Style of play - Revision history

Ematuskey at 01:25, 19 October 2019

2019-10-19T01:25:13Z

Ematuskey at 17:50, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T17:50:36Z

Ematuskey at 17:49, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T17:49:29Z

Ematuskey at 17:39, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T17:39:01Z

Ematuskey at 17:35, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T17:35:16Z

Ematuskey at 02:05, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T02:05:31Z

Ematuskey at 02:04, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T02:04:24Z

Ematuskey at 02:01, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T02:01:47Z

Ematuskey at 01:57, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T01:57:11Z

Ematuskey at 01:55, 11 October 2019

2019-10-11T01:55:32Z

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 **'''Vehicular''': distinct from the "Vehicles" category below, these are for games where driving/piloting a vehicle is more focused on the thrills, and not the realism
-*'''Build & Manage''': gameplay consists of using resources to build and/or maintain something
+*'''Build & Manage:''' gameplay consists of using resources to build and/or maintain something
 **'''Building''': focus purely on construction (Minecraft)
 **'''Business''': focus on building and running some sort of business (Theme Park Tycoon)
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 **'''Farming''': focus on building and maintaining a farm
-*'''Casino, Card, & Board Games''': virtual versions of physical games
+*'''Casino, Card, & Board Games'''
 **'''Board'''
 **'''Card'''
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 *'''Narrative''': gameplay is heavily story-driven and rarely, if ever, requires reflex-based actions from the player
-**'''Adventure''': the players have agency and the potential to fail or be blocked
+**'''Adventure:''' the players have agency and the potential to fail or be blocked
-**'''Interactive Stories''': so-called "walking simulators," these titles are like entering a book and being able to walk around in the environment, but not alter how the story will go
+**'''Interactive Stories:''' so-called "walking simulators," these titles are like entering a book and being able to walk around in the environment, but not alter how the story will go
-**'''Puzzles''': gameplay primarily consists of puzzle-solving (ie, Hidden Object games)
+**'''Puzzles:''' gameplay primarily consists of puzzle-solving (ie, Hidden Object games)
-**'''Visual Novels''': unlike Interactive Stories, the player can usually only engage the next prompt to move the story along
+**'''Visual Novels:''' unlike Interactive Stories, the player can usually only engage the next prompt to move the story along
 *'''Rhythm & Matching''': games having to do with following a sequence or matching items to succeed
@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 **'''Soccer'''
-*'''Strategy & Tactics'''
+*'''Strategy & Tactics:'''
-**'''Defense''': players have a position they need to defend against attackers
+**'''Defense:''' players have a position they need to defend against attackers
-**'''Exploration & Expansion''': players explore an environment and expand their sphere of influence
+**'''Exploration & Expansion:''' players explore an environment and expand their sphere of influence
-**'''Game Mastering''': one player takes on a (usually antagonistic) role versus the other players
+**'''Game Mastering:''' one player takes on a (usually antagonistic) role versus the other players
-**'''Warfare & Conquest''': Players build an army and conquer all they can
+**'''Warfare & Conquest:''' Players build up a force and conquer all they can
 *'''Trivia'''
-*'''Vehicles''': gameplay that focuses on the experience of driving/piloting a vehicle, with an emphasis placed on realism
+*'''Vehicle Simulation:''' gameplay focuses on the experience of driving/piloting a vehicle, with an emphasis placed on realism
 **'''Air'''
 **'''Ground'''
 **'''Space''': note that there are some action or RPG games with spaceships where the ship is the player's avatar, rather than offering a "spaceship simulator"
 **'''Water'''

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 **'''Music'''
-*'''Role-Playing Games''': games where the players have the freedom to define their character and how they will interact with the story (if at all).  Note that many games have RPG elements (ie, the ability to spend points to improve their characters), but lack the freedom of a full RPG (see RPG section under "Action").  Note also the lack of subcategories here--most RPGs are defined by other facets (setting, perspective)--breakouts like "Western RPG" vs "Japanese RPG" are too open to interpretation for our purposes
+*'''Role-Playing Games''': games where the players have the freedom to define their character and how they will interact with the story (if at all).  Note that many games have RPG elements (ie, the ability to spend points to improve their characters), but lack the freedom of a full RPG.  Note also the lack of subcategories here--most RPGs are defined by other facets (setting, perspective)--breakouts like "Western RPG" vs "Japanese RPG" are too open to interpretation for our purposes
 *'''Sports'''

