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Genres

Some genres seem to naturally fall into progressive or experience styles, so let’s take a look at them and see where they land:

Action

Often progressive based, but sometimes the implementation of "wow factor", realism or extended play time turns it into an experience style. Examples are Quake and Pac-Man.

Strategy

Usually progressive style as it requires the player to master strategies using the general elements provided. Examples are Starcraft, Command & Conquer and Civilization.

Puzzle

Almost always experience based, as after the puzzles have been solved the challenge is gone. Examples are crosswords and mazes. An example of a puzzle game that is progressive would be Tetris, as its random creation of pieces and the dynamic nature of the places to put them require the player to develop a skill instead of gaining learned knowledge in how to solve the problem.

Adventure

Almost always static puzzle based, these games rely on heavily unique and usually visually interesting scenery and events that make replay unlikely for most people. There are normally no repeatable skills developed. Examples would be Myst or Grim Fandango.

Role Playing Games (RPGs)

Role playing games are in many ways similar to adventure games, but often deal with an incremental system of health, strength and power instead of gathering items to unlock puzzles. This makes these games tend toward being progressive in style. Examples would be Fallout or Baldur’s Gate.

Conclusion

None of these styles of games are inherently better than the others for all audiences. They have their advantages and disadvantages for different people as they provide the players with different gaming experiences.

Since the creation of computer based games, there have always been both styles available. Adventure provided an experience style of play where the players would find their way through a interesting world, and Pong gave people the opportunity to hone skills of quick hand-eye coordination against their opponents. As game developers you must strive to understand who you are making the game for and what their needs are, and allow that knowledge lead to you into what style of game to make.

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