Game Genre Study: Action-adventure

As part of our assessment, myself and my classmates were required to select a game genre and write a research essay on its history, mechanics and defining elements. For this assessment I chose to research the action-adventure genre.

In my research I found that action-adventure is a rather broad, often referred to as a ‘hybrid’ genre. Some of the many sub genres that fall under action-adventure include survival horror, sandbox and stealth. Each of these sub genres utilise action-adventures core mechanics and characteristics in different ways. These characteristics including being narrative driven and often in concurrence with a large quest containing various challenges and obstacles the player will face along the way. It's through this journey and the game environment a story is told, with exploration and interaction being a core mechanic. Other mechanics such as combat, item gathering/crafting, environmental puzzles and problem solving are included in the overall game experience and aid the player in reaching the main objective.

One example of how sub-genres use such mechanics is in the case of survival horror. Survival horror games utilise these mechanics to create an experience that simulates a sense of urgency and thrill. This can be done through the limitation of necessary resources, making the player strategize and ration items in their possession, or reducing or randomising the amount of combat encounters, building suspense, suspicion and caution in the player.

Action-adventure games are ideal for players who love the experience of an interactive story. With video games becoming more and more recognisable as another medium for storytelling as well as entertainment, players can experience and discover worlds alongside compelling characters and have agency in their journey.

References:

FANDOM, 2020. Action-Adventure Game. [online] Video Game History Wiki. Available at: <https://videogamehistory.fandom.com/wiki/Action-adventure_game> [Accessed 16 July 2020].

TechRaptor, 2020. What Makes A Survival Horror Game?. [online] TechRaptor. Available at: <https://techraptor.net/gaming/opinion/what-makes-survival-horror-game> [Accessed 25 July 2020].

Vince, 2018. Ultimate List Of Different Types Of Video Games | 49 Genres & Subcategories. [online] iD Tech. Available at: <https://www.idtech.com/blog/different-types-of-video-game-genres> [Accessed 18 July 2020].