Genres, classification, typology

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Genres, classification, typology

• Miguel Sicart
• Computer Game Theory
• Spring 2005

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What are todays problems?

• How can we classify games?
• What does a certain classification mean?
• How does genre trouble affect game research?
• How does genre trouble affect game design?

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What kind of games do you like?
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How would define the following games?

• Half-Life 2

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Halo 2
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Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
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The Sims 2
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World of Warcraft
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Pong
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Adventure
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MUD
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Old Problem with New Incarnations
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A Classical Game Classification Roger Callois -
Man, Play and Games (1958)

• Agon (competition)
• Alea (chance)
• Ilinx (vertigo)
• Mimicry (simulation)

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But if we go to www.gamespot.com what we see is
...

• Action
• Strategy
• Role-Playing
• Driving
• Adventure
• Simulation
• Puzzles
• Games for Kids

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Whats then the importance of classifying games -
basic questions

• What do these genres mean?
• Who chooses the genres?
• How do the genres affect the research?
• And the market?
• Is this really important?

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Break Time
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The trouble with genres - Theory

• Lets keep in mind GameSpots typology, and the
  examples we saw at the beginning
• Why dont they match?

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Unidimensional is not good

• Unidimensional genre classifications are often
• Inconsistent
• Overlapping
• Vague

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A Summary of Limitations

• Unidimensional typologies are
• accumulative (actionadventureRPG)
• not representative
• they ignore the nature of games and their medium
  (remember convergence)
• Academically, they are trouble - can we fix this
  problem?

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Two takes on game classification Jesper Juul
Espen Aarseth
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JuulGames of Emergence vs. Game of Progression

• Games of Emergence simple rules combining,
  producing variation
• Games of Progression serially introduced
  challenges

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Emergence vs. Progressionhow does this help?

• This is not exactly a game genre classification,
• but it says a lot about the dominant features of
  a game,
• therefore it can help understanding the way its
  genre is constructed.
• Baldurs Gate and EverQuest are not the same kind
  of game, despite both being classified usually as
  RPGs
• Clear, easy to grasp and multi-purpose (theory
  and practise) definition

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Emergence vs. Progression Problems

• It is not a typology of games
• It only explains certain structural properties of
  games
• There are some borderline cases of emergent and
  progression games
• It does not tell anything about conventions and
  traditions

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Espen AarsethA Multidimensional Typology of
Games

• If the problem was the unidimensionality of the
  cathegories,
• this bottom-up, multidimensional approach is the
  solution!

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How does multidimensionality work?

• Systematic mapping of the differences between
  games
• take two games X and Y
• describe their differences
• generalize them
• place them in a system that explains them
• repeat process with as many games as you can
• Establish metacategories emergent vs.
  progression persistent worlds (EQ) vs.
  microworlds (CS)

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And the result is

• 15 dimensions, 30 variables
• grouped under Space, Time, Game Structure,
  Control, Rules
• 55296 types of games

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Problems of the multidimensionality

• Too many categories are there really more than
  55296 games?
• It is actually very broad, which might not say
  anything of value about the games.
• And it does not respond to the broadly used
  definitions.

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So, is there any solution?
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Maybe not
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The trouble with genres praxis
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• Actually, there is not a big problem users and
  journalists know what they are talking about.
• In a blurry way, classic, popular genres are
  very clear.
• And it also helps selling products ...
• So whats the problem, then?

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Lack of Innovation
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Double Coding

• Theoretical knowledge and study of games genres
  is required to research in games.
• Knowing the problems and limitations of genre
  typologies can encourage creativity.
• An example Grand Theft Auto II vs. III/VC/SA

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Exercise

• Make groups
• Choose a game and try it.
• Describe (to us) its genre the way you believe is
  more precise for
• A game magazine
• A game company
• Your little brother
• Play it afterwards trying to find as many
  classic genres as possible (f.ex. Halo as
  racing game, RTS, FPS, game of progression)