The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to video games: Video game – an

electronic game An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...

that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word ''video'' in ''video game'' traditionally referred to a

raster Raster may refer to: * Raster graphics, graphical techniques using arrays of pixel values * Raster graphics editor, a computer program * Raster scan, the pattern of image readout, transmission, storage, and reconstruction in television and compu ...

display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of

display device A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form (the latter used for example in tactile electronic displays for blind people). When the input information that is supplied has an electrical signal the ...

Video game genres

Video game genres ( list) – categories of video games based on their gameplay interaction and set of gameplay challenges, rather than visual or narrative differences.

Action game

Action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

– a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. * Beat 'em up – a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. *

Fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...

– a genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. * Platform game – requires the player to control a character to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles (jumping puzzles). * Shooter game – wide subgenre that focuses on using some sort of weapon often testing the player's speed and reaction time. ** First-person shooter – a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. ** Light gun shooter – a genre in which the primary design element is aiming and shooting with a gun-shaped controller. ** Shoot 'em up – a genre where the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. ** Third-person shooter – a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. ** Hero shooter – multiplayer first- or third-person shooters that strongly encourage cooperative play between players on a single team through the use of pre-designed "hero" characters that each possess unique attributes, skills, weapons, and other activated abilities. ** Tactical shooter – includes both first-person shooters and third-person shooters and simulates realistic combat, thus making tactics and caution more important than quick reflexes in other action games. * Survival game – a genre that is set in a hostile, intense, open-world environment, where players generally begin with minimal equipment and are required to collect resources, craft tools, weapons, and shelter, and survive as long as possible. ** Battle royale game – a subgenre that blends the survival, exploration, and scavenging elements of a survival game with last-man-standing gameplay.

Action-adventure game

Action-adventure game The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a story ...

– a video game genre that combines elements of both the adventure game and the action game genres. * Open world – a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives. ** ''Grand Theft Auto'' clone – a type of open world design where the player is given a simulated environment and, optionally, exterminate the local inhabitants. See also Grand Theft Auto. ** Metroidvania – a type of level design where a player is in a more restrictive environment and tasked with an end goal objective, usually with an emphasis on gathering powering ups from exploring the environment. * Stealth game – a type of game where the objective is to remain undetected from hostile opponents. * Survival horror – a type of game where fear is a primary factor in play, usually by restricting useful or power-up items in a dark, claustrophobic environment.

Adventure game

Adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...

– a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. * Graphic adventure game – any adventure game that relies on graphical imagery, rather than being primarily text-based. ** Escape the room – a subgenre of adventure game which requires a player to escape from imprisonment by exploiting their surroundings. *

Interactive fiction '' Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, is software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives, either in the ...

– games in which players input text commands to control characters and influence the environment. In some interactive fiction, text descriptions are the primary or only way the simulated environment is communicated to the player. * Interactive movie – a type of video game that features highly cinematic presentation and heavy use of scripting, often through the use of

full motion video Full-motion video (FMV) is a video game narration technique that relies upon pre-recorded video files (rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models) to display action in the game. While many games feature FMVs as a way to present information duri ...

of either animated or live-action footage. * Visual novel – a type of adventure game featuring text accompanied by mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage

Role-playing video game

Role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

(RPG): a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests. *

Action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...

– a loosely defined subgenre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat. **

Hack and slash Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as ...

– a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. ** Role-playing shooter – a subgenre, featuring elements of both shooter games and action RPGs. *

Dungeon crawl A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinth environment (a "dungeon"), battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find. Video games an ...

– a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find. ** Roguelike – a subgenre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. *

MUD A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...

– a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. * Massively multiplayer online role-playing game – a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a

persistent Persistent may refer to: * Persistent data * Persistent data structure * Persistent identifier * Persistent memory * Persistent organic pollutant * Persistent Systems, a technology company * USS ''Persistent'', three United States Navy ships See ...

virtual world. * Tactical role-playing game – a subgenre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of strategy video games

Simulation video game

Simulation video game – a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional reality. * Construction and management simulation – a type of simulation game in which players build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources. **

Business simulation game Business simulation games, also known as economic simulation games

– games that focus on the management of economic processes, usually in the form of a business. ** City-building game – games in which players act as the overall planner and leader of a city, looking down on it from above, and being responsible for its growth and management. ** Government simulation game – a game genre that attempts to simulate the government and politics of all or part of a nation. * Life simulation game – simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual lifeforms. ** Digital pet – a type of artificial human companion, usually kept for companionship or enjoyment. Digital pets are distinct in that they have no concrete physical form other than the computer they run on. ** God game – a type of life simulation game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine/supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character, and places them in charge of a game setting containing autonomous characters to guard and influence. **

Social simulation game Social simulation games are a subgenre of life simulation game that explore social interactions between multiple artificial lives. Some examples include ''The Sims'' and ''Animal Crossing'' series. History Influences and origins When ''The Sims ...

