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What are computer games? All types of computer games. Review

Types of computer games, their purpose

and possibilities of application in the work of a psychologist

The set of "Computer games" is very large and varied. Exist different approaches to their classification. In this case, we will rely on the division of games by genre in the version proposed on Wikipedia: quest, strategy, role-playing game, action, simulator and other types (arcade, educational game, dance game, rhythm game, music simulator)

Quest(adventure, adventure) - a storytelling game in which the hero controlled by the player moves through the story and interacts with the game world through the use of objects, communication with other characters and solving logical problems.

Puzzle- In addition to collecting items and using them, these games solve various puzzles interned in the story to one degree or another, and the main emphasis is on solving puzzles. Usually, it may be necessary to assemble various, often absurd, both in appearance and functionality, mechanisms.

The most popular genre of quests today is action-adventure (English action-adventure). Mainly based on the reaction and reflexes of the player, but there are also elements of classic quests - objects and interaction with the environment.

Strategy- a game that requires planning and developing a specific strategy to achieve some specific goal, for example, winning in military operation. The player controls not just one character, but an entire division, enterprise, or even the universe. Distinguish marching or step by step strategic games, where players take turns making moves, and each player is given unlimited or limited (depending on the type and complexity of the game) time for their move, and strategy games in real time (RTS), in which all players perform their actions at the same time, and the passage of time is not interrupted.

Most of the "classic" real time strategy suggest the following gameplay: collecting some resources; building and fortifying a base or camp; the creation of combat units on this base (hiring soldiers, building equipment); combining them into groups, storming and destroying the enemy base by these groups.

Turn Strategies(TBS) - games in which players perform their actions in turn. Turn-based strategies appeared before RTS and are diverse. Separation gameplay takes the player away from real life for moves and deprives the game of dynamism, as a result of which these games are not as popular as real-time strategy games. On the other hand, in TBS, the player has much more time to think, nothing rushes him while making a move, which makes it possible to much deeper and more detailed planning.

Another type of strategy is strategies by the scale of the gameplay(wargames). In a wargame, unlike other types of strategies, the player does not have to create an army, his goal is to defeat the enemy in battle, using the forces that he has at his disposal at the beginning of the battle. In wargames, as a rule, the emphasis is on authenticity, realism and historicity.

Global Strategies- strategies in which the player controls the state. In his hands are not only war and the economy, but also scientific progress, the development of new lands and diplomacy. In some of them, along with the global map, there are local ones where tactical battles take place.

Role-playing game has the following characteristics: the main character (heroes) and other characters have a certain number of parameters (skills, characteristics, skills) that determine their strength and abilities. Usually, main characteristic characters and enemies is the level that determines the overall strength of the character, available skills and equipment. All these parameters must be improved by completing tasks and using these same skills.

Tactical RPGs are a mixture of role-playing game with turn-based strategy. The player controls a small group of warriors, although in some tactical RPGs their number can reach several dozen.

Action (shooter)- in games of this type, the player, as a rule, acting alone, must destroy enemies with the help of cold and firearms, in order to achieve certain goals at a given level, usually, after reaching the set goals, the player moves on to the next level. Enemies are often: bandits, Nazis and other "bad guys", as well as all sorts of aliens, mutants and monsters.

Explanation of one of the connoisseurs of computer games: - “A shooter is go, kill, bring; action - go, blow up, kill, if possible survive, bring; rpg is a developmental game open world: that's all the differences.

Simulators (managers) is a simulation game. With the help of a computer, the physical behavior and control of any complex object is imitated as fully as possible. technical system(for example: combat fighter, car, etc.). If arcade games seek to entertain the player with the help of various impossible phenomena, stunts and the sharpness of the plot, then the main criterion for the quality of technical simulators is the completeness and realism of the simulation of its object (car, aircraft, etc.). Simulators, in turn, are divided depending on the game task.

Arcade simulators- a simplified version of technical simulators, often with alternative physics. The fundamental difference from the actual arcades is the presence of a simplified, but still physical model. Most often, simulators of spaceships and cars are made with similar physics.

Sports simulators, another name is "sportsim". As the name implies - an imitation of any sports game, the most widespread are imitations of football, hockey, basketball, tennis and golf, bowling and billiards.

Sports manager is a kind of sports simulator. Distinctive feature is that during simulation, the player directly observes the gameplay and can influence the course of the match online, while in management, the settings for tactics, strategy, transfers and financial transactions are selected in advance, and the player views the results after the match.

In sports manager, the player acts as the manager of his own sports team(athlete). The player's task is not only to win matches, but also to competently and successfully manage the infrastructure of his club.

