PCGW
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MobyGames
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Definition to be modified
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Notes
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Examples
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Action
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Action
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Primary gameplay tests some of the following: accuracy, movement, reflexes, timing. Only used for games that don't fit into other genres like driving or sports.
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Doom
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Adventure
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Adventure
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Primary emphasises on narrative, dialogue and puzzle solving, with less emphasis on action.
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The Secret of Monkey Island
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Educational
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Educational
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Teaching educational topics through gameplay.
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Notes
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Jack and Sara: Educational Game
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Puzzle
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Puzzle
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Puzzle solving gameplay, which could include physical, logical, trivia, word puzzles and others etc.
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Lyne, The Witness
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Racing
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Racing / driving
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Racing gameplay to win a race, which could be in a vehicle or mount and not just as a short sequence within the greater game.
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Moto Racer
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Role-playing game
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Role-Playing (RPG)
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Player controls character or party members in a world, and often include quests, items, dialogue and often offer character progression in the form of experience, levels and skill points.
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Notes
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Baldur's Gate
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Simulation
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Simulation
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Gameplay closely models real world activities in a more realistic manner than most other games.
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Notes
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Euro Truck Simulator
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Sports
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Sports
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Players control either players or managers of a real or fictional sports.
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Notes
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FIFA 19
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Strategy
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Strategy / tactics
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Strategic or tactical usage of units and resources in combat or other scenarios.
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Notes
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XCOM 2, Plants vs. Zombies
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4X
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4X
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4X is the abbreviation for "eXploration, eXpansion, eXploitation, and eXtermination" and are often a type of grand strategy game.
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Civilization, Endless Space
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Action RPG
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Action RPG
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Role-playing games with more focus on real-time action elements, such as combat and exploration, than most role-playing games.
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Diablo III
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Arcade
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Arcade
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Simple games with origins in coin-op arcades.
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Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+
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Artillery
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Artillery
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Tactical games in which players try to damage each other by shooting artillery shells or other weaponry influenced by gravity over large distances.
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Worms, Hogs of War
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Brawler
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Beat 'em up / brawler
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Focus on melee combat with a large number of enemies. Usually divided into levels similar to platform games or action games. Not to be confused with fighting games.
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Board
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Board game
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Board games are usually strategy games which often represent or are
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Cards or tiles
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Cards / tiles
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Card games are usually digital translation of traditional card games such as Poker, Solitaire or Bridge, but can also include new games that use the format of a card game or a card game as a mini-game. A related sub-genre is Trading/Collectible Card, which focuses purely on Trading Card games.
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Clicker
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(none)
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Gameplay revolving around clicking and menus with often very shallow gameplay.
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Clicker Heroes
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Gambling or casino
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Casino / gambling
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Simulation of a casino game (slots, poker, blackjack, roulette, etc.) or any other form of gambling or betting.
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Chess
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Chess
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Chess refers to any game featuring chess or its variations.
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Construction and management simulation
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City building / construction simulation
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Players manage a city or other construction project, including but not limited to a theme parks, hospitals, towers, zoos, etc.
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Wikipedia
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Sim City, RollerCoaster Tycoon, Sim Tower
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Dating simulation
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Dating simulation
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Player dates characters with the goal of developing a romantic relationship with gameplay consisting mostly of conversations with multiple branching paths that change the character's disposition towards you.
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Falling block puzzle
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Falling block puzzle
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Action based puzzle game in which objects enter the screen and have to be arranged by the player to form pairs, lines, or other shapes or combinations of colors and/or shapes.
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Tetris
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Fighting
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Fighting
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Fighting games allow players to engage in melee arena combat. Usually one-on-one, but team fighting games also exist. Fights continue until one of the characters or teams is knocked out. Additional endings may include being forced out of the arena/ring or a time limit. Fighting games should not be confused with Beat ‘em Ups / Brawlers which feature more overwhelming odds in the form of many less powerful antagonists.
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Game show / trivia / quiz
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Game show / trivia / quiz
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Game Show / Trivia / Quiz games test the player on his knowledge on certain subjects or his ability to discover hidden words or pictures. Usually the player is rewarded with points or virtual currency.
