Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8. Action Games
The popularity of action games of different subgenres is difficult to underestimate.
This is one of the most important genres for the modern game industry. Being mixed
with other types of game mechanics such as adventure, puzzles, and RPG, action-
oriented titles provide very diverse gameplay styles and experiences. Many complex
action games can be considered to be creative and technologically avant-garde be-
cause they try to use the most advanced solutions to create very pictorial and alive
virtual worlds that players can interact with.
Introducing action games
There are two kinds of games that humans have been playing for centuries: the first
is card/board amusements or puzzles, and the second is more active games such as
sporting competitions of different types. Archery and darts can be easily considered
as an early prototype of a shooting game. The main objective is to hit a target, and
players get special rewards for their accuracy.
One of the advantages of active gamesisthat the simplicity of rules, goals, andmech-
anics is pretty visible. No wonder early video game systems mostly tried to recreate
commonsports gamesinadigital form rather than puzzles. The list of gamesfor Mag-
navox Odyssey, which was the very first gaming console for home use introduced in
1972, consisted of titles such as table tennis, baseball, soccer, hockey, and so on.
They were easier to develop (of course, in a very minimalistic form), and it was easier
to convince the audience to begin playing with them because the gaming principles
were familiar. Among them, of course, were shooting games. The console even had
a unique accessory called Shooting Gallery. It is a light gun that allows players to hit
different objects on the screen of a TV set. What can be easier than just seeing the
target and pressing the button! The gameplay featured a very simple logic: players
only need to have a good reaction and keen eyes.
