In many ways, game genres are a relic of the past, a time when games fit neatly into shelves, and genre-defying and crossover games were not the norm. For this lesson, we will look at genres not as boxes to fit in, but rather as a way of categorizing the types of things you will need to make a game.
Exploration Games
Exploration games are designed to create a space that is so interesting that exploring it and seeing it becomes the goal. Many horror and suspense games will fit into this category because navigating them is the central mechanic.
To build a game in this category, you will need to focus on Environmental design, and letting the visual and auditory pieces of the world tell the story. You may want to have actions that happen once the players reach a certain area, which is done by creating triggers. You may also want to give your player a way to measure their progress by having items to collect throughout the world, so you will need to make a collectible resource.
Racing Games
Racing games, with vehicles are a classic, but this category includes any kind of game where the player wins by being the first one to get to a certain point. Parkour games are another example of this the genre, where getting through a course is the challenge, and can require a variety of skills and knowledge of the map.
To make a game like this, you can incorporate the skills of the Exploration Games, but will also need to be able to manage rounds and timers to allow players to start at the same time in order to determine a winner. In Core, you have a built-in player and controls, but if you want to make your game about a different type of vehicle, you will need to be able to hide the player model and create custom controls.
Puzzle Games
Puzzle games include lots of visually simple puzzles that use blocks or cards, but also dungeon games where a player needs to figure out how to access spaces by using the resources around them. For a multiplayer version of this genre, you might find something like an Escape Room, where players work together to solve the challenges.
To make a game in this genre, you will most likely want a collectible resource like the exploration games, but also equipment that allows players to find items that they can save and give to other players, as well as items that give them new abilities to solve the challenge. It will also be important to be able to move and change objects in response to interactions, and there are various events that can be used to move the gameplay through different stages.
Action Games
Action games include combat as the core mechanic.
To create a game like this, you will probably want to understand weapons, as well as managing player health, and detecting who killed who to create a scoring system.
Sims
A simulation game is an open sandbox where players usually define their own goals, and work around these goals. These games present an interesting challenge, because the idea behind it is to make changes that last over time. These are most often single player games, to allow players to develop their own vision without being interrupted by others. To do this, we need persistent storage, which requires some technical skill and external resources, as well as creating a resource system that players can earn or gather over time.
