Action Game Genre

Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand-eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games.

In an action game, the player typically controls the avatar of a protagonist. The avatar must navigate a game level, collecting objects, avoiding obstacles, and battling enemies with various attacks. At the end of a level or group of levels, the player must often defeat a large boss enemy that is larger and more challenging than other enemies. Enemy attacks and obstacles deplete the avatar's health and lives, and the game is over when the player runs out of lives. Alternatively, the player wins the game by finishing a sequence of levels. But many action games are unbeatable and have an indefinite number of levels, and the player's only goal is to maximize their score by collecting objects and defeating enemies.

History

Almost all the earliest video games were action games. Space Invaders from 1978, Asteroids from 1979, and Pac-Man from 1980 are some of the earliest video games, and have since become iconic examples from the action genre. Paperboy was released in 1984, and managed to turn the task of delivering newspapers into an action game, thus demonstrating the versatility of the genre. Once Robotron: 2084 was released in arcades in 1982, it became an instant classic in the shooter subgenre.

Although Doom was not the earliest first-person shooter, it became a worldwide classic for its emotional tone, and for breaking away from rectangular rooms and flat floors.

Defining elements

The action genre includes any game where the majority of challenges are physical tests of skill. Action games can sometimes incorporate other challenges such as races, puzzles, or collecting objects, but they are not central to the genre. Players may also encounter tactical and exploration challenges, but these games first-and-foremost require high reaction speed and good hand-eye coordination. The player is often under time pressure, and there is not enough time for complex strategic planning. In general, faster action games are more challenging. Action games may sometimes involve puzzle solving, but they are usually quite simple because the player is under immense time pressure.