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Action

Action

Games where you overcome physical challenges in real time: you react quickly, aim and coordinate what you see with what your hands do, often with little time to think.

Also known as: action game, action video game

This is a basic entry: it has the definition and the classification. Full entries add history, games and a demo.

History

  1. 1962
    Origin

    Spacewar! (1962), one of the first video games, was already a real-time duel of reflexes and aim, and the first action arcade games grew out of it.

    Action game (Wikipedia)
  2. 1978

    Space Invaders, with enemies that fire back and multiple lives, opens the golden age of arcades, dominated by action games.

    Action game (Wikipedia)
  3. 1980

    Pac-Man popularises action built around a character rather than shooting.

    Action game (Wikipedia)

Subgenres

  • Action-adventureYou combine real-time combat and reflexes with exploring a world, collecting and using items, and solving puzzles that open the way forward.
  • ArcadeShort, intense sessions with simple controls and rules you grasp instantly, where you try to last longer and beat the high score. They were born in coin-operated machines, and their style lives on in today's games.
  • Beat 'em upYou advance through a level fighting waves of enemies that surround you hand to hand, with punches, grabs and sometimes objects from the setting used as weapons.
  • Block breakerYou move a paddle along the edge of the screen to bounce a ball into the level's blocks and break them all, without letting the ball get past you.
  • CollectathonYou explore wide worlds hunting for huge numbers of items, and gathering them isn't optional: what you collect unlocks new levels and brings you closer to the end.
  • FightingAn action game in which you control a fighter in close combat against one or more opponents, usually over several rounds, and win by reading their intentions and punishing their mistakes with well-timed attacks.
  • Hack and slashYou fight groups of enemies up close with swords or other blades, chaining quick attacks into flashy combos and dodging at the right moment.
  • Immersive simYou move through a world made of consistent systems (physics, stealth, AI, abilities) that react to each other, and solve each situation your own way: fighting, sneaking or finding a way out nobody scripted.
  • Multiplayer online battle arenaTwo teams, often of five, each control a single hero with unique abilities; alongside automatic waves of troops they push down lanes to destroy the enemy base, levelling up and buying items along the way.
  • MusicMusic is at the heart of play: you perform, follow, create or mix songs, and what you do is measured against the score or the beat.
  • Party gameA collection of short, easy-to-learn minigames for playing in a group, usually on the same couch, in a casual contest where anyone can win.
  • PlatformerAn action game whose main challenge is moving a character through a space of platforms at different heights, mostly by jumping, while avoiding falls and obstacles.
  • StealthYou make progress without being spotted: you hide in shadows, study guards' patrols and lines of sight, and would rather slip past unseen than fight.
  • SurvivalYour goal is to stay alive as long as you can: you manage scarce resources such as food, health or ammunition while facing a hostile environment and overwhelming threats.
  • Vehicular combatYou drive an armed vehicle, such as a car or a tank, and aim to destroy rival vehicles in arenas or on tracks, combining driving and aiming.

Sources