Different Types of Computer Games

Different Types of Computer Games

Educational

Educational games are games generally made for infants which allow them to learn basic nursery academics such as adding or subtracting and which colours are which, matching animals with words etc. These games are made for childeren and have bright colours and cartoony visuals to appeal to it's target audience, kids. They teach childeren these academics while also adding a game element to them making it more exciting for the player. They would usually have a cartoon character guiding them in the game on how to do things because not all children would understand how to use the technology. Educational games are not only for kids, there are also adults who play educational games which teach history and geography slightly if they are playing a game based on the past or a game which involves geography. However, the majority of educational games are made for kids.

This game is called the counting kingdom, which follows a sub genre of puzzle games, it is a clone of the popular bejeweled game however it is slightly different and adds the aspect of mathematics which allow children to match up the tiles and add them to proceed to the next stage. The addition must equal the number that the level requests for it to work, which is the game element of this educational game.

CSGO (Counter Strike Global Offensive) is an extremely popular fps (First-Person Shooter) with millions of players. It contains multiple different weapons and the aim of the game is depending on your role. You play as a terrorist, who tries to plant a C4 and let it explode, or a counter terrorist who defends the site from being destroyed.

First person shooter games are shooter games which are 3d and the player can see from the charactrers perspective rather tham from a third person (behind character or other) perspective. There are many different kinds of first person shooters, some stealth shooters are first person, some are fantasy some are based on realism, etc. First person shooters are often based on wars and employ the concept of ammunition for guns. First person shooters are a very popular genre and are widely seen in professional esports (Electronic sports [Gaming Tournaments]).

First Person Shooter

Stealth Shooter

Stealth shooter games are a sub genre of shooting games where the player is able to use assasination techniques to kill people rather than a proper one on one fight. They usually involve sneaking around, backstabbing and have a variety of different weapons such as snipers or daggers. The player should aim to minimize the noise of their footsteps or bullets bu using silenced guns or crouching. The player is expected to hide in shadows and behind objects so the enemy isn't alerted and doesn't see them. Some stealth games allow the player to avoid combat by sneaking around the map and not knocking out or killing anyone. The kills and knock outs need to be very quick so that the npc (Non-Playable Character) doesn't have a chance to alert his teammates.

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Dishonored is a very popular stealth game which involves assassinating npcs and sneaking shadows just like in most stealth games. Dishonored allows multiple endings depending on the choices the player makes in the story as an assassin.

Sports

Sports games are games which simulate real life sports such as football, basketball, etc. They involve physical challenges such as shooting a hoop or scoring a goal and generally playing a real sport without using as much physical energy. In a sports game the player will be tested on their accuracy to shoot a goal and their skills in defending their goal or hoop.

This game, rocket league is a sports game where the players play as cars rather than footballers who play football with a giant ball and cars. They are tested on their skills to defend a goal and score too.

Combat

Combat games or fighting games are a fairly popular genre which indulge in a lot of action and fighting. They use close combat as well as long range combat. Combat games don't always have a plot to them and sometimes are just played to fight against computer controlled players. Many combat games are multiplayer and allow the player to use special attacks for their character and even combo attacks. There are a wide variety of attacks which can be executed for each character because there are so many different possible combos. Special attacks can usually only be used when certain criteria is met, such as charging by attacking opponents or in some games destroyig a flying object, etc.

This game of the street fighter series is another extremely popular fighting game which allows the player to initiate special attacks and different combos. Zangeif here has 10 different attacks consisting 6 different special attacks. These special attacks can be used once he has landed a number of punches and he can decide which of the 6 special attacks he uses.

Adventure

Adventure games are a very popular genre in gaming, they usually have a storyline and most of them have a lot of exploring. Many adventure games can have different storylines and outcomes to make each experience unique and to make the game replayable, however there are still many great adventure games with linear storylines.

Role Playing Games

Role Playing Games aka RPGs are games in which the player virtually takes the role of a character. They are typically based in fantasy worlds because it is exciting to play the role of a character which wouldn't exist in real life. Some Rpgs are based in magic worlds and some are based in the past or future,etc. Role playing games usually involve adventure as a sub genre. RPG generally involve completing quests and levelling up skills.

