The Three Gaming Overtypes

While trying to analyze games, I have been trying to break things down to their core levels. This means looking at them a frame at a time, or in various contexts. What I have discovered is that there are basically three overtypes of games.

As I said earlier we must first understand that games are a thing. How we use it, defines us. How it is to be used defines how we play with it. The first game is a simulation, like Sim City, or Falling Sand. The second is a story driven game, like the old PC games Zork, Day of the Tentacle, and Quantic Dream games. Finally we have the toy, which games like Wii Sports, and Pong. There may be an emphasis in a game type, but that doesn’t mean it can’t take ideas from the other two.

Games are a thing. We look at them, play them, and are taken into a new world with our imagination. This amazing idea has had problems within gaming, because at times people disagree on what a game should, or shouldn’t be. The argument is that a game can only fit a specific type, and if something doesn’t, it isn’t a game. The question of whether the game can be art is brought up a lot, and tends to only use that specific type to prove the idea. While this is happening, we try to argue against any bad idea about games, because it is just a game. In reality, yes, it is just a thing, but what you do with it defines you.

This idea of specific type has caused a lot of rifts in gaming. Labels are thrown out that something isn’t a game, or not for gamers. Today we call those games Casual. Really though, the games seem to take the same amount of time, and effort to enjoy. The problem is that the game itself does not fit the specific type. The game maker understands that types are needed to help define the ideas of the game. The way we play the game is often decided on before we even know it exists.

The first type of game is the simulation. Before videogames even came to be, there were simulation games. They were often war games, trying to simulate the same amount of knowledge a general or political leader would have. Axis and Allies simplifies the game a little bit, but tries to use the same information, the same historical set up, and even power of machinery. The entire point is to simulate a real event.

By coincidence, backstabbing Russia is a common move still.

The best known games within simulations are Sim City and Civilization. Sim City was created by Will Wright. He got the idea while trying to create a game about attacking places with helicopters. The building of the map was so much more fun for him, that an entire game was created. There was a lot of work done to make it feel like an actual city planning simulation.

I am certain that Phoenix was designed by a fan of this game.

Civilization was created by Micropose, and seems to have a long history of who made what. You play a world leader, and try to slowly grow your influence, and power as much as you can. There have been people who have played the game for years.

As you can see, a simulation is an attempt to make a game simulate a real life event. It tends to be open, because you have to learn the best strategies, and maneuvers to play. The emphasis is on understanding things, and how they work. Once you play the game several times, patterns emerge, and you find yourself doing the same things with better decisions over time.

There are some simulations that can be viewed as art. The one that seems to fit the best in my mind is called Falling Sands. It has a toy like idea within it, but it teaches so much about physics, and how it works. I once explained a concept to my brother using the game. All I did was place an object below a water spout. Although not a perfect example, it showed why a semi passing by had so much suck force around it.

In contrast to the simulation is the story game. Story games are as old as stories. A person could begin a story, and let someone else continue it, and then another person after that. There are books where you can choose your own adventure. PC games in the 80’s and 90’s were making all sorts of Story driven games. The Adventure game was an entire genre that has been given a resurgence today.

Look at the story being told here. 

One of the very first games ever made for PC’s, or even computers was the text based adventure game. Zork was first released in 1977. The entire game is text, describing what is happening, as you give command words to move around, or use items. The entire point is the story being told, and there is only one way to beat the game.

Later, as graphics, and computers accepted mice, the adventure game was created. You would explore areas while trying to collect the right items to move the story forward. My personal favorite game of the entire series is Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle. It has three people trapped in different time periods trying to stop a purple tentacle from taking over the world. One of the puzzles involves electrocuting Benjamin Franklin.

I was not kidding about the tentacle. 

A story game emphasizes the characters, and decisions you make in game. Although other overtypes are nicer with new graphical detail, a story game tends to emphasize the graphics over the gameplay a great deal. In last weeks video, I joked about showing faces for no reason. The people who tend to show off those graphical tweaks are trying to make better story driven games. There is also an emphasis that gaming is the same as hollywood movies.

There are amazingly artistic games in this genre. If you want a story driven game with amazing graphics, and the feeling of being inside a living world, a story game is sitting and waiting. The Walking Dead series has you choosing what to do at random times. The action sequence is acted out, and you have no direct control of the characters. Still, you feel inside of the world, and game more than even the TV series.