Economic simulators, often referred to as strategies, are devoted to displaying economic, market processes - most often we are talking about entrepreneurship; the goal of a player who manages a certain enterprise is to extract virtual profit. In "pure" economic simulations, there are no elements of construction; the player must manage an already existing commercial enterprise; market processes and the behavior of competitors are relatively close to reality.

God simulators are strategic games in which the player will play the role of a "god" - a kind of supernatural entity that takes care of a whole small nation. Such games are characterized, as a rule, by indirect control over individual game characters - they are controlled by a computer, and the role of the player is determined by "supernatural" intervention in their lives, the construction of buildings, maintaining the optimal state of the ward society, and the like. Many god simulators do not set any specific tasks for the player, giving him the opportunity to freely and unlimitedly develop the ward society.

Dating simulators are romantic relationship simulators, also known as romantic adventure, in terms of the organization of the game, some of them are close to RPG (role-playing), others - to adventure games (adventure).

Other genres

Arcade- games in which the player has to act quickly, relying primarily on their reflexes and reactions. The gameplay is simple and does not change during the game. Arcades are characterized by a developed system of bonuses: scoring, progressively unlocked elements of the game, etc. The term "arcade" in relation to computer games originated in the days of slot machines that were installed in arcades. The games on them were easy to learn (to attract more players). Subsequently, these games migrated to game consoles (consoles) and are still the main genre on them.

AT music games the game is built on the player's interaction with the music. The genre can be anything, from puzzles to rhythm games.

rhythm games- a subgenre of musical games, which, in recent times is gaining immense popularity. The main idea is to correctly press the buttons shown on the screen to the rhythm of the music.

Board games- Computer implementation board games e.g. chess, cards, checkers, Monopoly.

Logic games (puzzles)- suggest active mental activity of the player. Puzzles usually do not require a reaction, but many keep track of the time spent on the solution.

Developing computer games solve the widest range of problems. There are games for teaching a child to count, learning sounds and letters, foreign languages. A huge number of various computer games are designed to train the child's memory and attention, develop logical thinking, fantasy, and determination. Maze games, in which the child needs to lead his character "home", as well as games in which you need to catch an object or put it in a certain place, train the child's hand-eye coordination.

Of all this diversity, perhaps only action games (shooter) are not suitable for work. And it is these games that are most popular with children, especially teenagers and young men. All other games, to one degree or another, can serve as a means of correcting deficiencies in a child's development.

Games - simulators of sports games or control of complex mechanisms teach quick keystrokes on the keyboard, fine mouse control, i.e. is developing motor skills and trains reaction speed. Simulators-managers, economic simulators have a greater impact on the development of entrepreneurial abilities, teach you to think multifactorially, teach you to be responsible for decisions made. Dating simulators to some extent influence the formation emotional sphere players, develop communication skills.

Role-playing games, most often have a military theme, but unlike action games, where the hero simply kills the enemy, here you need to calculate every move, develop your own tactics of warfare. Often in such games there is useful information, for example, historical information of the period or time where the player virtually finds himself. Thus, one can learn the history of the ancient Greeks, Persians, Slavs, and other peoples.

Arcades, most likely, affect the development of motor skills and increase the speed of reaction, but at the same time, they can develop color perception, the ability to quickly assess the situation (compare, analyze, classify, etc.) and make a decision.

The widest possibilities are laid in quests and independent logic games. With the right game, you can effectively develop perception (puzzles), attention, memory, and the ability to perform mental operations.

The most important thing is to observe the measure, as Democritus said: - "If you go beyond the measure, then the most pleasant will become the most unpleasant."

They are the engine of progress in the field of computers. The history of PC games dates back to the 1950s, and in 1971, Nolan Bushnell, together with Ted Debney, created the first of the arcade games. It was called Computer Space. The arcade game Pong was created by Nolan Bushnell (with the help of Al Alcorn) a year later in 1972. That same year, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Debney founded the video game company Atari (a term from the Japanese game Go). In 1975, Atari re-released Pong as a home video game.

Today, a huge number of not just video games, but their types (genres).

1. Arcade - in this type of game, a gamer needs quick reaction, accuracy.


2. RPG role-playing game) - the game has an entertaining or educational purpose, the participant acts in some role and acts in accordance with this role in the situation created by the game.

3. A role-playing game is a dramatic action, the players act within the roles they have chosen, following the nature of their role and the internal logic of the action environment, and not the external scenario of behavior. That is, the players determine the further development of events in the game. The game, in fact, is the players (people) of a particular situation. The action of the role-playing game takes place in the world of the game, which can be presented in any way, but it is he who determines the course of the game. The story offered by the game master and the world he describes form the basis of the role-playing game. The world can be completely invented, can be based on some work of art(book, film, etc.). In a role-playing game, achieving a goal is not necessary, it may not exist at all, the main thing is character development, parvile acting out, exploration of the world.