This game, Ratchet and Clank is a mix of action and adventure, it has a linear storyline and an exciting adventure for the player to experience.

Simulation

The Witcher is an rpg where the player acts as a genetically enhances human with special abilities who fights a lot of monsters and enters a virtual story.

Simulation games are video games in which the player takes the role of a person, animal, or object and act as it would in the game. It is not usually based on fantasy and is much more realistic, it also allows you to become substances rather than just people. Many simulator games are used to train people in work such as flying, or truck driving so they can experience it or learn to fly in a game before they endanger themselves in real life.

This game is based on a simulating a real life concept which is flying a plane. It has all the same controls as a real plane and allows the player to play as a pilot if they are unable to in real life or if they want to practice.

Strategy

Real Time Strategy

Action

Real time strategy games (RTS) is a subgenre of strategy games however they are fast paced and the player has to think strategically on the spot in order to defeat their opponent. These types of games typically involve war between two or more teams and is generally played multiplayer so they can use tactics and strategy against each other in real time. They are strategy games which are not turn-based like some other strategy games are.

Strategy games are games which involve tactical thinking and planning to defeat an opponent. This has many different sub genres and there are different kinds of strategy games, real time, or turn-based. They involve logical thinking and short term as well as long term planning to defeat an enemy.

This game is an extremley popular game called League of legends, it is a mixture of MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) and real time strategy. It is a very strategical game and is based on two teams fighting each other in order to destroy the enemy's main building, the nexus. Some examples of how strategy can be used is the slowing effect which some charachters can apply and all the characters have 4 abilities and buy items tactically trying to counter the oppponent. The abilities have cooldowns increasing the real time essence of the strategy game.

Action games typically contain fighting and explosions to give a thrill to the player. Action games have many sub-genres since action is so vague and can mean many things. Some action games are shooting games, beat em ups, etc. Action games are almost always fast paced when the player is involved in the action of the game because the aim of action games is to give a thrill that people get when fighting virtually rather than in real life.

Sid Meier's Civiliazation is a very popular strategy game where the player acts as the leader of a nation and trys to beat the other nations in turn-based strategy where the player has many different options and oppurtunities and has to decide which would be the best way to go for them to claim victory.

This game is Shadow Warrior, it involves fighting with different kinds of weapons and contains a lot of action.

In this picture it is clear that there is a fight going on involving guns, bows, swords etc. There is a lot of jumping and typical of other action games, there are a variety of weapons to pick from.

Genres of Gaming

There are many different types of computer games each suited to different personalities. Some people prefer strategy games whereas some may prefer action games. Games often have very mixed genres.

Platform

Platform games are usually 2D however there are some 3D platformer games. They involve a lot of jumping to different platforms and the pla has to think how they can safely reach the next platform to get to the end of the level. They will have to overcome obstacles such as enemies, long jumps, etc. They might need to do run jumps on certain bits and they have to be careful not tp fall off the platforms or they die. Many platform games are made on flash and are played by kids because most of them are very easy and involve simple and basic thinking however many adults enjoy these games too.

Little Big Planet is a platformer game created for playstation and it involves running and jumping over different platforms to go forward in the story. There are many levels and the player needs to form basic ideas of how to get past obstacles, in this picture there is a platform on fire so they might need to spray water at it to move on.

MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online)

MMO games are online games which have a massive number of people playing on the multiplayer server. They are usually open world (Huge world which allows players to freely roam and explore.) because they need to fit a large number of players in the same world so it would be useless if they were all in the same place. There are many sub-genres for this type of game including MMOFPS, MMOSG (MMO Social Game [A virtual world game where people can socialise if they don't enjoy it in real life.]), MMORPG, MMORTS, etc however the most popular one is mmorpg. In MMOs there is a lot of socialising and they usually have their own virtual economy since there are so many people there will be a lot of trading, teams/clans, etc.

