Every time I tell someone I recently met that I love to play games, I always get the question "What kinds of games do you play?" and "What's your favorite game?"
I always respond "oh, that's a tough question! Tons. I play everything. I can't say which one is exactly my #1 favorite! I've played hundreds!"
Anyway, for people that have trouble knowing what "style" or "type" of games you play, here is a list of a few genres and their descriptions:
Platformer - The goal of a platformer is to make your way through levels by jumping on "platforms" and avoiding dangerous obstacles or enemies. These games are usually 2D, but there are some 3D platformers too! The most prominent features of platformers are the jumping, climbing and sometimes frequent sidescrolling. Such examples include the arcade-classics Donkey Kong, Mario and the original Metroid, as well as Spelunky. Most classic arcade games are platformers!
Real-Time Strategy (RTS) - A style of game where the players DON'T incrementally take turns. In other words, it is NOT a turn-based game. Instead, players are given the task of managing and planning strategic events in real-time, such as perhaps managing your army as they go into battle and acquiring new resources, like areas/bases/stronger units, etc. The usual goal of these games is to destroy the enemy's assets and grow your assets. It is up to the player to logically plan their units, their bases, their attacks, their resources, and fight against other players or a CPU. Examples include Starcraft, Age of Empires, StrongHold series, and Dune II.
MMORPG - stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, where thousands of people can be playing on a server (or many servers) at one time. These games usually have endless hours of gameplay due to developers adding more and more to these worlds! Most involve Medieval-type environments, races, and classes/roles. Examples include Runescape, World of Warcraft, Ultima Online, Everquest, etc.
RPG- stands for Role-Playing Game. These involve taking up the role of a character in a fictitious setting, usually one that is Medieval or with fantasy-related aspects. Very similar to MMOs except they are not multiplayer-heavy. Examples include Fable, Dark Souls, Bloodbourne, Elder Scrolls, Ultima Underworld, and Fallout 3/New Vegas.
Action-Adventure -This is one of the most common game genres! These games combine both exploration and combat into one game. These games usually require that the player searches their nearby environment for keys or other important objects before being able to proceed through the game. For example, you may need to pick up a specific item before completing the mission, as with GTA and many Rockstar Games. However, these games also focus heavily on combat (action) and/or danger lurking. You must work your way through these environments (perhaps by doing quests/missions) while also fighting off enemies. Examples include Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Uncharted, Grand Theft Auto, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Devil May Cry, Dead Rising, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania, and a huge variety of others!
Simulation - These games usually involve simulating (or being placed in) various kinds of experiences, whether that be career-related, life-related, or vehicle-related. It is up to the player to live these experiences and learn how to manage in these "real-world" scenarios. These games can actually teach the player some significant life skills! Examples of Simulation games include the Sims series, Spore, Farming Simulator, Nintendogs, Kerbal Space Program, FlightGear, etc.
Fighting - These include games where you are usually in an arena and your task is simply to beat up and defeat the opponent(s). Sometimes these games have story missions to play through and/or a "tower" type mode where you fight endlessly until you die. Usually the motive to keep playing the game is unlocking new characters or showing off your skills against your friends! Examples include Soulcalibur, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Street Fighter.
I will certainly elaborate more on these topics later on. These were just a few genres/types of games.
