Editing Video game (section)

==Classifications==
Video games are frequently classified by a number of factors related to how one plays them.

===Genre===
{{Main|Video game genre}}
{{See also|Gameplay}}
[[File:Dustforce Trailer.webm|thumb|thumbtime=54|right|''[[Dustforce]]'' is representative of the [[platform game]] genre as its gameplay involves jumping between platforms.]]
A video game, like most other forms of media, may be categorized into [[genres]]. However, unlike film or television which use visual or narrative elements, video games are generally categorized into genres based on their gameplay interaction, since this is the primary means which one interacts with a video game.<ref name=Apperley>{{cite journal |access-date=19 April 2013 |title=Genre and game studies |journal=Simulation & Gaming |author=Apperley, Thomas H. |year=2006 |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=6–23 |url=http://trac.assembla.com/CommanderAssembler/export/32/docs/Genre%20and%20game%20studies%20-%20tom-apperley.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005003753/http://trac.assembla.com/CommanderAssembler/export/32/docs/Genre%20and%20game%20studies%20-%20tom-apperley.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2013 |doi=10.1177/1046878105282278 |s2cid=17373114 |issn=1046-8781}}</ref><ref name="Gamasutra">{{cite web| title=Background: The Origins of Game Genres| url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4074/the_designers_notebook_sorting_.php| author=Adams, Ernest| date=9 July 2009| website=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]]| access-date=7 May 2022| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217155232/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4074/the_designers_notebook_sorting_.php| archive-date=17 December 2014| df=dmy-all| author-link=Ernest W. Adams}}</ref><ref name="Explosion">{{cite book|last1=Wolf|first1=Mark J.P.|date=2008|title=The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to Playstation and Beyond|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&q=video+game+genres|publisher=ABC-CLIO|page=259|isbn=978-0313338687|access-date=2014-12-03|archive-date=23 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423094107/https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&q=video+game+genres|url-status=live}}</ref> The narrative setting does not impact gameplay; a [[shooter game]] is still a shooter game, regardless of whether it takes place in a fantasy world or in outer space.{{sfn|Adams|Rollings|2006|p=67}}{{sfn|Harteveld|2011|page=71}} An exception is the [[horror game]] genre, used for games that are based on narrative elements of [[horror fiction]], the [[supernatural]], and [[psychological horror]].{{sfn|Perron|2009|pp=26–45}}

Genre names are normally self-describing in terms of the type of gameplay, such as [[action game]], [[computer role playing game|role playing game]], or [[shoot 'em up]], though some genres have derivations from influential works that have defined that genre, such as [[roguelike]]s from ''[[Rogue (video game)|Rogue]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-rogue|title=The Essential 50 Part 12 – Rogue|last=Parish|first=Jeremy|work=[[1UP.com]]|access-date=1 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228092550/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-rogue|archive-date=28 February 2013}}</ref> [[Grand Theft Auto clone]]s from ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'',{{sfn|Lecky-Thompson|2008|page=23}} and [[battle royale game]]s from the film ''[[Battle Royale (film)|Battle Royale]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zavarise |first1=Giada |title=How Battle Royale went from a manga to a Fortnite game mode |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/12/06/how-battle-royale-went-from-a-manga-to-a-fortnite-game-mode/ |website=[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]] |access-date=24 May 2020 |date=6 December 2018 |archive-date=26 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726154840/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/12/06/how-battle-royale-went-from-a-manga-to-a-fortnite-game-mode/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The names may shift over time as players, developers and the media come up with new terms; for example, [[first-person shooter]]s were originally called "Doom clones" based on [[Doom (1993 video game)|the 1993 game]].{{sfn|Arsenault|2009|pages=149–176}} A hierarchy of game genres exist, with top-level genres like "shooter game" and "action game" that broadly capture the game's main gameplay style, and several subgenres of specific implementation, such as within the shooter game [[first-person shooter]] and [[third-person shooter]]. Some cross-genre types also exist that fall until multiple top-level genres such as [[action-adventure game]].

===Mode===
[[File:Winter_2004_DreamHack_LAN_Party.jpg|thumb|right|A [[LAN party]] at the 2004 [[DreamHack]] with hundreds of players]]
A video game's mode describes how many players can use the game at the same type. This is primarily distinguished by [[single-player video game]]s and [[multiplayer video game]]s. Within the latter category, multiplayer games can be played in a variety of ways, including locally at the same device, on separate devices connected through a local network such as [[LAN party|LAN parties]], or online via separate Internet connections. Most multiplayer games are based on competitive gameplay, but many offer [[Cooperative video game|cooperative and team-based options]] as well as [[asymmetric gameplay]]. [[Online game]]s use server structures that can also enable [[massively multiplayer online game]]s (MMOs) to support hundreds of players at the same time.

