from a view originating behind the character. Both first and third person shooters have grown in popularity over the last 10 years.
Sports games have also become extremely popular in recent years. The two main types of these are racing and non-racing games. Racing games usually have you as the driver of some vehicle. You must race against others to win the race. Some racing games will throw in a shooter element or an adventure element to make the game more interesting. In these games you often race to earn money for better cars, improvements for your cars, or to unlock new tracks. Some titles include Nascar, Need for Speed, and ATV off road fury. Other sports games allow the player to take control of a player on a team. This can be football, hockey, soccer, basketball, and many other types of sports. These games will usually simulate a real experience as much as possible. Madden, NCAA, NHL, and NBA are the most popular series of this genre. A side note to sports games is that they will usually be followed by a year such as Madden 2008 and have players who played in that year.
RPGs are also known as role-playing games. They can be divided into single player rpgs and MMORPGs (massive multi-player online role playing games). In both there is usually some type of character development. Single player rpgs are similar to adventure games. They will usually follow a story and each character will often have a unique personality. These are often games played by people who want a good story. Examples of single player rpgs are the Final Fantasy series up until Final Fantasy X-2, the Elderscrolls series, and the Fallout series. MMORPGs are always played online. These games often have no story and are just for entertainment. You can do an almost unlimited number of things in these types of games. People can kill each other, team up to get stronger, buy and sell equipment, and get jobs to earn money. There are unique character classes, each of which serves a unique purpose. The most famous MMORPG is World of Warcraft or WoW. There are different classes in WoW such as the warrior who is a fighter, the ranger who fights from a distance, the warlock who uses magic, and the healer who is a support class for the others in battle(Warcraft 1). MMORPGs are almost solely for the computer though there are some exceptions. World of Warcraft, Everquest, and Lord of the Rings are all examples of MMORPGs on the computer. Phantasy Star Online, Phantasy Star Universe, and Final Fantasy 11 and 12 are all MMORPGs that were on consoles as well as the computer. Computers are perfect for MMORPGs because they have a large number of keys, which can be used for different things as well as the fact that more people have computers than any single console.
Strategy games are like high-tech chess matches. Some are real time strategy games, called RTS games and others are turn based. RTS games are, like MMORPGs, are usually for the computer. They require a lot of strategy and are often quite difficult. The player will control one faction and fight with others. In these games you will gather resources to create buildings and troops. An example of an RTS game is Starcraft. In Starcraft you choose a race and play as them. The choices are the Terran, a human confederation, the Protoss, an advanced alien race, and the Zerg, a primitive alliance of powerful and seemingly limitless alien races (Starcraft 1). Your objectives and tactics differ depending on the race you play as. These games are complex which is why they are usually for the computer. Few console RTS games have been successful though two exceptions of this are Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 1 and 2. That is nothing when compared to series such as Command and Conquer, Total War, and Starcraft. Another type of strategy game is turn-based games. These can range from board games turned into video games to some of the most in depth games ever created. Also turn-based strategy can be part of a whole game. Final Fantasy games often used either turn-based or RTS battle styles. Sid Meier’s’ Civilization series has made turn-based strategy games into huge titles. Civilization 4 took the player from the dawn of time to the space age and allowed you to take over the world whether you did it using military might, economic superiority, or diplomatic prowess. The Civilization series by Sid Meier is the most popular turn-based strategy series, though most games by Sid Meier are turn-based.
All different kinds of people like different kinds of video games. Four of the biggest types of video games are action, sports, role-playing, and strategy games. Almost anyone can be turned into a video gamer if they find a video game of something they like. An example of this is athletes who play video games of sports when they can’t actually get out and play. Personally, I like most types of video games. I own an Xbox 360 and a computer. I play action games, some football games, RPGs, and both types of strategy games. In my opinion, the best games ever made would be Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, Gears of War 2, and Starcraft. These are an adventure game, a shooter game, and a real time strategy game respectively.