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Difference between revisions of "PCGamingWiki:Taxonomy"

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Revision as of 23:01, 30 April 2020

Taxonomy is a project on PCGamingWiki to categorise every game on the wiki.

Contact:

  • Andytizer is leading this project. To discuss further please visit our Discord on the #projects channel.
  • This space is not protected, please feel free to add your input or discuss how you think each taxonomy category should be developed.

Notes:

Templates:

Instructions

April 29, 2020

{{Monetization
|ad-supported        = 
|freeware            =
|free-to-play        = 
|sponsored           = 
|subscription        = 
}}
{{Microtransactions
|boost               = 
|cosmetic            =
|currency            = 
|finite spend        =
|infinite spend      = 
|free-to-grind       = 
|loot box            = 
|none                =
|player trading      =
|time-limited        =
|unlock              =
}}

April 20, 2020

  • Changed pay-to-skip category to free-to-grind.
  • Added new Sponsored monetization category.

April 18, 2020

April 14, 2020

  • Series, Monetization and Microtransactions rows now enabled, do not add any other rows yet.
  • Taxonomy appears below Reception in the {{Infobox game}}.
  • {{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series | Deus Ex }} replaces the {{Series}} box template. Series should be placed as the last row in the new |taxonomy= field. Multiple series can be entered from smallest to greatest series. Delete the old {{Series}} box.
  • Optional reference area.
  • Code to be entered in comma separated values alphabetically:
|taxonomy     =
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | ad-supported, dlc, expansion pack, freeware, free-to-play, sponsored, subscription | ref= }}
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | boost, cosmetic, currency, finite cap, free-to-grind, infinite cap, loot box, none, player trading, unlock | ref= }}
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | Deus Ex, Final Fantasy }}

Taxonomy

Monetization

Reference, Video game monetization.
Categories are originally based on MicroTransaction Zone and their useful tags.

Monetization

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Category Definition Examples Notes

Microtransactions

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Category Definition Examples Notes
Unused
Category Definition Examples Notes
Limited use items Purchaseable items that have a limited number of uses or may expire.
Physical DLC Only a handful of PC games use 'physical DLC' and are defunct e.g. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. Batteries Not Included
Singleplayer only Table for One (Standalone Single Player)


Perspective

A game can have multiple perspectives.
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Category Definition Examples Notes

Control

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Category Definition Examples Notes

Pacing

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Category Definition Examples Notes