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 <h2>Styles of Play</h2>
 *'''Action''': successful play involves timing and reflexes on the part of the player
 **'''Cinematic''': the video game equivalent of an action movie, with a mix of gameplay elements used to move the story along
 **'''Exploration & Survival''': gameplay focuses on exploring the environment, and surviving the perils found there
 **'''Platformer''': gameplay focuses on navigating the environment vertically, as well as horizontally
 **'''Stealth''': gameplay focuses on avoiding detection
 **'''Vehicular''': distinct from the "Vehicles" category below, these are for games where driving/piloting a vehicle is more focused on the thrills, and not the realism
 *'''Build & Manage''': gameplay consists of using resources to build and/or maintain something
 **'''Building''': focus purely on construction (Minecraft)
@@ Line 25: / Line 27: @@
 **'''Civic''': focus on building and maintaining some sort of society (Sim City, The Sims)
 **'''Farming''': focus on building and maintaining a farm
 *'''Casino, Card, & Board Games''': virtual versions of physical games
 **'''Board'''
 **'''Card'''
 **'''Casino'''
 *'''Narrative''': gameplay is heavily story-driven and rarely, if ever, requires reflex-based actions from the player
 **'''Adventure''': the players have agency and the potential to fail or be blocked
@@ Line 34: / Line 38: @@
 **'''Puzzles''': gameplay primarily consists of puzzle-solving (ie, Hidden Object games)
 **'''Visual Novels''': unlike Interactive Stories, the player can usually only engage the next prompt to move the story along
 *'''Rhythm & Matching''': games having to do with following a sequence or matching items to succeed
 **'''Dance'''
 **'''Match'''
 **'''Music'''
 *'''Role-Playing Games''': games where the players have the freedom to define their character and how they will interact with the story (if at all).  Note that many games have RPG elements (ie, the ability to spend points to improve their characters), but lack the freedom of a full RPG (see RPG section under "Action").  Note also the lack of subcategories here--most RPGs are defined by other facets (setting, perspective)--breakouts like "Western RPG" vs "Japanese RPG" are too open to interpretation for our purposes
 *'''Sports'''
 **'''Baseball'''
@@ Line 46: / Line 53: @@
 **'''Hockey'''
 **'''Soccer'''
 *'''Strategy & Tactics'''
 **'''Defense''': players have a position they need to defend against attackers
@@ Line 51: / Line 59: @@
 **'''Game Mastering''': one player takes on a (usually antagonistic) role versus the other players
 **'''Warfare & Conquest''': Players build an army and conquer all they can
 *'''Trivia'''
 *'''Vehicles''': gameplay that focuses on the experience of driving/piloting a vehicle, with an emphasis placed on realism
 **'''Air'''

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 <h2>Overview</h2>
-This is the most significant facet, as it's the one that's most analogous with the existing video game categories.  When looking at ways to improve classification, however, we can see that what these current categories are are a mix of different aspects (ie, "First Person Shooter" is a mix of perspective and play style).  The purpose of the "Style of play" facet is to isolate what the gameplay for a title is like, divorced from every other aspect like perspective or genre or tone.
+This is likely to be the most visible facet, as it's the one that's most analogous with the existing video game categories.  When looking at ways to improve classification, however, we can see that what these current categories are are a mix of different aspects (ie, "First Person Shooter" is a mix of perspective and play style).  The purpose of the "Style of play" facet is to isolate what the gameplay for a title is like, divorced from every other aspect like perspective or genre or tone.
 At the same time, we have to understand that existing categories serve a purpose and are powerful "brands" in and of themselves.  There are magazines and websites dedicated to the "adventure" genre.  People eagerly wait for the next RPG title in their favorite series, whether it's an "action RPG" *Diablo), a "traditional first-person RPG" (Elder Scrolls), or a "Japanese-style 3rd person RPG" (Final Fantasy).

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 At the same time, we have to understand that existing categories serve a purpose and are powerful "brands" in and of themselves.  There are magazines and websites dedicated to the "adventure" genre.  People eagerly wait for the next RPG title in their favorite series, whether it's an "action RPG" *Diablo), a "traditional first-person RPG" (Elder Scrolls), or a "Japanese-style 3rd person RPG" (Final Fantasy).
-The goal then is to try and break down the types of playstyles into its own hiearchy--if possible adopting existing genre language, but not being afraid to abstract to a core concept when the current categories mix too many concepts together.  See [[current video game categories]] for a list of how some of the larger video game vendors are currently classifying titles.
+The goal then is to try and break down the types of playstyles into its own hierarchy--if possible adopting existing genre language, but not being afraid to abstract to a core concept when the current categories mix too many concepts together.  See [[current video game categories]] for a list of how some of the larger video game vendors are currently classifying titles.
 <h2>Styles of Play</h2>

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 **'''Exploration & Survival''': gameplay focuses on exploring the environment, and surviving the perils found there
 **'''Platformer''': gameplay focuses on navigating the environment vertically, as well as horizontally
-**'''RPG''': an action-focused version of a "full" RPG; generally some character customization is allowed, but roles are generally strictly defined and options for interacting with the storyline are limited to "which method will I use to kill the monster"
+**'''RPG''': an action-focused version of a "full" RPG; some character customization may be allowed, but roles are generally strictly defined and options for interacting with the storyline are limited to "which method will I use to kill the monster"
 **'''Shooter''': gameplay focuses on ranged attacks against opponents
 **'''Stealth''': gameplay focuses on avoiding detection