- Arcade game
A custom-built game placed in a public setting such as an arcade. For years, arcade games had the best hardware and therefore the best games, but during the 80s this advantage slowly evaporated and arcade games are now rarer than during their heyday in the late 70s and early 80s. Also known as quarter-grabbers for their success in extracting "just one more quarter" out of hopelessly addicted players.
- Combat flight sim
The player flies a warplane and engages in aerial combat.
- Computer game
A game played on a personal computer.
- Dungeon crawl
A term of derision for a role-playing game in which the player must clear out a huge dungeon, battling hordes of monsters with no seeming end.
- Fantasy
A context for games involving dragons, magic, trolls, and so forth. Thus we have "fantasy role-playing games," known as FRPGs, "fantasy strategy games," and so on.
- First-person
The player sees the world through the eyes of his character. Requires a 3D graphics engine.
- Flight sim
The player flies an airplane.
- God game
The player acts as a god who seeks to influence or control myriad little human characters who act out their lives on the screen.
- Graphic adventure
Same as a text adventure, but now there are pretty pictures to assist less imaginative players. The pretty pictures often have clues cleverly tucked in.
- MMOG
"Massively multiplayer online game." A huge online game featuring a large world and thousands of players wandering about. The primary themes are fantasy role-playing and first-person shooter.
- MUD
"Multi-user dungeon." A game put together, most often by college students, sporting a dungeon through which players move. A major phenomenon in the early 1990s, MUDs have now been pushed aside by the big, well-funded professional games.
- Platform game
The screen shows from the side what is in effect a building with four or five floors. The player enters the screen at one corner and must get across the screen by moving between floors. Numerous obstacles block his progress. Sometimes called running, jumping, climbing game. Later versions of this genre are sometimes called side scrollers because the levels in the game extend across many horizontal screen lengths.
- PW
"Persistent world." The term applies to online games in which the game state created by the player(s) remains even while they are not playing.
- Real-time
Not turn-sequenced. The action keeps going even if the player does nothing. This puts time pressure on the player.
- Real-time strategy
A strategy game played in real time. The player must make strategic decisions rapidly.
- Resource management
A style of gameplay in which the player must juggle a large number of complexly inter-related resources, such as fuel, ammunition, aircraft, etc.
- Role-playing
The player assumes the identity of a character who engages in a quest requiring him to slay lots of nasty enemies. Along the way the character becomes stronger, acquires better weapons, and accumulates wealth. These acquisitions enable the player to take on even more powerful foes.
- Sci-fi
Another context for games, leading to SFRPGs, sci-fi strategy games, etc.
- Second-person
The player sees the world from just behind and above his character, or from some other vantage point that follows his character closely.
- Shooter
A game in which the player spends most of his time shooting at others.
- Sim
Short for simulation. A game that simulates some real-world process, usually with some variations for making it more fun. A nuclear reactor sim, for example, wouldn't be any fun without plenty of meltdowns.
- Skill and action
An old term referring to any game requiring fast motor skills of the player. Also known as a hand-eye coordination game.
- Strategy
A game requiring careful, deliberate and therefore time-consuming planning. Strategy games are usually slow in pace.
- Text adventure
Using a pure text interface, the player must navigate through verbally described mazes, getting past obstacles by solving complicated and often arbitrary puzzles.
- Third person
The player sees the world as a fixed map, and his character is a little figure that moves through that world.
- Turn-sequenced
Players take turns in alternation. A player has plenty of time to make his move during his turn.
- Wargame
Used by gamers to refer to a game requiring careful military strategy. Used by the general public to refer to any violent game.
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