– a subgenre of life simulation games that explores social interactions between multiple artificial lives. ***

Dating sim Dating sims, or , are video game subgenre of simulation games with romantic elements. Dating sims are often dialog-heavy and focus on time management. The player must befriend and carefully build and maintain a relationship with one or more ...

– a subgenre of social simulation games that focuses on romantic relationships. * Sports game – games that simulate the practice of traditional sports.

Strategy video game

Strategy video game – a genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration. *

4X game 4X (abbreviation of ''Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate'') is a subgenre of strategy-based computer and board games, and include both turn-based and real-time strategy titles. The gameplay involves building an empire. Emphasis is placed ...

– a genre in which players control an empire and "explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate". *

Artillery game Artillery games are two or three-player (usually turn-based) video games involving tanks (or simply cannons) trying to destroy each other. The core mechanics of the gameplay is almost always to aim at the opponent(s) following a ballistic trajec ...

– the generic name for either early two- or three-player (usually turn-based) computer games involving tanks fighting each other in combat or similar derivative games. * Real-time strategy (RTS) – a subgenre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. ** Tower defense – a genre where the goal of the game is to try to stop enemies from crossing a map by building towers which shoot at them as they pass. * Real-time tactics – a subgenre of tactical wargames played in real-time simulating the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics, differentiated from real-time strategy gameplay by the lack of resource micromanagement and base or unit building, as well as the greater importance of individual units and a focus on complex battlefield tactics. * Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) – a hybrid of real-time strategy, role-playing and action video games where the objective is for the player's team to destroy the opposing side's main structure with the help of periodically spawned computer-controlled units that march towards the enemy's main structure. * Tactical role-playing game – a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. * Turn-based strategy – a strategy game (usually some type of wargame, especially a strategic-level wargame) where players take turns when playing. * Turn-based tactics – a genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic considerations of turn-based strategy (TBS) games. * Wargame – a subgenre that emphasize strategic or tactical warfare on a map, as well as historical (or near-historical) accuracy.

Vehicle simulation game

Vehicle simulation game – games in which the objective is to operate a manual or motor powered transport. * Flight simulator – a game where flying vehicles is the primary mode of operation. **

Amateur flight simulation Amateur flight simulation refers to the simulation of various aspects of flight or the flight environment for purposes other than flight training or aircraft development. A significant community of simulation enthusiasts is supported by sever ...

– an aircraft trainer with realistic controls. ** Combat flight simulator – a type of game where players simulate the handling of military aircraft and their operations. * Racing game – a type of game where the player is in a racing competition. ** Driving simulator – a type of game where the player is tasked with using a vehicle as if it were real. ** Sim racing – a type of game where the player is tasked with using a realistic vehicle inside a racing competition. * Space flight simulator game – a type of game meant to emulate the experience of space flight. *

Submarine simulator A submarine simulator is usually a computer game in which the player commands a submarine. The usual form of the game is to go on a series of missions, each of which features a number of encounters where the goal is to sink surface ships and to ...

– a type of game where the player commands a submarine. * Train simulator – a simulation of rail transport operations. * Vehicular combat game – a type of game where vehicles with weapons are placed inside of an arena to battle.

Other genres

* Adult game – a game which has significant sexual content (like an adult movie), and are therefore intended for an adult audience. ** Eroge – a Japanese video game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. * Advergame – the practice of using video games to advertise a product, organization or viewpoint. * Art game – a video game that is designed in such a way as to emphasize art or whose structure is intended to produce some kind of reaction in its audience. * Audio game – an interactive electronic game wherein the only feedback device is audible rather than visual. *

Christian video game A Christian video game is an aspect of Christian media for video games, this video game genre focuses on the narrative and themes of Christian morals and Christianity. The term can also refer to Christian symbolism, mythology, media franchises ...