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Graphic adventure
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Graphic adventure
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Graphical Adventure is a broad genre encompassing all traditional Adventure games with graphics and animations. This excludes Interactive Fiction, Interactive Movies and Visual Novels.
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Hack and slash
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Hack and slash
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Games with hack and slash gameplay focus on combat with hand-to-hand weapons as opposed to guns, even though the presence of guns as additional weapons does not exclude the use of the genre. It is predominately used in action role-playing games and action games with RPG elements.
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Castle Crashers
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Hidden object
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Hidden object
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Games where the player must find objects hidden in a picture.
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Horror
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Game where horror is the main element.
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Hunting
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Hunting
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These games simulate hunting of wildlife or game as the primary gameplay.
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Idle
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(none)
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Minimal gameplay that rewards players who do not interact with the game.
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Wikipedia calls this an Incremental game.
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Interactive book
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Interactive book
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The entire game is represented as a linear (picture) book where the story is read or narrated. Elements allow the player to interact with parts of the book for a short sequence or a reaction. This does not influence the story and interactions do not represent a choice that alters the course of events. These titles are often educational and aimed at children, but an educational angle is not mandatory.
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Interactive fiction / text adventure
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Interactive fiction / text adventure
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Interactive Fiction games (also known as Text Adventures) are Adventure games in which the player navigates through the game which is presented mostly in textual form. Usually the player interacts with the world by typing simple sentences of what he intends to which are interpreted by the game. Interactive Fiction can have a small amount of graphics to illustrate an area, the player must in this case still interact using textual input. Illustrations should not be required to finish the game.
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Japanese-style adventure
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Japanese-style adventure
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Japanese-style RPGs (or JRPGs) usually feature a more linear story line compared to traditional RPGs and focus on character development of a group of fixed characters. Most commonly they feature turn based combat with or without limited character placement. The player selects performed actions from a pop-up action menu.
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Japanese-style RPG (JRPG)
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Japanese-style RPG (JRPG)
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Japanese-style Adventure games, like Western adventures, focus on experiencing a narrative through the eyes of usually a single protagonist. This is achieved by interacting with the environment and receiving textual feedback from the game. In contrast to Western adventures, Japanese-style adventures have no Puzzle Elements, rarely feature an inventory, and are usually viewed from first-person perspective, without physical movement.
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Life / social simulation
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Life / social simulation
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Life and Social Simulation games allow the player to control the life of humans, animals or other things that are alive or resemble living things. These types of simulation games can simulate an eco system or the (social) relation between the different life forms.
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(redundant)
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Managerial / business simulation
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Managerial and Business Simulation games mold management of people and resources and economic business activities in a game format. Usually the aim of the game is to make money through strategic uses of the available resources and to try to grow as a company. Usually the individual management of employees of the player's company plays a large role.
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Massively Multiplayer
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Massively Multiplayer
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Massively Multiplayer Virtual Worlds are a form of online community that allow a large number of players to play in the same game space, such as a MMO game. A significant amount of player to player interaction and communication is a requirement to belong to this genre. A common type is the Multi-User Dungeon (MUD), which can be represented by text only, or by graphics and are usually controlled with textual input using a text parser.
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Mental training
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Mental training
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Mental Training games serve as means for the player to improve their mental capacity. These games most often offer various puzzles, sums and reflex mini-games that serve to train and exercise the mind.
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Metroidvania
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Metroidvania
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Metroidvania is a subgenre of Action games. The term is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania and refers to games that feature the most distinctive gameplay concepts of the Metroid games and later Castlevania games, starting with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (although Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is sometimes considered to be in the same category). Games of this genre feature gameplay in an explorable world that is gated in content mainly by specific abilities that need to be acquired by the player, and which gradually opens up more as the player overcomes its obstacles. Generally these games have a central hub from which the player can move to various interconnected areas or levels, some degree of persistency to their game worlds and some degree of non-linear progression while subtly guiding the player towards the next intended path.
The vast majority of Metroidvania games use a side scrolling perspective like the games the term derives from and the term was for a long time used to describe only such games, but this is no longer a requirement. Top-down or bird's-eye view (e.g. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening) or 3D games (e.g. Batman: Arkham Asylum) can also share these concepts.
