Action-adventure game

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An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres. The first known game in this genre is the Atari 2600 game Adventure (1979).[1]

With the decline of the adventure game genre from mainstream popularity, the use of the term (and the hybrid term "action-adventure") has been more liberal. It is not uncommon for gamers to apply the term "adventure" or "action adventure" to describe the genre of fiction to which a game belongs, and not the gameplay itself, sometimes to the dismay of adventure game purists.

There is a distinction between thematic genres and gameplay genres, as in this case they have very different meanings and etymology. "Adventure" is a reference to Colossal Cave Adventure and has no thematic or narrative meaning nor any connection to adventure movies. Similarly, while action games usually do have violent themes similar to action movies, this is not a requirement.

Action-adventure is a hybrid genre, and thus the definition is very inclusive, leading it to be perhaps the broadest genre of computer and video games. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve, with very little or no action. If there is action, it is generally confined to isolated minigames. Pure action games have gameplay based on real-time interactions that challenge the reflexes. Therefore, action-adventure games engage both reflexes and problem-solving, in both violent and non-violent situations.

Studies have found that males tend to enjoy action-adventure games more than females.[2][3]

Contents

Definition

An action-adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action game and an adventure game,[4] especially crucial elements like puzzles.[5] Action-adventures require many of the same physical skills as action games, but also offer a storyline, numerous characters, an inventory system, dialog, and other features of adventure games.[6] They are faster-paced than pure adventure games, because they include both physical and conceptual challenges.[6] Action-adventure games normally include a combination of a series complex story elements made into an audio-visual display for players that is heavily reliant upon the player character's movement which affects the flow of the game.[7] Some examples of action-adventure games include the The Legend of Zelda,God of War,[6] and Tomb Raider series.[8]

Exactly when a game stops being an adventure game and becomes an action game is a matter of interpretation.[9] There are quite a few disagreements in the community and in the media over what actually constitutes an action-adventure game. One definition of the term "action adventure" may be '"An action/adventure game is a game that has enough action in it not to be called an adventure game, but not enough action to be called an action game."[10] In some cases an action game with puzzles will be classified as an action-adventure game, but if these puzzles are quite simple they might be classified as an action game.[6] Others see action games as a pure genre, while an action-adventure is an action game that includes situational problem-solving.[10] Adventure gamers may also be purists, rejecting any game that makes use of physical challenges or time pressure.[6] Regardless, the action-adventure label is prominent in articles over the internet and media. The term "action-adventure" is usually substituted for a particular sub-genre due to its wide scope.

Sub-genres

Although action-adventure games are diverse and difficult to classify, there are some distinct sub-genres. Popular sub-genres include:

Gameplay

See also: Common objectives and gameplay of action games and defining elements of action games

Action-adventure games are faster paced than pure adventure games, and include physical as well as conceptual challenges[9] where the story is enacted rather than narrated.[11] While motion-based, often reflexive, actions are required,[7] the gameplay still follows a number of adventure game genre tropes (gathering items, exploration of and interaction with one's environment, often including an overworld connecting areas of importance, and puzzle-solving).[5] While the controls are arcade-style (character movement, few action commands) there is an ultimate goal beyond a high score.[5] In most action-adventure games, the player controls a single avatar as the protagonist.[6] This type of game is often quite similar to computer role-playing games.

They are distinct from graphic adventures, which sometimes have free-moving central characters, but also wider variety of commands and fewer or no arcade game elements and are distinct too from text adventures, characterized by many different commands introduced by the user via a complex text parser and no free-moving character. While they share general gameplay dynamics, action-adventures vary widely in the design of their viewpoints, including bird's eye, side scrolling, first-person, third-person, over-the-shoulder, or even a 3/4 isometric view.

Many action-adventure games simulate a conversation through a conversation tree. When the player encounters a non-player character, they are allowed to select a choice of what to say. The NPC gives a scripted response to the player, and the game offers the player several new ways to respond.

