UGDP - Genres Lesson

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Genres Lesson

Within the general classifications of Entertainment, Serious and Educational games, there are categories of games called "Genres." What is a "genre" (pronounced like ZHON-RUH) for a game? A genre is the method in which the game is played, and has nothing to do with the device you play it on, nor the topic or style. For example, an "FPS" or "first person shooter" could be a space theme, or western theme, or historical theme, but the genre is still FPS. You might also find varying opinions on how to declare or determine genre. For example, one source might say "baseball" is a genre, while another might state "sports" is a genre and "baseball" is a subgenre. Just keep in mind, the genre is the way the game is played, and there are many ideas on how to categorize them.

How many genres are there? Since there is general disagreement on how to categorize them, there can be no exact answer. However, there are popularized categories of genre, and even more subcategories. You don't have to know all of them, but it's important to learn what makes them different, and what their primary audience is, so you can understand and create the right type of game. You will see, and maybe already know, there are patterns and typical behavior of gamers and their favorite genres. If you want to be part of the industry, you need to be able to apply the terminology. The course discusses more about the types of players and more later on.

eSports is a new genre development, where there are tournaments and professional teams, with significant prize money. They are usually based on a specific game, but one of the most influential genres is the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). For example, the SMITE World Championship in 2016 paid over $2 million in prizes to the top teams! More and more eSport contests are being created all the time, and some predict that eSports might actually grow bigger than some live action sports.

There is no official organization to categorize the genres specifically, and part of the fun is sometimes debating the genres themselves. For example, where would Madden 2016, an XBox football game be listed? It simulates football, but there is a strategy, and you might be in the role of a certain type of player. Is it an action-simulation-strategy-RPG? Some might say it's a unique Sports category. The answer is that it's not that important, but it is important to understand when someone starts discussing their game, you can understand its general type.

 

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