Role-playing games are distinguished by the way they play:

In role-playing verbal (dengens) and board games actions take place in the imagination of the participants, and the development of events in most cases is controlled by the so-called master (game master, GM, dungeon master, DM) according to predetermined rules, or without rules. The difference between board games and word games is whether there is a game system or not.
Live Action Role Playing Games require the physical participation of players in the events of the game. Here, too, there are rules and masters. Here the master is not responsible for the whole world, but only for its non-modeled part. Sometimes the master is somehow able to control the entire game world through the introduction of master characters or through masterful arbitrariness. The rules also describe only those actions that are replaced by the model.
In computer role playing Oh the environment that surrounds the players is controlled by a computer program. Often, these games are single-player and have a predetermined storyline, to some extent determined by the player's decisions).
Role play by email - a game with a small number of players and one master, conducted via e-mail (for example, Mafia), as well as related forum role-playing games and browser-based role-playing games (for example, BiteFight).

MMORPG - massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) refers to a variety of online role-playing games that allow a large number of people to simultaneously play in a changing virtual world through. MMORPG is a type of MMOG (massive multiplayer online game).

4. Adventure games or quests (quest), sometimes they are called walkers - the player goes back and forth, collecting various items, and then uses them somewhere, solves puzzles.

5. Shooters are essentially shooting games.

  • FPS (first person shooter) - first-person shooters, the player is a direct participant;
  • TPS (third person shooter) - third-person shooters, the player is an outside observer, a kind of 3D shooter;
  • Tactical shooter - a player under the guise of his character in the game acts as part of a squad.

6. Strategies

  • Real time strategy (RTS) - players simultaneously make moves;
  • Turn-based strategies (TBS) - the player makes a move and waits for the opponent's response.

7. Stealth-action - the player should be as invisible as possible, he runs away, hides, manages minimal shooting, but acts effectively.

8. Fighting (fighting) - games that simulate hand-to-hand combat.

9. Simulators - the player tries on the role of someone, for example, a motorcycle racer.

Of course, this is not a complete classification of computer games. But among the huge number of toys that are now available, anyone who wants to play, and not just a professional gamer, will be able to find a game to their liking.

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These include shooters, fighting games, arcades.

In 3D shooters, the player often acts alone. He wanders around the locations, collecting melee, firearms and energy weapons, hitting opponents that appear on his way. Usually, in order to pass the level, you need to complete a series of tasks. The character's enemies can be monsters, aliens, mutants (as in Doom, Half-Life, Duke Nukem 3D) or bandits (Max Payne).

Depending on the legend of the game, the player's arsenal can include both modern types of flamethrowers, rifles, pistols, and all kinds of futuristic blasters. Knives, baseball bats, sabers, daggers, crossbows, shotguns, machine guns, Molotov cocktails can act as weapons. Often firearms have an optical sight. In 3D shooters, the player can fight the enemy in hand-to-hand combat with kicks and .

3D shooters can be from the first person (the player sees the location through the “eyes” of the character) and from the third person (the player sees the character from any side, for example, from the back, or can move the “camera” away and see the character as a whole. In a number of games you can switch to first or third person with hot keys.Shooters are also divided into bloody (you need to destroy a large number of virtual enemies that are approaching the character in groups) and tactical (the character acts as part of a group of heroes).Examples of bloody shooters are Will Rock, Left 4 Dead , tactical examples are Counter-Strike, Arma, Battlefield.

The fighting game genre involves a series of duels between two or more opponents. Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Dead or Alive, Guilty Gear X are popular in this genre.

In games made in the arcade genre, you have to think fast and act fast. The gameplay is quite simple, but the difficulty is getting all kinds of bonuses, without which it is impossible to access some elements of the game.

Simulators (managers)

Simulation-type games allow the player to control one or another process, the basis of which is taken from real life. Technical simulators allow you to take control of a car or a combat aircraft, solving a variety of tasks. Examples of technical simulators are F1 2011, IL-2 Sturmovik, War Thunder, Railworks, Ship Simulator. In arcade simulators, physics is usually simplified, but still present (unlike arcades themselves). Game examples: Need for Speed, Wing Commander, X-Wing. In sports simulators, any game is simulated as fully as possible. The most popular simulators are football, bowling, billiards, golf. Sports managers are allocated in a separate category, where the player is invited to manage an athlete or a team, setting the main goal not to win this or that match, but to build a competent infrastructure management.