Calling a game a toy is not an insult. In fact, it is probably the most pure idea of game there is for gaming. The name comes from the two greatest creators of the type. Gunpei Yokoi was working in a factory when he created a small grabber toy. The CEO of the company heard about it, and asked him to make more. Yokoi trained Shigeru Miyamoto, and many others at Nintendo. Miyamoto applied for his job at Nintendo by bringing coat hangers to the job interview. In other words, when they were hired, they were making toys. Games to these creators were part of the idea of toys.

The toy game is likely the most lucrative of the business, and also the most difficult to make. Wii Sports is so simple to play, that children and grandparents can play it. It made the Wii one of the best selling systems of all time. In fact, the entire Wii Series is simple, toy like, and fun. There is no story, and the emphasis is usually full of joy. Even other game creators have recognized this.

In the Mario Kart series, the players race around and hit each other with weapons. The characters are from the Super Mario series, and they move forward at breakneck speeds. One of the options is to not race, but to deathmatch each other. There is a specific Mario Kart 64 level that will kill you more often than let you survive.

The top selling racing game has a dinosaur with a long tongue.

A toy game can also have blood and gore in it. The game Doom has you running around, grabbing weapons, and playing with the various enemies attacking you. The graphical details of the game are impressive, but only important to helping you enjoy the deathmatch life.

The very first major arcade game was Pong, and it could be viewed as a toy. It was such a sensation that it started the entire idea of arcade games.

A toy game is simply about grabbing items, and running around. You learn about various enemies by going against them, and figuring out their weaknesses. The game can become very taxing as you near the end, but you learned how to play based on all of the previous enemies. A pure toy game can tell a story, and yet not emphasize it. There are numbers, but they are more important to the high score than simulations.

Tetris was originally based on a toy. It was a game found in Russia that the game creator enjoyed playing. The name tetris came from the game, and the word Tennis. The simple stacking blocks are something you can enjoy playing for hours. What makes it great art, is when you start stacking real things in life, and start singing the song.

And now the song is in your head

These three overtypes are fairly loose in their description. A game can actually have all three types in it. For example, Final Fantasy VII Is very story driven. You can not move on to the next area, unless you do the proper story items first. Not only that, you have numbers to go through in levelling up your character to defeat the next big enemy. There are toy like elements in mini games throughout the game.

Skyrim has you walking around in a perfectly built world. The simulation of a real world goes into details as people walk around their towns for various chores. Being  able to update your stats are entirely numerical systems. At the same time, conversations with people can let you see, and know a story. In some cases, a story is made within the simulation itself.

Animal Crossing is a simulation of living a real life in a new town. Every chore in the game is toy like, and full of joy as you earn money for some new item. There is no ending, simply you working to improve your life, and make friends with everyone. The story is simply part of the gameplay.

Even if a game was designed one way, does not stop you from playing it in another. Most people I know ignore the story part of Grand Theft Auto, and run around the city. The Simulation part of GTA is only sort of noticed, as you try to destroy everyone in the game. The story is that you are a low life, and a bit of a sadist. Sadly, most people I know live up to that aspect of the game.

So the game can have all three types within it, but the emphasis leans more toward one or another. This is not a perfect science, and there is plenty of wiggle room to be found.

The last part we have to understand is that sometimes, people emphasize a game type over another. Take Wii Sports for example. The reviews for it basically go into whether or not it has the Story type, and Simulation type of other games. The deemphasis of the other types is what you will find gamers complaining about.

Pictured: Not an epic RPG

When we break games down, we find that they can be covered in three over types. The simulation makes you think about numbers, and how things are placed and work in real life. A story driven game won’t let you continue unless the story allows it. A toy can seem very simple, but is also the purest form of game there is. These types can be mixed to make new games, like Skyrim, and its giant world of stories. There is art found in each type. Sometimes though, a gamer may mistakenly think that something isn’t a worthy game because it does not emphasize the gameplay as others.

Games are marvelous things, and are a lot of fun to play. I tried my best to show my favorite games in each type. The hardest was thinking of a toy like game that is not made by Nintendo. Still, once we see these three over types, we can figure out cool ways of analyzing them.