– any video game centered around Christianity or Christian themes. * Educational game – video games that have been specifically designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play. * Exergaming – video games that are also a form of exercise and rely on technology that tracks body movement or reaction. *

Maze video games Maze game is a video game genre description first used by journalists during the 1980s to describe any game in which the entire playing field is a maze. Quick player action video game, action is required to escape monsters, outrace an opponent, o ...

– video game genre description first used by journalists during the 1980s to describe any game in which the entire playing field was a maze. * Music video game – a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs. ** Rhythm game – games that challenge the player's sense of rhythm and focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen. * Party video games: games commonly designed as a collection of simple minigames, designed to be intuitive and easy to control and to be played in multiplayer. * Puzzle video game – video games that emphasize puzzle solving, including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion. * Serious game – a video game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment, generally referring to products used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, religion, and politics.

Video game hardware platforms

Arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

– a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

s, and

amusement arcade An amusement arcade (often referred to as a video arcade, amusements or simply arcade) is a venue where people play arcade games, including arcade video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers (such as cl ...

s. Arcade games include video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers (such as claw cranes). ** Video game arcade cabinet – the housing within which a video arcade game's hardware resides. ** List of arcade games **

List of pinball machines This is a partial list of pinball games organized alphabetically by name. List There are currently games on this list. See also * List of pinball manufacturers * Glossary of pinball terms * List of arcade video games Notes References ...

* Video game console – a consumer entertainment device consisting of a customized computer system designed to run video games. ** Console game – a video game played on a video game console. ***

List of video game consoles The list of video game consoles is split into the following articles: * List of dedicated video game consoles * List of handheld game consoles * List of home video game consoles ** List of first generation home video game consoles * List of mi ...

*** List of best-selling game consoles ** Dedicated console – a video game console that is dedicated to a built in game or games, and is not equipped for additional games, via cartridges or other media. **

Console wars In the video game industry, a console war describes the competition between two or more video game console manufacturers in trying to achieve better consumer sales through more advanced console technology, an improved selection of video games, and ...

– a term used to refer to periods of intense competition for market share between video game console manufacturers. ** Handheld game console – a lightweight, portable consumer electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. ** Handheld video game – a video game played on a handheld game console. *

Mobile game A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...

– a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone,

PDA PDA may refer to: Science and technology * Patron-driven acquisition, a mechanism for libraries to purchase books *Personal digital assistant, a mobile device * Photodiode array, a type of detector * Polydiacetylenes, a family of conducting poly ...

, tablet computer or

portable media player A portable media player (PMP) (also including the related digital audio player (DAP)) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored o ...

. *

Online game An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through the Internet or any other computer network available. Online games are ubiquitous on modern gaming platforms, including PC game, PCs, Console game, consoles and ...

– a game played over some form of computer network. ** Browser game – a video game that is played over the Internet using a web browser. ** Massively multiplayer online game (MMO): a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. *

PC game A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...

– a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine.

Gameplay

Gameplay *

Gamer A gamer is a proactive hobbyist who plays interactive games, especially video games, tabletop role-playing games, and skill-based card games, and who plays for usually long periods of time. Some gamers are competitive, meaning they routinely ...

Single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...

** Multiplayer game ***

Cooperative gameplay Cooperative game may refer to: * Cooperative board game, board games in which players work together to achieve a common goal * Cooperative game theory, in game theory, a game with competition between groups of players and the possibility of cooperat ...

***

Cheating in online games Cheating in online games is the subversion of the rules or mechanics of online video games to gain an unfair advantage over other players, generally with the use of third-party software. What constitutes cheating is dependent on the game in ...

* Cheating * Difficulty level * Gaming computer * Speedrun *

Ludonarrative Ludonarrative dissonance is the conflict between a video game's narrative told through the story and the narrative told through the gameplay. Ludonarrative, a compound of ludology and narrative, refers to the intersection in a video game of ludic ...

Strategy guide Strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to specific video games. The line between strategy guides and walkthroughs is somewhat blurred, with the former often containing or being written around the latter. Str ...

Specific video games

Lists of video games * List of best-selling video games * List of best-selling video game franchises * List of video games considered the best * List of video games notable for negative reception * Controversial video game * List of cult video games * List of arcade games *

List of video games based on comics The following is a list of video games based on comics. The list does not include games based on Japanese manga, which are separately listed at List of video games based on anime or manga. 0-9 *''100 Bullets'' (cancelled; PlayStation 2, Xbox) ...

