Video game genres, explained
Every entertainment medium uses genres to help people understand what a game or movie or song will be like before experiencing it. In a sea of nearly limitless content, this is essential for allowing people to more easily find the things they are interested in — and to avoid the ones they aren’t. However, genres also need to be broad enough to still be useful, meaning most things don’t fit perfectly into any one box. Games are in an even trickier situation since genres can not only describe the tone and target audience, but also how the game is played. This has created a whole new set of genres and subgenres exclusive to games that can be quite confusing. We’ll go over the most recognized video game genres, as well as some subgenres within them, to explain what they are and give some examples.