Genres

Renamed MobyGames 'Gameplay' into 'Genres'.
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Category Definition Examples Notes
Genres
PCGW MobyGames Definition to be modified Notes Examples
Action Action 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. Doom
Adventure Adventure Primary emphasises on narrative, dialogue and puzzle solving, with less emphasis on action. The Secret of Monkey Island
Driving Racing / driving Game features driving, but not necessarily racing. Euro Truck Simulator 2
Educational Educational Teaching educational topics through gameplay. Notes Jack and Sara: Educational Game
Puzzle Puzzle Puzzle solving gameplay, which could include physical, logical, trivia, word puzzles and others etc. Lyne, The Witness
Racing Racing / driving 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. Distinct from driving category. Moto Racer
Role-playing game Role-Playing (RPG) 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. Notes Baldur's Gate
Simulation Simulation Gameplay closely models real world activities in a more realistic manner than most other games. Notes Euro Truck Simulator
Sports Sports Players control either players or managers of a real or fictional sports. Notes FIFA 19
(remove) in favour of RTS / TBS Strategy / tactics Strategic or tactical usage of units and resources in combat or other scenarios. Notes XCOM 2, Plants vs. Zombies
4X 4X 4X is the abbreviation for "eXploration, eXpansion, eXploitation, and eXtermination" and are often a type of grand strategy game. Civilization, Endless Space
Action RPG Action RPG Role-playing games with more focus on real-time action elements, such as combat and exploration, than most role-playing games. Diablo III
Arcade Arcade Simple games with origins in coin-op arcades. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+
Artillery Artillery Tactical games in which players try to damage each other by shooting artillery shells or other weaponry influenced by gravity over large distances. Worms, Hogs of War
Brawler Beat 'em up / brawler 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.
Board Board game Board games are usually strategy games which often represent or are recreations of real-life tabletop board games. The Game of Life
Cards/tiles Cards / tiles 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.
Clicker (none) Gameplay revolving around clicking and menus with often very shallow gameplay. Clicker Heroes
Gambling/casino Casino / gambling Simulation of a casino game (slots, poker, blackjack, roulette, etc.) or any other form of gambling or betting.
Chess Chess Chess refers to any game featuring chess or its variations. Chess
Building/management sim City building / construction simulation Players manage a city or other construction project, including but not limited to a theme parks, hospitals, towers, zoos, etc. Wikipedia SimCity, RollerCoaster Tycoon, SimTower
Dating sim Dating simulation 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.
Falling block Falling block puzzle 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. Tetris Worlds
Fighting Fighting 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. Street Fighter V, Tekken 7
Trivia/quiz Game show / trivia / quiz 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.
(remove) Graphic adventure Graphical Adventure is a broad genre encompassing all traditional Adventure games with graphics and animations. This excludes Interactive Fiction, Interactive Movies and Visual Novels. Not distinct from Adventure.
Hack and slash Hack and slash 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. Castle Crashers
Hidden object Hidden object Games where the player must find objects hidden in a picture.
Horror Game where horror is the main element.
Hunting Hunting These games simulate hunting of wildlife or game as the primary gameplay.
Idle (none) Minimal gameplay that rewards players who do not interact with the game. Wikipedia calls this an Incremental game.
Interactive book Interactive book 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. Arthur's Birthday, Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story
Immersive sim Deus Ex, BioShock, Thief Wikipedia
Text adventure Interactive fiction / text adventure 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.
Remove Japanese-style adventure 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. Not distinct from Visual novel.
JRPG Japanese-style RPG (JRPG) 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.
Life sim Life / social simulation 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.
Management/business sim Managerial / business simulation 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.
MMOFPS Massively Multiplayer 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.
MMORPG Massively Multiplayer 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.
Mental training Mental training 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.
Metroidvania Metroidvania 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.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Mini-games Mini-games 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.
Music/rhythm Music / rhythm 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. Rocksmith
Paddle Paddle / Pong 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.
Party game Party game 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.
Pinball Pinball Pinball games simulate existing or fictional coin-op Pinball machines. The Pinball Arcade, Pinball FX3
Platform Platform 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. Trine
Puzzle Puzzle elements Puzzle Elements denotes any type of non-puzzle game that features puzzle solving elements.
QTE Quick time events (QTEs) 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.
Rail shooter Rail shooter 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. The House of the Dead
Real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) 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
Age of Empires
Roguelike Roguelike 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. FTL: Faster Than Light
RPG elements RPG elements 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.
Sandbox / open world Sandbox / open world 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. Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V
Open world Sandbox / open world Players have a game world in which they can freely explore and try to interfere with the status quo. Open world games usually do feature certain goals, side quests and main quests. Usually the player is given a broad freedom of how to achieve these goals. Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V
Shooter Shooter 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.
Survival horror Survival horror 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. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Stealth Stealth 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. Splinter Cell
Tactical RPG Tactical RPG 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.
Tactical shooter Tactical shooter 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. Arma: Cold War Assault
Tile matching Tile matching puzzle 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.
Timed input Timed input 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. Dragon's Lair
Time management Time management 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.
Tower defense Tower defense 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.
Collectible card Trading / collectible card 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. Hearthstone
Tricks Tricks / stunts The game requires the player to perform stunts to score points or advance in the game.
Turn-based strategy Turn-based strategy (TBS) Turn-based strategy (TBS) is a sub-genre of strategy video games in which the game progresses incrementally in turns. XCOM 2
Vehicle simulator Vehicle simulator 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.
Vehicle combat sim Vehicular combat simulator Vehicular Combat Simulator is Vehicle Simulator in which the player engages in combat. Vehicles may be fictional such as “Mechs” or space ships.
Visual novel Visual novel 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. Hatoful Boyfriend
Wargame Wargame 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.
Word Word construction 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. Bookworm Adventures