Economic simulations (they often contain elements of strategy) include games about entrepreneurship. The player must manage the enterprise, extracting profit from it. Popular games in this genre: Virtonomics, Monopoly, Capitalism. Economic simulators also include a game management system for a city (SimCity), a state on an island (Tropico), a farm (SimFarm).

Strategies

Strategies are games that require the development of a certain algorithm of actions to achieve a particular goal. The player controls the world, an enterprise or some division. According to the gameplay scheme, such games are divided into:

Real-time strategies where players make moves at the same time, collect resources, fortify their bases, hire soldiers: Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires;
- turn-based strategies where you need to take turns making moves: Civilization, Heroes of Might and Magic, Disclipes;
- card strategies, which are computer versions of popular card games: Spectromancer, Magic the Garthering.

According to the scale of the gameplay, strategies are divided into:

Wargames where the player is invited to create an army and defeat the enemy: Panzer General, Steel Panthers, MechCommander;
- global strategies in which the player is given the opportunity to manage the economy and foreign policy states, as well as to develop scientific progress, diplomacy, explore new lands: Master of Orion, Hearts of Iron, Empire: Total War and others;
- god simulators allow the player to control the development of a small town, turn it into a city, paying attention not only to the construction of buildings, but also to maintaining the optimal state of society: Spore, Black&White, From Dust.

Adventures

During the adventure game, the player interacts with other characters and decides . Such games are divided into:

Text adventure games (text quests) where the player had to give instructions through the command line: Wumpus Hunt, Zork and others;
- graphical adventure games (graphical quests), graphical interface and the ability to control the game with a computer mouse: "Larry in a party suit", Syberia, Space Quest;
- action-adventure in which the player's success depends on the speed of his reaction: Legend of Zelda, Resident Evil;
- visual novels involve displaying text blocks and static pictures on the screen, and the player is asked to choose one or another answer depending on the proposed situation.

Music games

In such games, the gameplay is based on musical design. A subtype of music games are rhythm games, where the player has to correctly press the buttons shown on the screen that appear in time with the music.

Role-playing games

In role-playing games, the personal characteristics of the character (health, mastery of a profession, magic) and equipment play an important role. Characteristics can be increased by destroying other characters or mobs. As a rule, role-playing games have a fairly large-scale world, the plot is carefully thought out. Examples of such games are mass effect, Diablo, Fallout, "Technomagic".

Logical games

In logic games, the player's reaction does not affect the course of the game in any way. It is important to correctly solve this or that task in the allotted time. Quite popular are such logic games (puzzles) as Minesweeper, Sokoban, Portal.

Board games

This type is a computer adaptation of traditional board games: Monopoly, checkers, cards, chess.

Text games

Text games require almost no computer resources. Their story began a long time ago, but such games still find fans. The player is prompted to choose one of the proposed options for action. A variety of text games are games in pseudographics, that is, a mosaic built from a set of characters.

3D shooters ( 3D Shooter), "walker-shooters"

In games of this type, the player, as a rule, acting alone, must destroy enemies with melee and firearms, completing level tasks. Enemies are often: bandits (), fascists () and other "bad guys", as well as all kinds of aliens, mutants and monsters ().

Depending on the plot of the game, the player's arsenal can include both modern weapons and their futuristic counterparts, as well as weapons that have no analogues today. As a rule, a typical set of weapons contains: edged weapons (knife, brass knuckles, a piece of pipe, a baseball bat), a pistol, an assault rifle, or automatic rifle, shotgun (shotgun), sniper rifle, multi-barreled machine gun, as well as grenades or Molotov cocktails. Often weapons have an alternate firing mode or are equipped with optical sight with or without zoom capability. The player can also kick with their feet, or hit enemies with a butt or pistol grip. In "realistic" games (eg FarCry, ) the player could only carry a limited number of weapons, while in arcade games ( ), it was possible to wield all the weapons available in the game.

( First Person Shooter FPS) or a third party ( third person shooter)

Examples of third person shooters:

  • MDK, MDK2

"Meat" ( gore) shooters

The essence of such games is to destroy the hordes of stupid enemies, an avalanche approaching the player. In this case, the player must have room for maneuver. Serious Sam is a classic of the genre. Examples:

  • Serious Sam: First Encounter
  • Serious Sam: Second Encounter
  • Serious Sam 2
  • Painkiller
  • Painkiller: Battle out of the Hell

Arcade ( Arcade)

Games in which the player has to act quickly, relying primarily on their reflexes and reactions. Arcades are characterized by a developed system: scoring, gradually opening game elements, etc.

arcade racing ( Arcade Racing)

Arcade racing is characterized by easy, remote from reality controls.

