Genre - Game Invaders: The Theory and Understanding of Computer Games - page 17

GENRE MAPS

Before looking at computer game genres in detail, here is a technique we can make
use of. For a given communications medium we can build up a genre map which
charts the relationship between the main genres of a particular medium. Figure 2.1
is a map of fi lm genres as found in TV listings magazines in 1993 (Chandler, 1997).
It lists the genres of fi lms that would be shared by fi lm critics and TV viewers.

Super-
natural
thriller

ROMANTIC
DRAMA

Romantic
comedy

HORROR

Action
romance

Action
adventure Romantic

thriller

Horror
chiller

ACTION
DRAMA

SF action
adventure

Super-
natural
crime
thriller

Action
chiller

War
story

SCIENCE
FICTION
DRAMA

CHILLER

Murder
mystery

Crime
thriller

Horror
Western

Sci-Fi
adventure

WESTERN

Murder
thriller

Chiller
thriller

ADVENTURE

Spoof
war
story

Spoof
Western

Mystery
thriller

Action
thriller

Comedy
adventure

THRILLER

Comedy
action
thriller

Action
comedy Spy thriller Comedy

thriller

Fantasy
comedy

SPY DRAMA Psycho-

logical
thriller

Black
comedy

COMEDY

Spy spoof

Musical
comedy

Satirical
comedy

MUSICAL

Figure 2.1 Film genre map. (Courtesy of Daniel Chandler, Aberystwyth University.)