Sports subcategories

Sports subcategories
PCGW MobyGames Definition to be modified Notes Examples
American football Football (American) Codes of gridiron football, including American football and Canadian football. Madden NFL 20
Australian football (none) Also known as Australian rules football or "Aussie Rules".
(none) Athletics (moved into Mixed sports)
Baseball Baseball Incorporates the bat-and-ball sports of baseball and softball. MVP Baseball 2005
Basketball Basketball
Bowling Bowling Usually referring to ten-pin bowling; other forms of bowling (e.g. candlepin, duckpin) are rare. Does not need to use traditional balls, lanes and/or pins (e.g. Elf Bowling).
Boxing Boxing
Cricket Cricket Ashes Cricket
(none) Cycling
(none) Dance
Darts/target shooting Darts / target shooting These games simulate target shooting with either darts, guns, bows or other projectiles for sport.
Dodgeball Dodgeball
Extreme sports (none)
Fishing Fishing Sega Bass Fishing (Steam)
Football (Soccer) Football (European) / Soccer Association football. FIFA 08
Golf Golf Golf or miniature golf. Tiger Woods 99 PGA Tour Golf, 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
Handball (none)
Hockey Hockey Ice hockey and field hockey. NHL 99
Horse Horse / derby Managing horses or horse competitions.
Hunting (none)
Kick boxing (none)
Lacrosse (none)
Martial arts (none) Including mixed martial arts.
Mixed sports Olympiad / mixed sports Multiple sports, similar to the Olympics. London 2012
Paintball Paintball
Parachuting (none)
Table tennis Ping pong / table tennis
Pool or snooker Pool / snooker Referring to such cue sports (billiards).
Racquetball/squash Racquetball / squash
Sailing/boating Sailing / boating These games simulate piloting or racing sailboats, wind sails, rowing boats, powerboats, etc.
Skating (none) Including roller skating and ice skating.
Skateboarding Skateboarding Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Snowboarding or skiing Snowboarding / skiing Shaun White Snowboarding
Surfing Surfing
Tennis Tennis
Volleyball Volleyball
Water sports Wakeboarding Jet skis, wakeboarding, etc.
Wrestling Wrestling Including competitive forms of wrestling (e.g. freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman/Graeco-Roman/classical wrestling) or theatrical forms of wrestling made "real" thanks to video games (i.e. professional wrestling). WWE 2K15

Vehicle subcategories

Sports subcategories
PCGW MobyGames Definition to be modified Notes Examples
Industrial Agricultural / industrial Games that prominently feature agricultural / industrial vehicles controlled directly in a simulation.
Automobile Automobile These games allow the player to take control of an automobile (both driving and racing it) or otherwise focus on automobiles even if they are not driven.
Bicycle Bike / Bicycling These games allow the player to take control of a non-motorized bike to explore or race, or allow the player to manage a bike racing team. Overlap with cycling category?
Bus Bus These games allow the player to take control of or otherwise focus on buses. This includes both racing, simulation driving or any managerial game focusing on buses.
Flight Flight / aviation These games allow the player to take control of an aircraft (both flight and combat) or otherwise focus on aircrafts or aviation. Helicopters have their own genre where Flight/Aviation is implied. This genre also covers hot air balloons, blimps, zeppelins, gliders, hang-gliders and similar ones.
Helicopter Helicopter These games allow the player to take control of a helicopter (both flight and battle) or otherwise focus on helicopters.
Hovercraft Hovercraft These games allow the player to take control of a hovercraft, a hybrid craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud or ice and other surfaces. This also includes futuristic crafts that hover above the ground (e.g. WipEout or F-Zero). Hovercraft games do not have the genres Flight/Aviation or Naval/Watercraft.
Mecha / giant robot Mecha / giant robot These games allow the player to take control of or otherwise focus on robots or machines controlled by people. These machines vary great in size and shape, but are distinguished from other vehicles by their humanoid or biomorphic appearance.
Motorcycle Motorcycle These games allow the player to take control of a motorcycle, dirtbike or similar vehicle or otherwise focus on motorcycles. Ride, Motocross Madness
Naval / watercraft Naval / watercraft These games allow the player to take control of a boat, ship or other type of watercraft, or otherwise focus on watercraft or naval combat or navigation. Hovercrafts are considered a separate genre.
Off-roading Off-roading These games allow the player to participate in or otherwise focus on off-road racing/driving.
Self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery These games allow the player to take control of a self-propelled artillery or otherwise focus on self-propelled or mobile artillery.
Space flight Space flight These games allow the player to take control of spacecraft or otherwise focus on spacecrafts. Elite: Dangerous
Street racing Street racing Games which revolve around the practice of street racing, i.e. racing of motor vehicles on a public road. This practice is mostly illegal in real life, and many games depict it as an underground, illicit affair (and may feature themes such as dodging regular traffic or avoiding police), but this is not necessary for inclusion in the group. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Tank Tank Gameplay featuring tanks whether they are fictional or based on reality.
Track racing Track racing These games allow the player to participate in or otherwise focus on racing/driving on racing tracks. This does not need to be a real race track, but it needs to be clear the environment has been fenced off or designed in such a way that a track is created, regardless of the surface or the setting. Racing games that take place in open environments where all obstacles or routes are natural, without human intervention to create a track (e.g. Outrun), do not receive this genre. Invisible barriers also do not count as a way to create a track. In order to receive this genre, the majority of the racing needs to take place on a track.
Train Train These games allow the player to take control of a train or otherwise focus on trains.
Transport Transport These games allow the player to take control of or otherwise focus transporting people or cargo using vehicles.
Truck Truck These games allow the player to take control of or otherwise focus on trucks. This includes racing, but also transport.