A small number of video games are [[zero-player game]]s, in which the player has very limited interaction with the game itself. These are most commonly simulation games where the player may establish a starting state and then let the game proceed on its own, watching the results as a passive observer, such as with many computerized simulations of [[Conway's Game of Life]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-04-15-video-game-pioneer-john-h-conway-dies-aged-82 | title = Video game pioneer John H. Conway dies aged 82 | first = Tom | last = Phillips | date = 15 April 2020 | access-date = 19 March 2021 | work = [[Eurogamer]] | archive-date = 27 April 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200427101454/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-04-15-video-game-pioneer-john-h-conway-dies-aged-82 | url-status = live }}</ref>

===Types===
Most video games are intended for entertainment purposes.<ref name="eu game industry">{{cite report | last1 = De Prato | first1 = Guiditta | first2 = Claudio | last2= Feijóo |first3= Daniel |last3= Nepelski |first4= Marc |last4= Bogdanowicz | first5= Jean Paul | last5= Simon | title = Born digital/grown digital: Assessing the future competitiveness of the EU video games software industry | publisher = JRC Scientific and Technical Reports | number = EUR 24555 EN | year = 2010 |url=https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC60711 }}</ref> Different game types include:

; Core games
: Core or hard-core games refer to the typical perception of video games, developed for entertainment purposes. These games typically require a fair amount of time to learn and master, in contrast to casual games, and thus are most appealing to gamers rather than a broader audience. Most of the AAA video game industry is based around the delivery of core games.{{sfn|Keogh|2015|pages=152–162}}