  • Series
  • Trackmania Series
  • Descent Series

Classic arcade ( Classic Arcade)

The essence of classic arcades is quite difficult to explain. Usually the main goal is to complete the level in the shortest possible time, collect everyone on the level and get maximum number points. This also includes a variety of arkanoid and pinballs.

Fighting games ( Fighting)

In fights, two characters fight in the arena, using various blows, throws and combinations. It is characterized by a large number of characters (fighters) and strikes (sometimes more than a hundred for each character). The genre is not very popular due to its focus on joint game, and the keyboard is quite problematic to play together at the same time. However, it is well developed on. For some games of this genre, world championships are even held. Often, in some arena games, four opponents can converge at the same time, for example, in Guilty Gear Isuka. A gamepad is recommended to control these games.

  • street fighter

Platformers ( platformer)

The concept of platformers came from (console). This is where the genre is most popular. The main task of the player is to overcome obstacles (holes, spikes, enemies, etc.) by jumping. Often you have to jump on "sticks" (so-called platforms) abstractly placed in the air, hence the name of the genre.

  • Aladdin

Scrollers ( scroller)

In scrollers, the screen constantly moves in one direction, and the player is invited to destroy the enemies that appear and collect the ones that appear. In the direction of movement, vertical (from bottom to top) and horizontal (from left to right) scrollers are distinguished. The genre was very popular in the mid-90s, now scrollers are practically not produced. Of the modern games of this genre, one can note Jets'n'Guns

  • AirStrike 3D
  • Demon Star
  • Kai Jin

Virtual shooting range ( Virtual Shooting)

First born on slot machines, subsequently moved to many gaming platforms, including . The gameplay is the shooting of unexpectedly appearing enemies, but unlike we can not control the movement of the player or the camera, the whole game we are driving along the "rails". In this regard, video shooting galleries are sometimes made, that is, the entire game is filmed on a video camera, substituting different versions of video clips in certain places.

  • Mad Dog McGee
  • Series House of the Dead

Other arcades

The gameplay in them falls under the definition of "arcade", they are usually very dynamic, and the goal in them is to collect all the bonuses or score the maximum possible number of points. However, they are usually distinguished from representatives of other varieties of this genre by some original finds by the developers, which do not allow one to attribute these games to one of the above categories.

( simulation)

Technical simulations

Simulation game. With the help of a computer, as fully as possible, the physical behavior and control of some complex technical system (for example: a combat fighter, a car, etc.) is imitated. If arcade games seek to entertain the player with the help of various impossible phenomena, stunts and sharpness of the plot, then the main criterion for the quality of simulators is the completeness and realism of the simulation of its object (car, aircraft, etc.).

Arcade simulations

A simplified version of Technical Simulators, often with alternative physics. The fundamental difference from Arakad is the presence of a simplified, but still physical model. Most often, simulators of star fighters and cars are made with similar physics.

economic simulations

In games of this genre, the player is given the opportunity to manage economic systems of varying degrees of complexity, for example, a city (), an island state (Tropico), a farm (SimFarm), a transport company (Railroad Tycoon), etc. Often, exotic systems, for example, an anthill (SimAnt) or a dungeon ().

Strategies ( strategy)

A game that requires strategizing, for example, to win a military operation. The player controls not just one character, but an entire division, enterprise, or even the universe. Distinguish marching or step by step strategic games (Turn-Based Strategy, ), where players take turns making moves, and each player is given unlimited or limited (depending on the type and complexity of the game) time for their move, and strategic games in real time(Real Time Strategy, ), in which all players perform their actions at the same time, and the passage of time is not interrupted.

In most strategies, there are economic (collection of resources, training of troops) and military components.

  • real time on the : ,
  • Most Popular Strategies real time on the : ,

Real Time Strategy ( Real Time Strategy, RTS)

In these strategies, the players perform their actions simultaneously. They appeared somewhat later than turn-based ones, the first game of this genre to become famous was II (), the plot of which is based on the work of the same name by Frank Herbert. Already then formed general principles real-time strategies (some of them are common with other strategies):

