You Name It: Sparknotes for Mobile Game Genres
“A game for your phone” can mean a lot of different things.
Sure, it’s all very nice, but what’s a MMORPG? What is the difference between an srcade game and a casino one? And what is a sandbox supposed to be?
Gone are the days of Nokia’s Snake, and for those who aren’t in the know, the way mobile games are labeled can sometimes be more confusing than helpful. Knowing the market´s subtleties is always useful to marketers and advertisers, since every type of game usually attracts a certain kind of audience and suggests certain habits.
Before we dive into that audience segmentation, let’s take a look at the mobile game taxonomy that Game Refinery and Deconstructor of Fun proposed this year, with categories, genres and subgenres.
CASUAL
This category spans a great variety of genres, with the common trait of being relatively simple games that are played in short sessions. The ones we use for a bit in public transportation, in a waiting room, or on the toilet. The term is slightly disparaging, but this is nevertheless an important sector of the industry, both in user base and revenue.
Puzzle
In plain English: Games of wit and strategy, like riddles, brain teasers, crosswords and such.
Subgenres:
-Action Puzzle: They have a time limit or another factor that gives them some adrenaline, like Tetris.
-Match 3 or Match & Blast: Just like in Candy Crush, you line up three or more identical elements to make them disappear.
-Hidden Objects: The player must find a series of figures in a picture.
-Trivia: What better example than Trivia Crack?
-Tabletop Games
-Word Games
-Painting Games
-Solitaire/Mahjong
Arcade
In plain English: Good old fashioned Arcade games, now pocket-sized.
Subgenres:
-Platformer: The character climbs and jumps between platforms placed on different levels, collecting items and/or defeating enemies.
-Idler: Also known as clickers or incremental games. Player interaction is minimal, but they are satisfying and require very little attention.
-Hyper Casual: Super simple games, with almost no storyline and lots of potential for addiction, like shooting a little ball towards a target, dodging obstacles or launching penguins.
-Shoot ’em Up: A ship or another vehicle shoots at hordes of enemies that keep appearing, Space Invaders style.
-Tower Defense: One must keep enemies at bay through the strategic placement of elements. Kingdom Rush is a well-known example.
Simulation
In plain English: They recreate real world experiences or situations, and are usually centered on construction and resource management.
Subgenres:
-Adventures: From flight simulators to Kim Kardashian’s game.
-Breeding: For those who miss their Tamagotchi, there are games where you raise animals or plants.
-Tycoon/Crafting: They simulate a business one must manage and expand, or a fabrication process.
-Sandbox: Open world games where the user is free to decide where to go and what to do.
-Time Management: In order to run from a restaurant to an airport, you must manage resources quickly and keep everyone satisfied.
AR/Location Based
In plain English: Pokémon Go is the most famous example of this genre where, with or without Augmented Reality, the player’s physical trajectory is part of the gameplay.
Lifestyle
In plain English: Like playing with Barbies, this very aspirational type of game allows users to build a fantasy world.
Subgenres:
-Customization: They allow the player to create a character or space and personalize it.
-Interactive Story: An online Choose Your Own Adventure. Choices: Stories You Play, for example, offers several different immersive storylines.
-Music/Band: Anyone can be a rockstar keeping up to the rhythm of a song.
MID-CORE
Halfway between casual and hardcore games, these have a slight taste of PC or console. Their themes, mechanics and visuals are close to those of more complex titles, and have committed users.
Shooter
In plain English: Games with guns, the kind the news blame for all the violence of modern society.
Subgenres:
-Battle Royale: An all-out, dog-eat-dog fight to the death. This is the format that made Fortnite a sensation.
-FPS/TPS: In First Person Shooters, the player shares the protagonist’s view, and their weapon can usually be seen on the bottom of the screen. In Third Person Shooters, on the other hand, one can see the character from behind.
-Snipers: You’re a sniper, who snipes, snipilly.
-Tactical Shooter: The challenge has more to do with a strategic management of time and resources, and not just the precision of the shot.
RPG
In plain English: Role-Playing Games, heir to an analogic tradition born in the ’70s. The user customizes their character and sets out on a mission in an imaginary world.
Subgenres:
-Action RPG: They have real-time combat, which takes skill and quick reflexes.
-Turn-based RPG: Combat is turn-based, and time only moves forward as players make moves.
-Fighting: Shots, fists and kicks within an RPG frame.
-MMORPG: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, where thousands of players interact in a virtual world. For example, Minecraft.
-Puzzle RPG: An adventure driven by other small games, where one can get resources.
-Survival: Fight to survive against hostile environments, fierce monsters and other adversaries.
Card Games
In plain English: Think less Go Fish and more Magic: The Gathering.
Strategy
In plain English: Tactic and planning are crucial in these challenges of war, economics and logistics.
Subgenres:
-4X Strategy: Empire building games where you eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate. The setting is usually historic or sci-fi. Also known as RTS (Real Time Strategy).
-Build & Battle: The name says it all. Build stuff and fight.
-MOBA: A Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, where players form teams and seek to destroy the enemy base.
-Synchronous Battler: War games that are played in real time, unlike asynchronous ones, that are turn-based.
CASINO
Ideal for those who wish to gamble away their rent money from the comfort of their own home.
Casino
In plain English: Games of chance or skill where you bet real money.
Subgenres:
-Bingo
-Poker/Cards
-Slots
SPORTS AND RACING
If your passion for sports exceeds your athleticism, these are the games for you.
Sports
In plain English: Game mechanics we’ve seen in other categories are recontextualized and aimed to a different audience. Shooting in a hunting game is not the same as doing it in a war game.
Subgenres: Some are licensed (an NBA game, por ejemplo) and others are not (a basketball game).
Racing
In plain English: Cars, motorcycles, kartings or your vehicle of choice.
Subgenres: Some are licensed (a Formula 1 game) and others are not (a car race game).
