Action games are a type of video game that focuses on physical challenges such as hand–eye coordination and reaction time. Fighting games, beat ’em ups, shooter games, and platform games are among the most common action games, while multiplayer online battle arena and some real-time strategy games are also considered action games. In an action game, the player usually takes control of a character, such as a protagonist or avatar. This player character must traverse a level by collecting items, avoiding obstacles, and fighting enemies using their natural abilities as well as guns and other resources. The player must also kill a boss enemy at the end of a level or group of levels, which is more difficult and often a major antagonist in the game’s plot. Enemy attacks and obstacles deplete the player character’s health and lives, and when they run out of lives, the game ends. Alternatively, the player can reach the game’s conclusion by completing a series of levels and watching the credits. However, some action games, such as early arcade games, are unbeatable and have an infinite number of stages, with the player’s sole objective being to get as far as possible in order to maximise their score.
The “action” genre of video games is known for testing the player’s reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and reaction speed. When you think of action games, you might think of arcade classics like Pitfall and other games that required a lot of virtual running and jumping. That’s because some of the most well-known action games of all time could be found in even the earliest arcade cabinets. Even if the genre’s core mechanics — running, jumping, and attacking — remain intact, today’s action games are usually more complex than those early offerings (but not always!).
A lot of action games have the same design mechanics. The player normally progresses from level to level as the game’s difficulty level steadily increases. The landscape becomes more difficult to manoeuvre, and the enemies become more difficult to beat. Most action games have a “boss battle” at the end of each level (or set of levels), which includes going toe-to-toe with an especially large bad guy that takes a little extra finesse and/or power to defeat. In some action games, a smaller boss appears in the middle of a level. The word “Minibosses” is still used in modern gaming jargon to describe these medium-level threats.
While action games usually provide the player with various attack options, there is almost always a common theme at work. For example, a shooting-based action game might give the player a variety of upgradeable weapons, while a fantasy-themed action game might give the player swords and magical abilities. The player must keep track of the main character’s health and lives as he or she progresses through the game. The main character can normally take several hits, but if they take too much damage, they die and lose a “life.” It’s Game Over if all of the characters’ lives are taken away. On their journey, the player will normally collect more lives and health. Some developers believe that the health-and-lives reward and punishment scheme is an ancient holdover from an era when people dropped quarters into arcade machines to keep playing. Players can “rewind” the gameplay in the independently created action game Braid, for example, and correct the errors that contributed to the main character’s death.
Due to the success and durability of the action game genre, developers have experimented with the formula extensively. As a result, action games have been divided into many sub-genres. The following are some of the sub-genres:
Shooter Games are action games in which the player must shoot and eliminate enemies. The player is usually in a vehicle that scrolls from left to right (or from the bottom of the screen to the top of the screen), and he or she must shoot down a seemingly endless barrage of enemy planes and robots.
Beat ’em Ups: Action games in which the player moves from left to right and engages in close-range melee combat with opponents. Martial arts are used prominently in many Beat ’em Ups. Double Dragon and Final Battle are two excellent examples of this sub-genre.
Platforming Games are arguably the most well-known sub-genre of action games. Obstacle courses loaded with floating platforms, enemies, and boss characters test the player’s reflexes in platform games. Great action games for the Nintendo DS and 3DS include Super Mario 3D Land, Mutant Mudds, and Kirby’s Adventure. VVVVVV is an action game centred on gravity shifting, and therefore a clear example of an action game that does something different with the tried-and-true formula.