** List of video games based on DC Comics ** List of video games based on Marvel Comics *

List of video games based on anime or manga Also known as anime-based games, this is a list of computer and video games that are based on manga or anime properties. The list does not include games based on western cartoons, which are separately listed at List of video games based on cartoo ...

* List of video games based on cartoons ** List of Disney video games ** List of Hanna-Barbera video games ** List of Looney Tunes video games

Video game industry

Video game industry * List of video game companies * List of commercial failures in video games * List of video game developers * List of video game publishers * List of indie game developers * List of video game industry people * List of video game franchises * Game studies * Video game packaging *

Nintendo Seal of Quality is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

Video game award Within the video game industry there are several awards that are given to individual video games, development studios, and other individuals to recognize their merit. Most video game awards are given out on an annual basis, celebrating the best gam ...

* Video game journalism

Video games by country

Africa

* Video games in Kenya * Video games in Nigeria * Video games in South Africa

Asia

* Video games in Bangladesh *

Video games in China The video game industry in mainland China currently is one of the major markets for the global industry, where more than half a billion people play video games. Revenues from China make up around 25% of nearly video game industry as of 2018, and ...

Video games in India Video gaming in India is an emerging market since India is experiencing strong growth in online gaming, making it one of the top gaming markets in the world. Over the past few decades, the Indian gaming industry has gone from close to nonexistent ...

* Video games in Japan * Video games in Malaysia * Video games in Russia * Video games in South Korea * Video games in Thailand

Europe

* Video games in Belgium *

Video games in France Video gaming in France is one of the largest markets in Europe. The French government give special tax breaks to video game companies. In 2014, the French diplomatic service released a report which calculates the profit generated by the French vide ...

Video games in Germany Germany has the second-largest video games market in Europe, with 44.3 million gamers in 2018, after Russia. Consumers in Germany spent €4.4 billion on video games over the course of 2018, a 9 percent year-on-year increase from 2017. The video ...

* Video games in Lithuania *

Video games in the Czech Republic The video game industry in the Czech Republic has produced numerous globally successful video games such as Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and the subsequent ArmA series, the Mafia series, Truck Simulator series, Kingdom Come: Deliveran ...

* Video games in the Netherlands * Video games in the Republic of Ireland * Video games in the United Kingdom * Video games in Ukraine

North America

Video games in Canada Canada's video game industry consists of approximately 32,300 employees across 937 companies. In 2021, the industry generated an estimated US$ 3.4 billion in revenue, having grown by 20% since 2019. Video game development is beginning to rival th ...

* Video games in the United States

Oceania

* Video games in Australia *

Video games in New Zealand In New Zealand, 67% of the population play video games, 46% of video game players are female and the average age of a video game player is 34. New Zealanders spend an average of 88 minutes a day playing video games. As of 31 March 2020, the New Z ...

South America

* Video games in Brazil * Video games in Colombia

Video game development

Video game development – the software development process by which a video game is developed and video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games.

Video game developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...

– a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games.

Independent video game development An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...

– the process of creating indie video games without the financial support of a video game publisher, usually designed by an individual or a small team. * Game art design – a process of creating 2D and 3D game art for a video game, such as concept art, item sprites, character models, etc. ** Video game artists: an artist who creates art for one or more types of games and are responsible for all of the aspects of game development that call for visual art. ** Video game graphics – variety of individual computer graphic techniques that have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions. ** Video game art – the use of patched or modified video games or the repurposing of existing games or game structures. **

Concept art Concept art is a form of visual art used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books, or other media before it is put into the final product. Concept art usually refers to world-building artwork used to inspire the ...

– a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood before it is put into the final product. ** Procedural texture – a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. **

2D computer graphics 2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models, text, and digital images) and by techniques specific to them. It may refer to the branch of computer ...

– computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models, text, and digital images) and by techniques specific to them. **

3D computer graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...

– graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. *

Game modification Video game modding (short for "modification") is the process of alteration by players or fans of one or more aspects of a video game, such as how it looks or behaves, and is a sub-discipline of general modding. Mods may range from small changes an ...

– are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and require the user to have the original release in order to run. * Game music – musical pieces or soundtracks and background musics found in video games ranging from a primitive synthesizer tune to an orchestral pieces and complex soundtracks. * Game producer – the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game. * Game programming – the programming of computer, console or arcade games. ** Game programmer – a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebase for video games or related software, such as game development tools. **

Game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...

