Strategy

History

1. 1964
   Origin

   The Sumerian Game, developed in 1964–1966 by Mabel Addis and William McKay for an IBM mainframe, is one of the first strategy games, about managing land and resources, in text mode.

   The Sumerian Game (Wikipedia)
2. 1972

   Invasion, a Risk-like game for the Magnavox Odyssey, is the first console strategy game.

   Strategy video game (Wikipedia)
3. 1992

   Dune II popularises real-time strategy, which eventually outsells turn-based strategy.

   Strategy video game (Wikipedia)

Subgenres

• 4XA strategy game where you start from a small settlement and turn it into an empire that explores the map, expands, exploits its resources and eliminates or outpaces its rivals. You balance economy, technology, diplomacy and war over very long sessions.
• Artillery gameA usually turn-based game where you and your rivals fire at each other from fixed positions, choosing the angle and power of each shot. The challenge is working out the trajectory, allowing for distance, terrain and sometimes wind.
• Auto battlerA strategy game where each round you buy units and place them on a board, and then the fight against another team plays out on its own, without your input. The challenge lies in the preparation, in choosing which units to combine and where to put them.
• Grand strategyA strategy game where you run a nation or empire, often a historical one, on a map that may span the whole world. You manage its economy, diplomacy, internal politics and armies over years or centuries.
• Real-time strategyA strategy game where you gather resources, build a base, produce units and direct attacks while your rivals do the same, with no turns or pauses. The challenge is deciding quickly and handling economy and combat at the same time.
• TacticsA strategy game focused on small-scale engagements, where you command a limited number of units you cannot replace. The challenge is positioning them well, using terrain and coordinating them, in turns or in real time, with no economy to manage.
• Tower defenseA strategy game in which you protect a point against waves of enemies advancing along a route; you barely control them or your defenses, and instead decide which towers to buy and where to put them on a limited budget.
• Turn-based strategyA strategy game where you and your rivals act in turns, so you can think each move through calmly before committing to it. The challenge is planning several turns ahead and anticipating what the other side will do.
• WargameA strategy game that realistically recreates military battles or campaigns, often historical ones. You move units across a map, often divided into hexes, and the challenge is using terrain, supply and troop morale the way a commander would.