Elder Scrolls Online is an mmorpg which entails an rpg game involving skilling, questing, magic, etc just like most rpgs. However this is also an mmo which is why it features partys (Teammates or temporary partners) to help with quests and to fight together against a seperate clan or a monster. Adding the MMO aspect to games can make them much more fun because they mean you can play with friends and socialise whilst playing in a virtual rpg world. In MMOs, there are friendly players and hostile players, adding excitement to the game because some hostile players may come for you at any moment, whereas friendly players are more civilised and they would rather trade then steal.

Portal 2 is an overwhelmingly positively reviewed puzzle game with extreme popularity. It invloves a gun which shoots portals and the player must think logically on how to get to the next stage. They must complete a number of 'tests' using the portal gun, and logical thinking. They have to think logically using buttons, doors, portals, gravity and momentum, etc all in order to get to the next level.

Puzzle

Puzzle games involve puzzle solving and solving problems to get onto the next level which has a new puzzle. They require a lot of thinking from the player. Many puzzle games put time-limits on the player to make it more intense for them to solve the logical challenge. They need to be able to recognise patterns so they can find clues to the puzzle and some puzzle games include riddle solving and etc.

PC Gaming

PC Gaming is the most powerful gaming platform and is commonly referred to as the 'Glorious PC Gaming Master Race' due to it's superiority when compared to other gaming platform, it is so much better that many members of the PC gaming community refer to console gamers as 'Dirty console peasants'. The reason PC gaming provides unrivalled quality gaming is because it is so much more powerful when compared to consoles. They are capable of better detailed graphics, faster speed, upgradability, higher resution, cheaper games, free online multiplayer and even modifications. There is an enormous number of more advantages about the PC gaming platform however they do have some disadvantages too. The fact that they are not portable unless you are using a laptop can be a problem since laptops are less powerful PCs, another disadvantage is that the hardware can be very expensive and are also more prone to viruses. Some of the first PCs capable ofd gaming began in the 1970s. They use keyboard and mice however they are also capable of using controllers.

Consoles

Consoles are another very powerful gaming platform, and it is very popular due to their high graphics and simplicity. They are good if you want to game in the living room because they are hooked up to the television set. Although mocked by the PC community, they are still a very powerful gaming platform. A big reason people pick Consoles are because they are so simple to use and people enjoy playing the console exclusive games, and playing with friends (since most friends would prefer the simplicity of a console.) There are many disadvantages to console gaming such their lack of upgradability because you usually have to wait 5 - 6 years for an upgraded console, and you are also limited to 1080P resolution and 30fps to 60fps (frames per second) gaming and most consoles need you to pay to play online. Console games are also much more expensive. The first ever home console was the Magnavox Odyssey which released in late 1972.

Mobile gaming is a very popular platform because almost everybody owns a mobile phone or tablet. They are portable and also touchscreen allowing a unique aspect to some of their games. Mobiles also have motion sensing gyrometer which make them much better for racing games since if the phone is tilted, the game will react accordingly so the phone could act as a steering wheel. Mobile Phones have many games to pick from however they are not as powerful as consoles or PC and also have a much smaller screen. An advantage of mobile gaming is that it comes with your phone and many mobiles in this generation can use advanced technology such as touchscreen controls or gyrometers which you wouldn't usually find on other consoles. On the other hand a disadvantage would be that they need to be charged and also have smaller screens than what you could have on a more powerful console.

The first mobile phone capable of playing games was the Hagenuk MT-2000, which had tetris on it, however in this generation there are much more powerful mobile phones with a plethora of games.

Mobile Phones

Handheld Console

Handheld consoles are portable devices with games simillar to the console counterpart. They can be used anywhere and usually need to be charged to be used. They can have downloaded games or have physical discs with stored games instead. An advantage of handheld consoles are that they are portable however some disadvantages are that they aren't as powerful as the other platforms and have smaller screens, they also need to be charged. The controls of handheld consoles are usually found embedded on to the sides of the console with a dpad.

The platfrom was first introduced in the 1970s where some early consoles had only one game, and soon they began using cartridges.

Gaming

Platforms

There are many different platforms for gaming each with their advantages and disadvantages. The main gaming platforms consist of PC Gaming, Console Gaming, Handheld Consoles or Smartphones. Some of them are more portable than others, whereas some are more powerful than the others.