Metroidvania games often feature mild RPG elements such as stat-based character development (upgradable health, strength and luck for example), respawning enemies, NPCs that talk to the player and trading for gear and items.
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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
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Mini-games
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Mini-games
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Some games have a collection of mini-games. Either this is the entire game, or the mini-games are in addition of a core game. Mini-games are short activities with almost instant gratification. Games should have a significant amount of mini-games to be tagged with this genre.
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Music / rhythm
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Music / rhythm
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Music / Rhythm games are games in which the player makes music or must operate at a certain beat or rhythm. Some music game might require actual music instruments or controller facsimiles (or singing) as input for the game.
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Rocksmith
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Paddle / Pong
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Paddle / Pong
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Paddle/Pong games are arcade action games in which the players control one or more paddles which can be used to bounce a ball in various directions. Goals can include scoring goals or destroying bricks inside the playing field.
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Party game
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Party game
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Party games focus on play sessions with a group of players. Party games are focused more on social interaction. Party games usually have simple controls and allow for easy drop-in and out so that everyone can enjoy them.
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Pinball
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Pinball
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Pinball games simulate existing or fictional coin-op Pinball machines.
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Platform
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Platform
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Platform games can be both 2D and 3D games in which jumping or climbing onto platforms on various elevations is a major focus of the game. Early platform games mostly focused on climbing onto platforms using ladders, while later games generally focus more on jumping.
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Trine
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Puzzle elements
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Puzzle elements
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Puzzle Elements denotes any type of non-puzzle game that features puzzle solving elements.
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Quick Time Events (QTEs)
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Quick time events (QTEs)
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Games with Quick Time Events ask the player to react to prompts on the screen to progress. A small time window is provided for a single, exact key or button to be pressed. Contrary to Timed Input games where such gameplay forms the entire game, Quick Time Events are small events in addition to very different gameplay which forms that majority of the gameplay. Examples include QTEs in God of War or Telltale's The Walking Dead, even when they only form 1% of the entire gameplay.
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Rail shooter
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Rail shooter
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Rail Shooters are shooter games that place the player on rails. Usually the player can only control a targeting reticule or has very limited control over the vehicle, being or thing the player controls.
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Rambo: The Video Game
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Real-time strategy
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Real-time strategy (RTS)
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Real-time strategy (RTS) is a sub-genre of strategy video games in which the game does not progress incrementally in turns.
Not all real-time games with strategy elements are usually considered RTS. A conventional RTS includes most or all of these features:
- multiple unit control
- base building
- resource gathering
- training units as opposed to sticking to pre-defined starting units (although the latter may appear in certain missions)
- two or more player/AI-controlled forces on the map with equal opportunity to build and attack
- construction and combat approximately equally in focus
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Age of Empires
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Roguelike
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Roguelike
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Roguelike games are games that mimic the gameplay of the 1980 Mainframe game Rogue. These games allow players to crawl through a randomized dungeon in which the player encounters randomized monsters and randomized loot. In most of these games if the player dies he cannot reload earlier save games (permadeath) and must start anew. Certain abilities are permanent and unlock through multiple sessions, while other are drawn randomly for each session.
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FTL: Faster Than Light
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RPG elements
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RPG elements
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Games of any main genre, except RPG, that incorporate 'light' elements taken from role-playing games, such as customization options for characters or vehicles, leveling and upgrade systems with different perks and effects, abilities and upgrade system that provide room for different gameplay styles and so on.
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Sandbox / open world
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Sandbox / open world
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Sandbox / Open World games present the players with a game world in which they can freely explore and try to interfere with the status quo. Most Sandbox games feature no specific goals, while Open World games usually do feature certain goals. Usually the player is given a broad freedom of how to achieve these goals, although Open World games with linear mission structures also exist. The Sandbox/Open World genre can be combined with other genres such as Simulation or Action-Adventure.
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Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto 5
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Shooter
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Shooter
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Shooter games are a broad action genre in which the player shoots enemies or targets as a primary gameplay mechanic. This can be from any perspective.
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Survival horror
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Survival horror
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Stealth games require the player to avoid contact with enemies in the game and instead try to pass them by silently and hidden or using disguises. Goals can range from reaching a certain position, theft, sabotage, etc.