Due to the action-adventure sub-genre's broad inclusive nature it causes some players to having difficulty finishing a particular game. To compensate for this lack of the player's ability, companies have devised ways to give the player help, such as helpful clues, or allowing them to skip puzzles outright.[12]

History

The history of the action-adventure genre began with the text-based Colossal Cave Adventure (1976), which was the first adventure game ever created. First written for the PDP-10, it was later ported to countless other platforms, including the Atari 2600 video game console, on which it was renamed to Adventure (1979) and contained graphical elements. In 1978, a programmer for Atari, Warren Robinett, was given the task of transferring Colossal Cave Adventure to the Atari 2600. With the new iteration, Atari planned to allow the player to fight in combat, thus leading to the first action-adventure game.[10]

Later Silas Warner arrived at Muse Software he developed Castle Wolfenstein, an action-adventure that would later inspire iD Software to create Wolfenstein 3D.[13]

The action-adventure game genre has gone on to become more popular than the pure adventure games and pure action games that influenced them.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Wolf, Mark J. P.; Perron, Bernard, eds (2003). "Foreward". Video Game Theory Reader. Routledge. p. x. ISBN 0-415-96878-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=PurLg5KfPioC&printsec=frontcover#PPR10,M1. 
  2. ↑ Heeter, Carrie; Kaitlan Chunhui Chu, Rhonda Egidio, Punya Mishra, Leigh Graves-Wolf (November 2004) (PDF). Do Girls Prefer Games Designed by Girls?. Michigan State University. pp. 3–4. http://spacepioneers.msu.edu/girls_as_designers_spring_survey.pdf. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
  3. ↑ Wartella, Ellen (September 2002). "New Generations – New Media" (PDF). Nordicom Review (Gothenburg, Sweden: Nordicom) 23 (1-2): 26. ISSN 1403-1108. http://www.nordicom.gu.se/common/publ_pdf/42_023-036.pdf. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
  4. ↑ Rollins, A.; Morris, D. (2000). Game Architecture and Design. Coriolis Ed. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Luban, Pascal (2002-12-06). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Gamasutra. Think Services Game Group. p. 1. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2917/designing_and_integrating_puzzles_.php?page=1. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Rollings, Andrew; Ernest Adams (2006). Fundamentals of Game Design. Prentice Hall. http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_gamedev_1/54/14053/3597646.cw/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Luban, Pascal (2002-12-06). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Gamasutra. Think Services Game Group. p. 2. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2917/designing_and_integrating_puzzles_.php?page=2. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
  8. ↑ Gal, Viviane; Le Prado, Cécile; Natkin, Stéphane; Vega, Liliana (2002). Writing for Video Games. Proceedings Laval Ritual (IVRC). http://cedric.cnam.fr/PUBLIS/RC359.pdf. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Rollings, Andrew; Ernest Adams (2003). Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design. New Riders Publishing. p. 446. ISBN 1592730019. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "A Brief - But Comprehensive - History of the Action/Adventure Genre". 02-08-2005. http://www.justadventure.com/articles/ActionAdventures/AA.shtm. Retrieved 2009-02-04. 
  11. ↑ Ryan, Marie-Laure (2002). "Beyond Myth and Metaphor - The Case of Narrative in Digital Media". Game Studies (The International Journal of Computer Game Research) 1 (1). http://gamestudies.org/0101/ryan/. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
  12. ↑ Luban, Pascal (2002-12-06). "Designing and Integrating Puzzles in Action-Adventure Games". Gamasutra. Think Services Game Group. p. 3. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2917/designing_and_integrating_puzzles_.php?page=3. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
  13. ↑ DeMaria, Rusel; Wilson, Johnny L. (2003). High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 224. ISBN 0-072-23172-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=HJNvZLvpCEQC&printsec=frontcover#PPA224,M1. 
  14. ↑ Ernest Adams (2009-07-09). "Sorting Out the Genre Muddle". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4074/the_designers_notebook_sorting_.php?page=2. Retrieved 2009-05-23.