  • The economy in the game is of an auxiliary nature and is aimed at collecting resources;
  • The economy is based on buildings that can be built and destroyed. It is they who build units (see below) and conduct research. Sometimes construction is done by special units, sometimes (as in Dune) by other buildings. Some buildings can attack the enemy;
  • The collection of resources is carried out by special units in places specially provided for this (in Dune these are spice fields), after which they are transferred to a special building at the base and only after that they become available to the player;
  • Resources are different types(in Dune one type is spice, in other games it can be, say, gold, wood, money, metal, coal) and are spent on the construction of units and buildings (it also takes time);
  • Unit (unit) - any combat unit(infantry, tank, aircraft, ship), which can usually attack and destroy other units and buildings. Units have parameters, chief among which are hit points ( hit points- "health", "limit of permissible damage", "strength"), damage inflicted, armor (reducing the damage inflicted to the unit), speed. A unit can also include several soldiers (tanks, artillery pieces, etc.), but in this case they cannot be commanded separately. Some units cannot attack and are designed to collect resources, construct buildings, transport other units;
  • All buildings and units have a line of sight beyond which they cannot see;
  • The player can see what is happening only in those territories that fall within the radius of view of his buildings and units. Those areas where he has not yet been painted over in black. Those on which his troops were already, but in this moment cannot see them, are covered by the so-called "fog of war" (Fog of War), which usually allows you to see the terrain of the area and the buildings located there (as they were at the last moment when the player's units saw them), but does not allow you to see units.

Turn Strategies ( Turn-based strategy, TBS)

Turn-based strategies (TBS) are games in which players take turns taking their actions. Turn-based strategies appeared before RTS and are much more diverse. Dividing the gameplay into turns separates it from real life and deprives the game of dynamism, as a result of which these games are not as popular as real-time strategy games. On the other hand, in TBS, the player has much more time to think, nothing rushes him while making a move, this gives him the opportunity to show his ability to think logically.

Among the first games of this genre, it should be noted North & South (), (), Sid Meier's (), Warlords (), Scorched Earth (), a little later appeared (), (), Lords of The Realm (), (), Panzer General (), (). These games laid the foundations of the genre, they are so different from each other that it is almost impossible to divide the TBS genre into sub-genres.

Recently, the series and the similar Disciples (the first game of this series was released in ) have been especially popular, derived from the game King's Bounty. Role-playing elements have always been strong in these games (first of all, the existence of heroes leading armies and the possibility of their pumping, in Disciples - also pumping units); the main action takes place on a global map, on which cities, castles, resource extraction sites, etc. are located, armies move around the map (led by heroes and consisting of a large number of units), when 2 armies collide, a battle begins between them on the local map ( it also takes place in turn-based mode and requires tactical skills from the player).

A similar division into global and local maps distinguishes many other games of the genre - Master of Orion, Age of Wonders, Lords of The Realm, X-COM, the Total War series (where tactical battles take place in real time).

A special kind of turn-based strategies is represented by the game Scorched Earth and the Worms series descended from it. They have a lot in common with the arcade genre, logical thinking and choosing the right solutions are almost not required, the player controls a very small number of units (in Worms - teams of several worms) or even one (Scorched Earth). However, these games are classified as turn-based strategies.

Economic Simulations

The classification of strategy games, in which they are divided into turn-based and real-time, is not the only correct one. Sometimes, economic simulators, wargames (war games) and global strategies are distinguished as special subgenres of strategies, regardless of whether the gameplay takes place in them in real time or step by step.

Economic simulators are strategies in which the military side is absent in principle, so the player is only required to improve the economy (and this is much more difficult to do than in non-economic strategies). Sometimes there are rivals (competitors) in them, but military operations still do not occur with them. Economic simulators are a very specific genre, these are “amateur” games.

Most economic games take place in real time, but they have very little in common with typical RTS games like WarCraft or Command & Conquer. This genre does not require a quick response from the player at all, since you can pause the game at any time (but usually this is not required either, the game develops very slowly and smoothly).

The most common business simulators ("tycoons", from the word tycoon often found in their names). The first game of its kind was Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon. In business simulations, the player manages both huge industrial companies (Capitalism, Industrial Giant) and smaller enterprises, such as a diner or a zoo (such simulations are less serious and often not intended for the player to calculate situations for a long time and take profitable solutions, but just for his amusement; it is not easy to lose in such games, since there are no opponents in an explicit form). Transport economic simulations are very common, such as (interestingly, this game was developed by its creator - Chris Sawyer - almost single-handedly).

Among other types of economic strategies, one can note such subgenres as city-building simulators (the game that gave rise to this genre is the most famous, as well as a series of city-building games that take place in the ancient world - Caesar, Zeus and others; the last series contains military operations), sports managers (in which the player manages a sports club, usually a football club, but does not directly participate in matches, but acts as a coach and team manager), life simulators (a very specific genre derived from the Sims game).

Wargames ( war game)

Strategies in which there is no economy. Usually these are turn-based games in which the player controls a squad or army during the battle.

