Just like songs, movies, and basically any other form of entertainment you can imagine, video games fall into different categories, commonly referred to as genres. Not surprisingly, the limits and criteria that apply to each genre are not strictly defined; therefore, it is not uncommon for genre types to overlap or for a game to belong to more than one genre. Considering all of the above, it is still possible to define some standard genres; Below you will find some of the most popular along with their main features.
Fighting Games: Have you ever had a chance to play Street-Fighter? Well, if so, then this is the perfect sample to describe what fighting games are all about. In fighting games, you usually have to destroy your opponent (either human or computer) using martial arts, superpowered moves, or even (less often) hand guns. Some of the most popular fighting games are Street-Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibour, and Tekken.
First Person Shooters (FPS) – This is one of the most popular game genres. In FPS games, you typically impersonate a game character and navigate a virtual world from the character’s point of view. This means that your screen usually sits in the position where your character’s head is supposed to be; usually you can only see your character’s hands. FPS games have a heavy emphasis on weapons and action; Whether it’s a futuristic plasma blaster, a knife, a grenade, or a regular AK-47, chances are if you’re playing a first-person shooter, you’ll also have something that kills. Other than that, FPS games also show a heavy emphasis on online multiplayer modes; there’s hardly any FPS game today that doesn’t support some form of multiplayer. Some popular FPS games are Half-Life/Counterstrike, Quake4, DOOM3, Painkiller, etc.
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG): These are games intended to create a virtual environment where thousands of players can play and interact with each other in real time, within the virtual world. Popular games of this genre are: World Of Warcraft, Lineage, Neverwinter nights, etc.
Simulations: These are games in which you are normally driving a vehicle; Be it a car, plane or space rocket, you are usually given special tasks that you need to perform to advance to the next levels. Popular simulation games are Falcon 4.0, Ace combat, MS Train Simulator, Trainz, etc.
Finally, strategy games are games where (as the name suggests) you have to use your strategic skills to defeat your enemy. In most strategy games, you can create new buildings, build new troops, and research new technologies. Although there are games that fall into this category that don’t really require much of a brain, some titles require some really fancy moves in order to win. Popular strategy games are StarCraft: Brood War, Warcraft3, and Age of Empires.