As part of creating and organizing game entries, they can be categorized with various genres. This page gives guidelines on which genres are appropriate. Certain genres encompass other genres, and the more specific one should be used in those cases.
(Note: Some content is paraphrased from moozooh; see original forum post.)
Table of contents

Action

Action is a broad term for games where various forms of violence are a major part of game-play; usually it's the main way for the game to interact with the player (and, more often than not, vice versa). This is often indicated by the player's character having one or more weapons or melee attacks which are used to traverse the game environment and deal with the enemies on the way.
Note that this game genre is commonly defined as one where you are required to act quickly and precisely, which is so common at TASVideos that it can be considered default. So not to mark 90% of all TASes as Action, we use the definition that is closer to that of Action film genre.
There are genres that are, by this definition, subsets of "Action":
(Do not use "Action" for these.)
Examples:

Adventure

This genre commonly gives the player secondary goals and allows him/her to revisit earlier locations with no hard time limit.
There are genres that are, by this definition, subsets of "Adventure":
(Do not use "Adventure" for these.)
Examples:

Application

TODO: describe this genre; perhaps find the forum post providing additional context for why it was added.

Board

TODO: describe this genre; perhaps find the forum post providing additional context for why it was added.

Educational

TODO: describe this genre; perhaps find the forum post providing additional context for why it was added.

Fighting

A subset of action games that generally feature melee combat between the protagonist and a certain number of antagonists. At TASVideos, this tag is used for versus fighters (1-on-1 or similar) as well as for brawlers (where several enemies are let on the screen in packs, only allowing the player to progress when every one of them is defeated).
Examples:

Gameshow

TODO: describe this genre; perhaps find the forum post providing additional context for why it was added.

Platformer

Not a genre per se, "Platformer" indicates that the game environment is primarily composed of platforms (forgoing logic or realism in their placement) that force the player to traverse them using jumps or similar ways of movement.
The difference between this genre and Action is that navigating platforms is the main focus in this style of game. A game like Mega Man can be a platformer game, however shooting with the Mega Buster and defeating enemies is an important part of gameplay as well. This makes it both a Platformer and an Action game. Careful thought should be given to whether a game should have "Genre: Action", "Genre: Platformer", or both as tags.
This is the most typical genre for TASVideos by far.
Examples:

Puzzle

This genre encompasses all games where logic and puzzle-solving are the main ideas.
Examples:

Racing

A subset of sports games (don't let the two overlap) where the primary objective is to complete a course as fast as possible either against a timer or one or more opponents.
Examples:

Rhythm

TODO: describe this genre; perhaps find the forum post providing additional context for why it was added.

RPG

Role-playing games are a subset of adventure games that are notoriously hard to describe and discern. Usually they have at least two of the following characteristics:
Examples:

Shooter

A subset of action with large emphasis on shooting and dodging enemy projectiles (or killing enemies before they can shoot them). For 2D games this more often than not implies single-hit-deaths.
Examples:

Simulation

TODO: describe this genre; perhaps find the forum post providing additional context for why it was added.

Sport

A genre that encompasses all sports games, including all board/card games. Racing games are a subset. Board games are another subset.
Examples:

Storybook

A subset of adventure with a menu-driven interface. Most or all of the interaction is turn-based and is done on a fixed screen by the means of a cursor.
Examples:

Strategy

A well-established genre where the player has to manage their combat forces and/or economical resources in real-time or by taking turns. The objective is to achieve certain goals (more often than not being the elimination of the opposing parties). "God simulation" games are also covered by this tag.
Examples:

Unofficial Games

There are several types of unofficial games (combinations may happen):
GameGenreGuidelines last edited by RetroEdit on 8/23/2024 3:09 AM
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