by Matt Bird

Created on: May 18, 2009

Just like movies, book and television shows, video games are broken down into genres. Given the number of games out there these days such diversification was inevitable, and splitting them up into like-minded groups is an easy way of figuring out what kinds of games you like best.

Here's a listing of some of the more common genres out there, and what can typically found in each one.

Action: Chalk-filled with sweet sweet beat-em-up fun, action games usually require quick reflexes and a good eye for taking out hordes of enemies. There's not much more TO these games than beating other people and monsters up, really. They include platformers, hack and slash and the aforementioned beat-em-up titles, and require better reaction times than critical thinking.

Shooters: Typically taken from a first-person vantage point, shooters are exactly what they sound like: you shoot people. Your character is outfitted with an ever-growing arsenal of guns and you use them to plow through legions of enemies that usually shoot right back. Shooters are more often than not three-dimensional, though there are a fair share of two-dimensional platforming shooters as well. All focus on accurate aiming and good reflexes, with variable amounts of other problem solving thrown in for variety.

Adventure: Escaping pitfalls, moving around traps, finding keys to enter ancient temples; all these things characterize adventure games. Though there are enemies to beat out there's more of an emphasis on travelling across huge expanses to achieve one or more obectives, and adventures require as much thinking as reflexes.

Action-adventures: A combination of the two. One minute you'll be battling hordes of enemies, the next you'll be looking for a lever to gain access to the next level.

Simulation: These games can be as small as managing a family or as large as managing your own world. The emphasis is on good planning and a close eye for details.

Vehicle Simulation: A little different from the standard, these sims put you in the seat of some heavy vehicle - whether it's fictional like Star Fox, or realistic like Flight Simulator - and let you work out navigating that vehicle. Some of these sims have set levels for you to weave through while others are much more free-form and exploratory, allowing you to hone your skills with minimum push to do much else.

Role-playing: Typically known as RPGs, these games drop you in a fictional story, generally with a pre-created character, and let you play through

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