; Casual games
: In contrast to core games, [[casual game]]s are designed for ease of accessibility, simple to understand gameplay and quick to grasp rule sets, and aimed at [[mass market]] audience. They frequently support the ability to jump in and out of play on demand, such as during commuting or lunch breaks. Numerous browser and mobile games fall into the casual game area, and casual games often are from genres with low intensity game elements such as [[match three]], [[hidden object]], [[Time Management (video game genre)|time management]], and [[Puzzle video game|puzzle]] games.<ref>{{cite web |last=Boyes |first=Emma |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/gdc-08-are-casual-games-the-future/ |title=GDC '08: Are casual games the future? |work=[[CNET]] |date=18 Feb 2008 |access-date=7 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711072428/http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6186207.html?tag=result%3Btitle%3B0 |archive-date=2011-07-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Causal games frequently use [[social-network game]] mechanics, where players can enlist the help of friends on their social media networks for extra turns or moves each day.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6735/what_makes_social_games_social.php?print=1 | title = What Makes Social Games Social? | first = Matt | last = Ricchetti | date = 17 February 2012 | access-date = 13 August 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = 12 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200812010938/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6735/what_makes_social_games_social.php?print=1 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Popular casual games include ''[[Tetris]]'' and ''[[Candy Crush Saga]]''. More recent, starting in the late 2010s, are [[hyper-casual game]]s which use even more simplistic rules for short but infinitely replayable games, such as ''[[Flappy Bird]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ft.com/content/55f64cfe-125e-4529-b16e-ad77f8cd8710 | title = How 'hyper-casual' games are winning the mobile market | first = Tim | last = Bradshaw | date = 20 August 2020 | access-date = 29 March 2021 | work = [[Financial Times]] | archive-date = 13 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210113104256/https://www.ft.com/content/55f64cfe-125e-4529-b16e-ad77f8cd8710 | url-status = live }}</ref>
; Educational games
: [[Education software]] has been used in homes and classrooms to help teach children and students, and video games have been similarly adapted for these reasons, all designed to provide a form of interactivity and entertainment tied to game design elements. There are a variety of differences in their designs and how they educate the user. These are broadly split between [[Educational entertainment|edutainment]] games that tend to focus on the entertainment value and rote learning but are unlikely to engage in [[critical thinking]], and [[educational video game]]s that are geared towards problem solving through motivation and positive reinforcement while downplaying the entertainment value.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Educational Video Game Design: A Review of the Literature | first = Mary Jo | last = Dondlinger | journal = Journal of Applied Educational Technology | volume =4 | issue = 1 | pages = 21–31 | date = 2007 }}</ref> Examples of educational games include ''[[The Oregon Trail (series)|The Oregon Trail]]'' and the ''[[Carmen Sandiego (video game series)|Carmen Sandiego]]'' series. Further, games not initially developed for educational purposes have found their way into the classroom after release, such as that feature [[open world]]s or [[sandbox game|virtual sandboxes]] like ''[[Minecraft]]'',<ref name="Education">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-in-education-how-video-games-are-teaching-kids/1100-6400549/ |title=Minecraft In Education: How Video Games Are Teaching Kids |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |magazine=[[GameSpot]] |date=25 November 2012 |access-date=9 December 2012 |last=Walton |first=Mark |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010082122/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-in-education-how-video-games-are-teaching-kids/1100-6400549/ |archive-date=10 October 2013}}</ref> or offer critical thinking skills through [[puzzle video game]]s like ''[[SpaceChem]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/220936/spacechem-used-as-educational-tool-in-schools/ | title = SpaceChem Used as Educational Tool in Schools | first = Pete | last = Davidson | date = 7 July 2011 | access-date =18 July 2011 | publisher = [[GamePro]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202190506/http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/220936/spacechem-used-as-educational-tool-in-schools/ | url-status = dead | archive-date= 2 December 2011 }}</ref>
;Serious games
:[[File:AFA Beech in Flight Simulator.jpg|thumb|''[[Microsoft Flight Simulator]]'' is an example of a simulation game.]] Further extending from educational games, [[serious game]]s are those where the entertainment factor may be augmented, overshadowed, or even eliminated by other purposes for the game. Game design is used to reinforce the non-entertainment purpose of the game, such as using video game technology for the game's interactive world, or [[gamification]] for reinforcement training. Educational games are a form of serious games, but other types of games include [[exergaming|fitness games]] that incorporate significant physical exercise to help keep the player fit (such as ''[[Wii Fit]]''), simulator games that resemble [[flight simulator]]s to pilot aircraft (such as ''[[Microsoft Flight Simulator]]''), [[advergame]]s that are built around the advertising of a product (such as ''[[Pepsiman (video game)|Pepsiman]]''), and [[newsgame]]s aimed at conveying a specific advocacy message (such as ''[[NarcoGuerra]]'').<ref>{{cite book | title = Serious Games: Foundations, Concepts and Practice | chapter = 1. Introduction | first1 = Josef | last1 = Wiemeyer | first2 = Ralf | last2 = Dörner | first3= Stefan | last3 = Göbel | first4 = Wolfgang | last4 = Effelsberg | publisher = [[Springer International Publishing]] | year = 2016 | isbn = 978-3319406121 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1 = Djaouti | first1 = Damien | first2= Julian | last2= Alvarez | first3= Jean-Pierre | last3= Jessel | first4= Olivier | last4= Rampnoux | title = Serious Games and Edutainment Applications | chapter = Origins of Serious Games | pages= 25–43 | publisher =[[Springer Publishing|Springer]] |year= 2011 | doi = 10.1007/978-1-4471-2161-9_3 | isbn = 978-1-4471-2160-2 | chapter-url = https://normandie-univ.hal.science/hal-04024666 }}</ref>
;Art games
:Although video games have been considered an art form on their own, games may be developed to try to purposely communicate a story or message, using the medium as a work of art. These [[art game|art or arthouse games]] are designed to generate emotion and empathy from the player by challenging societal norms and offering critique through the interactivity of the video game medium. They may not have any type of win condition and are designed to let the player explore through the game world and scenarios. Most art games are [[indie game]]s in nature, designed based on personal experiences or stories through a single developer or small team. Examples of art games include ''[[Passage (video game)|Passage]]'', ''[[Flower (video game)|Flower]]'', and ''[[That Dragon, Cancer]]''.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/5893530/Art-house-video-games.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/5893530/Art-house-video-games.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Chris | last=Schilling | title=Art house video games | date=23 July 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="holmes2003">Holmes, Tiffany. ''[http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Holmes.pdf Arcade Classics Span Art? Current Trends in the Art Game Genre]''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420092835/http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Holmes.pdf|date=2013-04-20}}. [[Digital Arts and Culture|Melbourne DAC 2003]]. 2003.</ref>{{sfn|Gintere|2019|pages=346–360}}

