by Juan Castro

Created on: December 30, 2006   Last Updated: April 12, 2007

Among video game cliches, the supposed death of the adventure genre takes top honors. It's the one topic that just won't go away. And one has to wonder why that is. Maybe it's because the people asking the questions, namely industry journalists, grew up playing adventure games. Or maybe it's because certain famed developers, true rockstars back in the 80s and 90s, have virtually disappeared and people wonder where they went. Sure, they're not all gone. But it's not like they're still doing their thing, either.

So, why is it? And more importantly, will people ever stop asking? The answer, not so surprisingly, is no. The adventure genre hasn't died, nor will it ever die so long as gamers care about stories. Yes, the genre finds itself in a bit of a slump. In fact, it's been sitting in that slump for years now. But that hardly translates to the passing of an entire genre - one that birthed a slew of titles as seminal for the games industry as silent shorts were for Hollywood.

Before going any further, though, it serves to clarify what people mean when they're talking about adventure games. Ask anyone in the industry what they think about the genre and they'll probably respond with something like, "Well, first, how would you define an adventure game?" It's a perfectly valid question, one that's a little harder to answer than you might think. If all it takes is story and characters, well, that would mean a majority of published games would fit the bill. Is it the puzzles, then? Not really, since even the most action-focused games have at least a few.

Tim Schafer, the mind (and beard) behind Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango thinks it's a brain thing.

"It really has to do with the mental space the player is in when he's playing. Adventure games move when I want them to move. They stand still until I figure out the puzzle. You, the player, set the pace. You can sit, ponder, reflect and then make your move."

Schafer's not alone in thinking so. Rand Miller, head of Cyan Studios and co-creator of the Myst series, also believes it's largely a pacing thing. He also thinks that adventure games, in the most classic sense, still have massive appeal.

"The fact that 10 million people played Myst games leaves me to believe that that kind of style of play - that slow paced, bask in my environment, try to figure it out, absorb the story as I go along - that style appeals to a broader audience."

Of course, many of today's publishers would disagree with him. And if the

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