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Amnesia: The Dark Descent
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Stealth
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Stealth
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Stealth games require the player to avoid contact with enemies in the game and instead try to pass them by silently and hidden or using disguises. Goals can range from reaching a certain position, theft, sabotage, etc.
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Splinter Cell
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Tactical RPG
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Tactical RPG
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Tactical RPGs are Role Playing games with a focus on tactical combat. In Japanese-style Tactical RPGs these are usually denoted with the term “Tactics”. These types of games usually feature more combat options than other RPGS, such as party combat with character positioning and more varied attack effects other than just damage.
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Tactical shooter
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Tactical shooter
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Tactical Shooters are a type of Shooter game with a higher degree of realism than most shooters. Many tactical shooters are squad-based where the player either has control over multiple squad members directly or can issue commands to the AI.
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Arma: Cold War Assault
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Tile matching puzzle
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Tile matching puzzle
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Tile Matching Puzzle games are puzzle games in which the player must match tiles. Actual mechanics may vary from flipping over the right tiles as in the traditional Memory game or moving them next to one-another in Bejeweled.
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Timed input
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Timed input
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In Timed Input games the entire gameplay consists of matching player input to prompts on the screen in a timely manner. This mainly includes games where reflexes are needed (e.g. Dragon's Lair). Games where there is ample time is provide to make a choice, without time restriction, do not apply. Games where timed input forms a minority of the gameplay have the genre Quick Time Events instead. Games that demand reflexes from the player are not necessarily Timed Input games as there need to be prompts on the screen or a set amount of limited choices that are repeated and there is only a small amount of freedom. Games where a constant rhythm needs to be maintained (e.g. Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution) use the genre Music / Rhythm Description instead. This genre does not include shooting gallery games where the player needs to aim a cross-hair and shoot.
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Dragon's Lair
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Time management
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Time management
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Time Management games are games in which the player has to complete a number of tasks, the player must use his insight and reflexes to perform the tasks in the best order and as quickly as possible. Time management games often simulate jobs in which the player must handle a lot of customers of different tasks.
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Tower defense
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Tower defense
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Tower Defense games are a type of strategy game in which the player builds so-called towers to thwart an invading NPC army to reach a certain location on the map. Towers typically shoot at NPC units or otherwise hinder them from reaching their destination. Some of these games allow the player to build mazes out of towers for the NPCs to navigate, while others only allow towers to be build on predefined positions.
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Trading / collectible card
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Trading / collectible card
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Trading Card / Collectible Card games simulate traditional trading card games in which players can buy or earn booster packs of randomly selected cards with which to build a deck for play. Each card has various statistics that are employed when the player puts the card into play. Games with this genre don’t have to be actual conversions of existing card games.
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Hearthstone
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Tricks / stunts
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Tricks / stunts
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The game requires the player to perform stunts to score points or advance in the game.
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Turn-based strategy
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Turn-based strategy (TBS)
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Turn-based strategy (TBS) is a sub-genre of strategy video games in which the game progresses incrementally in turns.
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XCOM 2
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Vehicle simulator
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Vehicle simulator
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Vehicle Simulator games are games in which the player takes control of any type of vehicle in a peaceful manner. A game is required to have a certain level of realism to be considered a simulator. Vehicles may be fictional such as space ships. This genre is not to be used for games that allow the player to perform combat in said vehicles; use Vehicular Combat Simulator instead.
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Vehicular combat simulator
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Vehicular combat simulator
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Vehicular Combat Simulator is Vehicle Simulator in which the player engages in combat. Vehicles may be fictional such as “Mechs” or space ships.
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Visual novel
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Visual novel
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Also called NVL games, "digital novels", and "choose-your-own-adventure games": games in which the story is told through text overlaid on a background representing the scene being described. The player's input is confined to periodically making choices which might affect the direction and outcome of the story. Mostly regarded as a branch of Japanese adventure, but Western examples exist as well.
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Wargame
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Wargame
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Wargames are military simulation games. Most wargames revolve around a single war, campaign or battle in which the player can play out various what-if scenarios by trying out different tactics and/or strategies.
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Word construction
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Word construction
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Word Construction games are Puzzle or Educational games in which the player must form words. Usually the player is given a series of letters or letter combinations that have to be rearranged.
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Bookworm Adventures
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