===Content rating===
{{Main|Video game content rating system}}
[[File:ESRBrating.PNG|thumb|right|A typical ESRB rating label, listing the rating and specific content descriptors for ''[[Rabbids Go Home]]'']]
Video games can be subject to national and international [[content rating]] requirements. Like with film content ratings, video game ratings typing identify the target age group that the national or regional ratings board believes is appropriate for the player, ranging from all-ages, to a teenager-or-older, to mature, to the infrequent adult-only games. Most content review is based on the level of violence, both in the type of violence and how [[Graphic violence|graphic]] it may be represented, and sexual content, but other themes such as drug and alcohol use and gambling that can influence children may also be identified. A primary identifier based on a minimum age is used by nearly all systems, along with additional descriptors to identify specific content that players and parents should be aware of.

The regulations vary from country to country but generally are voluntary systems upheld by vendor practices, with penalty and fines issued by the ratings body on the video game publisher for misuse of the ratings. Among the major content rating systems include:
* [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]] (ESRB) that oversees games released in the United States. ESRB ratings are voluntary and rated along a E (Everyone), E10+ (Everyone 10 and older), T (Teen), M (Mature), and AO (Adults Only). Attempts to mandate video games ratings in the U.S. subsequently led to the landmark [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] case, ''[[Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association]]'' in 2011 which ruled video games were a protected form of art, a key victory for the video game industry.<ref name="legal results">{{cite web|last=McCauley|first=Dennis|title=The Political Game: A Brief History of Video Game Legislation|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/18/the-political-game-a-brief-history-of-video-game-legislation/|work=joystiq.com|access-date=20 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224031138/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/18/the-political-game-a-brief-history-of-video-game-legislation|archive-date=24 December 2012}}</ref>
* [[Pan European Game Information]] (PEGI) covering the United Kingdom, most of the European Union and other European countries, replacing previous national-based systems. The PEGI system uses content rated based on minimum recommended ages, which include 3+, 8+, 12+, 16+, and 18+.
* [[Australian Classification Board]] (ACB) oversees the ratings of games and other works in Australia, using ratings of G (General), PG (Parental Guidance), M (Mature), MA15+ (Mature Accompanied), R18+ (Restricted), and X (Restricted for pornographic material). ACB can also deny to give a rating to game (RC – Refused Classification). The ACB's ratings are enforceable by law, and importantly, games cannot be imported or purchased digitally in Australia if they have failed to gain a rating or were given the RC rating, leading to a [[List of banned video games in Australia|number of notable banned games]].
* [[Computer Entertainment Rating Organization]] (CERO) rates games for Japan. Their ratings include A (all ages), B (12 and older), C (15 and over), D (17 and over), and Z (18 and over).
* [[Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle]] (USK) rates games for Germany. Their ratings include 0, 6, 12, 16, and 18.

Additionally, the major content system provides have worked to create the [[International Age Rating Coalition]] (IARC), a means to streamline and align the content ratings system between different region, so that a publisher would only need to complete the content ratings review for one provider, and use the IARC transition to affirm the content rating for all other regions.

Certain nations have even more restrictive rules related to political or ideological content. Within Germany, until 2018, the [[Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle]] (''Entertainment Software Self-Regulation'') would refuse to classify, and thus allow sale, of any game depicting [[Nazi]] imagery, and thus often requiring developers to replace such imagery with fictional ones. This ruling was relaxed in 2018 to allow for such imagery for "social adequacy" purposes that applied to other works of art.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-08-09-germany-relaxes-stance-on-nazi-symbols-in-video-games | title = Germany relaxes stance on Nazi symbols in video games | first = Matthew | last = Handrahan | date = 9 August 2018 | access-date = 9 August 2018 | work = [[GamesIndustry.biz]] | archive-date = 13 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210713220333/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-08-09-germany-relaxes-stance-on-nazi-symbols-in-video-games | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Video games in China|China's video game segment]] is mostly isolated from the rest of the world due to the government's censorship, and all games published there must adhere to strict government review, disallowing content such as smearing the image of the [[Chinese Communist Party]]. Foreign games published in China often require modification by developers and publishers to meet these requirements.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/fortnite/fortnite-china-ban | title = Fortnite, PUBG, and Paladins have reportedly been banned by the Chinese government | first1 = Ali | last1 = Jones | date = 11 December 2018 | access-date = 11 December 2018 | work = [[PCGamesN]] | archive-date = 6 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200806211701/https://www.pcgamesn.com/fortnite/fortnite-china-ban | url-status = live }}</ref>