Genre & Subgenre Guide

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Yeah, sorry, it is an FPS - someone else mentioned third person in the other thread and it stuck in my head.

So, for NOW...since I'll likely get something done on this for the weekend, whether it's visible or not, one primary Genre? I plan on making Subgenre a field populated with a listbox rather than a string, so that we can standardize the Subgenre and discuss additions/deletions/modifications when needed.

[Duke.Togo]

So, for NOW...since I'll likely get something done on this for the weekend, whether it's visible or not, one primary Genre? I plan on making Subgenre a field populated with a listbox rather than a string, so that we can standardize the Subgenre and discuss additions/deletions/modifications when needed.

I agree with this completely.

[Boshamp]

That makes perfect sense.

[Izret101]

So, for NOW...since I'll likely get something done on this for the weekend, whether it's visible or not, one primary Genre? I plan on making Subgenre a field populated with a listbox rather than a string, so that we can standardize the Subgenre and discuss additions/deletions/modifications when needed.

I agree with this completely.

I am not a huge fan of a "primary" and "secondary" genre in addition to "subgenre" for games.
I can understand it has its usefulness with some games but it seems way too convoluted.

Wouldn't it make more sense to standardize subgenres and make that field searchable?
That way in instances of games that have "multiple primary genres" one would be chosen as the genre and someone could still search subgenre for RPG and find it.
Or someone could search for 2D platformer subgenre and find it.
Or Side Scrolling or vertical shooter and find them.
etc, etc

[Duke.Togo]

As I understood it, that is what he is describing. One choice for the Genre field, and the Sub-genre field becomes a list box instead of a open text field.

[tactical_nuke]

Got Misc. down to 10 pages. 
Those were the obvious ones. From here on out, I'm gonna have to look up gameplay videos and put my Google-Fu to the test.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

What Duke said.

Flee, for Genre you could refer to established genres across other sites as well for reference, but Subgenre could be a pain. That's why it's not filled out as often, at least on Staff submissions.

[tactical_nuke]

Yeah, if I don't know, I leave it blank. I wouldn't want to submit inaccurate info. I'm mainly just trying to clear out the Genre so we can delete it soon.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Suggestion from Raidou, who read the thread and made a suggestion on a submission:

Australian version of Pokemon Black. Have listed subgenre as 'Turn-based' in line with Flee's guide, however, I would like to suggest a 'Creature Trainer' (or possibly 'Collector') subgenre, since captured creatures do all the fighting and the plot centralises around capturing more and more creatures.

[tactical_nuke]

I think we can make Creature Collector a Subgenre. The main Pokemon games would be best described as Turn Based JRPG / Creature Collector. Also, down to 6 pages of "Unique". It really is much of the same as Misc. It's a bunch of Game Simulators, Art Simulators and Japanese releases.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

What, you mean WarioWare isn't Unique? Or LSD?

[tactical_nuke]

Well Warioware is Compilation >> Mini-Games. And LSD can go under Simulator >> Dream. That was intended use when they made it, if I recall. If not, Act/Adv >> Adventure / Surreal fits it too.

[nupoile]

I'm weighing in on this topic late, sorry.

I saw the original post right away and was thinking of how to respond because I really don't like the way RFG uses the term "homebrew."

Editorializing here, I'll try and be brief   


As far as how RFG categorizes things, "homebrew" is not a genre. All the other genres relate to style of gameplay whereas homebrew refers to some weird combination of release date and motive. It is if we were categorizing vehicles using boats, planes, cars, trucks, motorcycles and "made in Germany" which would also include boats, planes, cars, trucks....the two things aren't the same grouping.

I think we could come up with lots of examples were a game was created by people literally at home, not affiliated with a game studio originally sold in plastic baggies or the like which we do not call homebrew. There are examples of things we refer to as a homebrew but were created by paid employees of incorporated game companies, with full artwork and packaging. That doesn't make sense.

The best example I could think of is a game that isn't in the DB yet      I'm sure we would call it (wrongly) a homebrew though. Dave Akers, a man who worked on games like Burgertime and Bump 'n Jump recently made a game called Paddle Party for the Intellivision. It was released by a company called Elektronite which is in the business of paying people to make games that they sell for profit. Intellivision itself is a company that is owned by an original employee that actively makes games for sale. How would this be a homebrew? It shouldn't be.

My point is that we shouldn't use homebrew as part of the genre description. It doesn't fit. I don't really like the term at all for use in RFG's DB but if we must use it please make it it's own category. As in it's own line on a game description page.

Since I'm trying to be concise I'll leave out some other points I could make, besides, I'll be surprised if people completely disagree.....I'm trying not to bring up Halo 2600 though (we call it a homebrew, why?)   



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Akers
http://elektronite.com/Games/Paddle_Party.htm

[tactical_nuke]

I think we all pretty much sided with your argument on this. It's going to be a Release Type soon so that's good.

[nupoile]

Yeah, I think you did too. I just really wanted to make sure it was known I felt that way, and to make it clear for future readers of the thread.