Global Strategies

The most complex strategies in which the player controls the state. In his hands are not only war and the economy, but also scientific progress, the development of new lands and the most complex diplomacy. Most global strategies are turn-based. In some of them, along with the global map, there are local ones where tactical battles take place.

Tactics ( Tactics)

A variant of strategy games where the player usually controls a limited group of characters - usually no more than 6-7. Most tactics have two modes: real-time - for normal movement, turn-based - for battles. Examples:

  • Game from the series
  • Series
  • Silent Storm Series
  • Series (UFO)
  • Gorky 17 and Gorky 18

Sports ( Sport)

As the name implies - an imitation of a sports game, imitations, and are most widely used.

Adventure, adventure ( Adventure) or quests ( Quest )

A storytelling game in which the player-controlled hero moves through the story and interacts with the game world through the use of objects, communication with other characters, and solving logic problems.

( Role Playing Game, RPG)

The correct name for this genre is Computer RPG (CRPG), as these games are role-playing games adapted for the computer. Usually this is a simulator of the player’s life and we see the whole world with his “eyes” (which does not mean the view “from the eyes”). The gameplay consists of walking around the world killing enemies/monsters/dinosaurs, robbing houses/shops, giving or taking away toys/candies from children (depending on which character is played good or evil), etc.

For example, a homeless child comes up to the Hero and asks for food:

  • good character: gives him a chocolate bar and receives from him important information
  • unkind character: stuns the boy and while he is unconscious, prowls through his pockets
  • evil character: kills a boy and goes through his pockets
  • insidious character: gives him a chocolate bar, gets important information from him, and then kills him and goes through his pockets

More about genres.

- It's fun and exciting. Moreover, now the gaming industry is approaching the cinema in huge leaps, and games are becoming more and more exciting and realistic. Some people who call themselves gamers (from the English game - game) are able to sit for hours, trying to correctly lay the bricks in Tetris, explore different fabulous spaces for days, wander through castles full of ghosts for weeks, build cities on unknown planets for months, years shoot from all types of weapons ...

There are games that are played by whole teams - in local network or on some server on the Internet. Members of a fan group may be from the same institution or bank, or may be from different countries of the world, which, however, does not prevent them from playing Quake or Counter Strike together and fully communicating in their own way.

Every computer game, like a movie, has its own genre. It is impossible to replay all the games in the world, so I will only talk about the main types of computer games.

1. Game type "hit and run" or "shoot anything that moves"- favorite games of younger students and some adults. There are many variations - from the simplest and most unpretentious, like Aladdin or Shrek, to the most sophisticated, with 3D volumetric graphics, high detail and realism. There are games with simple shooting (pistol, automatic), and there are games with fantastic shooting (blasters, plasma rifles), there are games with martial arts (fights, like Mortal Combat), etc. In all these games, reaction speed is important, you have to hit all the time not only at enemies, but also at the keyboard, which sometimes ends badly for them (keys). Is it better to use a joystick or not at all game console instead of a computer.

Ordinary games of this type are called arcades, and three-dimensional games are called 3D-Action. Instead of the frivolous word shooter, gamers use the incomprehensible to the uninitiated, and therefore the cooler word shooter. However, it means exactly the same thing - a shooter. Shooting games are also divided according to one more principle: who is in them main character. If you see the hero and the game world through the eyes of your character, then this is called FPS (first person shooter - first-person shooter). Before you all the time the hands of this character, squeezing the machine gun, and you contemplate the enemies and monsters through the slot of the sight. That's why their faces are so brutal! Third person games are called TPS (third person shooter). Here the main character is shown to you from the side. The most famous and beloved shooting games in the world are Doom, Half-Life, Call of Duty, etc.

2. Games - simulators (simulators): different kind racing, military and space games. Usually in them the player is sort of sitting in the cockpit of an airplane or car with screens, levers and buttons. Of course, driving in such cars and flying on such planes is easier than in real ones. But you can feel the taste.

Most of all, auto racing games have been made (The Need For Speed, Test Drive); there are also flight simulators (Microsoft Flight Simulator, Red Jets); there is even spaceships and robots (Mechwarrior, Wing Commander). In simulators, quick reaction is also important, since driving and flying take place at high speed, and combat is generally a matter for nimble ones. But do not confuse arcade racing and flying with simulators, since simulators are more difficult to play, and the gameplay is more realistic (the physics in such simulators is as close to reality as possible, so you gape a little - the car will skid and so on).

3. Sports simulators(NBA, FIFA, NHL) - imitation of sports competitions in football, basketball, golf, etc. True, the management of such a complex object as a person playing football is not yet very successful for programmers. Yes, and using the mouse for this is not very handy. Therefore, it is easier to play such games with a joystick.

