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Gaming: Some Other Essay I Had to Write for College

Published Sunday, February 12, 2006 by Mike A. | E-mail this post

Hey, college made me write another essay. I made it about ~~the console war~~ video game genres. More specifically, ~~the handheld console war~~ I can't really be any more specific.

I pretty much ~~made up a lot of the stuff after the second paragraph, but the professor said that didn't matter~~ got a 99 on this essay.

~~Expect some real content soon in the form of a Guitar Hero review!~~ The professor thought I was missing a semicolon somewhere.

Video games have been slowly increasing in popularity since the late 1970s and early 1980s. Games slowly became a part of popular culture. As the popularity of video games rose, demand for new styles of gameplay increased. Nowadays, there are many of these styles, or genres, of video games. Three examples of these video game genres are platform, racing, and rhythm.

A prime example of the platform genre can be seen in Nintendo’s flagship title, Super Mario Brothers. In a platform (or “run ‘n’ jump”) game, players control a character that forges its way towards the goal by jumping onto platforms and collecting items. In a platform game, precision is often an important factor in making decisions about which pathways to take. Platform games are usually distinguished by their cartoon-like visuals and fantasy storylines. In current platform games, more attention is paid to item collection than in earlier days.

In a racing game, a player competes with others to reach the goal, or “finish line.” This is usually done by controlling an on-screen vehicle. Some racing games feature vehicles that closely resemble name-brand cars, while others veer towards abstract or futuristic vehicles. The basic concept of every racing game remains the same, though some games focus on simulating the actual experience of driving a car. In many games, certain “pick-ups” are available on the courses, which can be used to gain an advantage.

Rhythm games are within a relatively new genre of video games. In a rhythm-based game, players perform an action based upon the beat provided by the game’s soundtrack. The action varies between different games, since many games use specialized game controllers. The most popular rhythm-based game, Dance Dance Revolution, uses a special “dance pad” controller that the player operates with their feet. A recently released home-console game, Guitar Hero, uses a replica of a Gibson SG guitar as its means of input. The difficulty of each new level is dependent on the speed with which the player must perform the required action.

As video games continue to evolve, more new genres will be created. Platform, racing, and rhythm games represent only a mere fraction of the entire video game populace. Many games also tend to cross genres, resulting in new hybrid genres. The goals and concepts of each genre, however, are usually varied. However, the main concept of video games, “having fun,” is the main focus of each genre.

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