Theme

Setting
PCGW MobyGames Definition to be modified Notes Examples
Antarctica (none)
Africa Africa
Asia Asia
Oceania Oceania
Europe Europe
North America North America
South America (none)
Middle East Middle East
China China (Ancient / Imperial)
Classical Classical antiquity Ancient Greek and Roman, or use significant visual styles or themes from this period.
Cold War Cold War
Contemporary Contemporary
Cyberpunk Cyberpunk / dark sci-fi
Egypt Egypt (Ancient)
Fantasy Fantasy
Historical Historical events
Industrial Age Industrial Age
Interwar Interwar Setting in the periods between 1918-1939, excluding games mainly set in World War I or World War II.
Japan Japan (Ancient/Classical/Medieval)
Medieval Medieval
Prehistoric Prehistoric
Post-apocalyptic Post-apocalyptic Fallout
Pre-Columbian Americas Pre-Columbian Americas
Sci-fi Sci-fi / futuristic
Piracy Sea pirates / Caribbean Sea pirates or taking place in the Caribbean.
Space (none) Star Citizen
Steampunk Steampunk
Western Western
World War I World War I Battlefield 1
World War II World War II Call of Duty

Art styles

PCGW MobyGames Definition to be modified Notes Examples
Anime Anime / manga Using an anime art style, including manga and hentai. Attack on Titan
Cartoon Sonic the Hedgehog
Comic book (none)
Cel-shaded (none) Wikipedia list XIII. Crackdown 3
FMV Full Motion Video (FMV) Games in which most of the game is presented as full motion video (FMV) or other forms of animations as well as live action. Many of these games are interactive movies where the player can from time to time choose a path to take with minimal or timed input. It also covers games where most of the game content is shown through full motion video. This art style refers to the gameplay content, not the cut-scenes. Dragon's Lair Trilogy
Live action Live action Games where a large part of the interactive gameplay makes use of live action scenes. This is an art style for videography that uses real actors in footage shot with cameras. It can be complemented with CGI, but the actors themselves are not animated. This art style is not related to the use of motion capture to animate characters. Digitised characters also do not apply. The live action scenes need to be part of the interactive gameplay. Games that use live action scenes exclusively for static cut-scenes use the game group Live action cut-scenes instead. A large amount of games with Live action as an art style for the interactive gameplay carry the art style Full Motion Video in addition. It is also used for Chromakey recordings with actors against a video backdrop or an animated background, as long as the actors are part of interactive gameplay sequences.
Video backdrop Video backdrop Games where the interactive gameplay largely or entirely takes place against a backdrop with recorded footage. The footage can be edited or enhanced, but it needs to have been recorded with cameras. These games then have other elements in the foreground, either animated characters, vehicles or other elements, or live action actors brought into the game using chromakey.

This genre is not to be used for titles where in interactive parts both the actors and the environment are filmed together. It also does not apply to games where the video backdrop is only used for cut-scenes and not the gameplay itself.

Vector art
Pixel art
Pre-rendered graphics Myst
Realistic
Stylized [1]
Abstract
Digitized [2]

Modes

Simply defines singleplayer or multiplayer, granularity will be provided by the Network table.
Template:Taxonomy rowTemplate:Taxonomy row
Category Definition Examples Notes


Unused
PCGW MobyGames Definition to be modified Notes Examples
Local multiplayer Defined by Property:Local play modes.
Online only Only playable online. Defined by {{DRM}} by Property:Always online. Diablo III
Online multiplayer Defined by Property:Online play and Property:Online play modes.
LAN Defined by Property:LAN play modes.
Co-op Value within Property:Online play modes Property:LAN play modes Property:Local play modes.
Versus Value within Property:Online play modes Property:LAN play modes Property:Local play modes.
Asynchronous Defined by Property:Asynchronous multiplayer.
Hotseat Defined by Property:Local play modes.
Splitscreen

References