4. In strategic games (strategies) you build cities, countries and even entire planets, managing their development, building houses and roads, conducting electricity, taxing inhabitants, entering into alliances and declaring wars. The essence of the gameplay is the extraction of some of the most important resources - energy, territories, water, money, wood, food, gold, etc. In such games, you yourself do not participate in the activities of territories or planets subordinate to you. Others work, and you are their leader and think tank - the king, the president, the general, the supreme magician. From the point of view of the rules for making moves, strategies are divided into turn based strategies (TBS), where moves are made strictly in turn, as in chess, and real time strategy (RTS), where each player makes a move when considers it necessary.

The most famous strategies are Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires, Command & Conquer. However, there is also a kind of strategy in which you yourself run and shoot a little. That is, partly it's a shooter, partly a strategy. gamers call it FPS (first person strategy). For example, it can be a combat robot simulator in which you are not only the commander in chief, but also a fighter. The most famous games of this type are Urban Assault, Battlezone.

5. If in such fantasy world you are not the supreme ruler and not even a general, but an ordinary participant - a warrior, a magician, a space merchant, then this is already called role-playing game or RPG (role playing game).

And if, besides you and the computer, a thousand (or one hundred thousand) people play the same game on some Internet server, then such fun is already called multiplayer role-playing games: MUG or MMORPG. In a role-playing game, it is very important not only what kind of character you play (what abilities he has, whether he is strong or, on the contrary, smart, a warrior or a sorcerer), but also what weapons and armor you have chosen for him. Each type of weapon and armor has its own tactical and technical data, its own destructive force, degree of protection and durability. As the game progresses, your character gains points. Upon reaching a certain magical number of points, he acquires the next degree of power and skill: he becomes stronger, faster, can carry more things and accessories. Some of the most famous and popular RPGs are Diablo, Fallout, Lineage, etc.

6. Exists another kind of role-playing game where you play not just one character, but a small team that you create yourself. Here the interaction and mutual assistance of team members is of great importance. Their individual qualities must complement those of others so that the team can defeat enemies in a variety of situations. The main thing in such games is tactics. Among the games of this type are Final Fantasy, Disciples, Fallout Tactics, etc. In general, strategy and RPG games are quite complex. They are played by people who like to work not so much with their hands as with their heads. There are few younger schoolchildren among these, but there are plenty of students and quite adult people.

7. Adventure Games- usually these are clever beautiful fairy tale games, horror stories, adventures, fantasy. These games have one thing in common: you often do not know the goal of the game and the means by which it should be achieved. You wander around a world full of strange or quite ordinary objects whose purpose you do not know, and trying to figure out what's what. For this they are called walkers, as well as quests (quest - search).

Here everything is done without haste, you are given time to think, walk one more time and guess everything. No one should be shot at (usually), no one should be kicked (almost never). You are told something at the beginning of the game, or they may remain silent. You click on objects with the mouse, and they begin to explain something to you about themselves; conduct dialogues with strangers and companions of your wanderings, trying to catch the hidden clue contained in their words; go through some doors, take possession of some items that you don’t know when and for what purpose will come in handy ... Quests are loved by adults, calm people who do not like haste and fuss. They say that girls also like games of this type more. The most famous quests are Alone in the Dark, King's Quest, etc.

8. Board and logic games and puzzles preferred by those for whom the game is not the main occupation in life, occasionally interspersed with study, work, marriage and thoughtful drinking of another can of Pepsi, but just a short and easy rest in the office - a way to spend a few minutes until the boss returns and forces you to type again your idiotic letters. Games of this type: various solitaires, checkers, chess, poker and others.

I have listed all the main genres of games, but nothing prevents developers from combining elements from different types(strategy with RPG elements, etc.). It is worth noting that most of the games are of Western origin. In Russia, game development is slow and clumsy (many say they don't have enough money to make a game; in my opinion, they don't have enough brains!). The lack of desire and the high competition of Western games discourages any interest in creating games in Russia. Another thing is in Ukraine - it is there that such masterpieces as STALKER, Collapse, etc. are created. However, do not think that there are no creative and motivated people in Russia... Here are a few games (popular and really interesting) from Russian developers: Space Rangers, Truckers, Blitzkrieg, Corsairs, It's hard to be a god and others.

All games can never be overplayed, but finding the right game for you won't be difficult. In search suitable game sites such as games-tv.ru or ag.ru will help you. But please don't get carried away! No matter how interesting and exciting a computer game is, real life will always give 100 points ahead. These points are much more valuable than game points! :)


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