– a system designed for the creation and development of video games. ** Game Artificial intelligence – techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters (NPCs). * Game publisher – a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer. * Game studies – the discipline of studying games, their design, players, and their role in society and culture more broadly. * Game testing – a software testing process for quality control of video games, primary function being the discovery and documentation of software defects (aka bugs). * Game journalism – a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games. * Level design – a discipline of game development involving creation of video game levels—locales, stages, or missions. ** Level editor (tool) – a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc. and virtual worlds for a video game. * Video game design – the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. * Other concepts **

Interaction design Interaction design, often abbreviated as IxD, is "the practice of designing interactive digital products, environments, systems, and services." Beyond the digital aspect, interaction design is also useful when creating physical (non-digital) produ ...

** Expansion pack ** Video game remake ** Fan translation ** Fangame ** Abandonware ** XGameStation

History of video games

By period

By decade

1980s in video games The 1980s was the second decade in the industry's history. It was a decade of highs and lows for video games. The decade began amidst a boom in the arcade business with giants like Atari still dominating the market since the late-1970s. Another ...

1990s in video games The 1990s was the third decade in the industry's history. It was a decade of marked innovation in video gaming. It was a decade of transition from sprite-based graphics to full-fledged 3D graphics and it gave rise to several genres of video ga ...

2000s in video games The 2000s was the fourth decade of the video game industry. It was a decade that was primarily dominated by Sony, Nintendo, newcomer Microsoft, and their respective systems. Sega, being Nintendo's main rival in the 1980s and 1990s, left the cons ...

2010s in video games The 2010s was the fifth decade in the industry's history. The decade was notable for producing the first truly "3D" games and consoles, introducing cloud gaming and virtual reality to consumers, and the rising influence of tablet-based and mobi ...

By year

Prior to 1972

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

By platform

* History of arcade games ** Golden age of video arcade games **

Timeline of video arcade game history Though not a complete history, herein is a list of what many would consider most of the "game" changers that made Arcade game, arcade experiences so powerful and nostalgic. (The list cuts off around the early 2000s, missing another 10+ years of ga ...

* Chronology of console role-playing games *

History of video game consoles The history of video game consoles, both home and handheld, had their origins in the 1970s. The concept of home consoles used to play games on a television set was founded by the 1972 Magnavox Odyssey, first conceived by Ralph H. Baer in 1966. Ha ...

** Video game crash of 1983 * History of personal computer games

By genre

* History of action games * History of action-adventure games * History of adventure games * History of role-playing video games * History of sports games * History of strategy video games

Culture of video games

* Video game culture * Video game art * Video game collecting * Game studies * Gamers Outreach Foundation *

List of books about video games The following is a list of books about video games, which range from development, theory, history, to game art design books. Business ; ''Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made'': () by Jason S ...

* List of books based on video games * List of films based on video games *

List of television programs based on video games This page is a list of television programs based on video games, technically both computer and console games based on. ''The Witcher'' and its spinoff '' The Witcher: Blood Origin'' were not included as a basis of video game adaptation due to bein ...

* List of anime based on video games *

List of video game webcomics Many webcomics have been influenced by video games and video game culture. Background Webcomics frequently poke fun at video game logic, the video game industry, and stereotypical behavior of gamers. The earliest video game webcomic was ''Pol ...

List of video game websites This is a list of video gaming-related websites. A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device such as a TV screen or computer monitor. The word ''video'' i ...

Gender representation in video games The portrayal of men and women in video games, as in other media, is a subject of research in gender studies and is discussed in the context of sexism in video gaming. Although women make up about half of video game players, they are significant ...

* Video game magazines

Psychology

* Video game addiction *

Video game behavioral effects Video game controversies refers to a wide range of debates on the social effects of video games on players and broader society, as well as debates within the video game industry. Since the early 2000s, advocates of video games have emphasized ...

* Gamers Outreach Foundation

People influential in video games

* List of video game industry people *

List of women in the video game industry This is a list of notable women in the video game industry. Notable women in the video game industry * Mabel Addis wrote the mainframe game ''The Sumerian Game'' (1964), becoming the first female video game designer. * Anna Anthropy, A ...

List of electronic sports players This is a list of esports players. This is not a complete list of all active, professional esports players, but rather a consolidation of the most influential or significant. The list does not include online poker or online chess players, since ...

References

External links

The Virtual Museum of Computing (VMoC)

Interactive video game history timeline

Video Game Museum in Paris
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