Different Types of Games

This is going to be my blog post that will track my quests through the gaming experience.

"Other Games 1"

The "other" category of game is the label for games like Chinese Checkers, poker, and Yahtzee. As far as Chinese checkers, using this in the classroom would be a benefit for students that need a challenge, but could learn some patience. It is a game of strategy and patterns. I, of course, don't have any of those skills and lost miserably to the computer. Poker is for the lucky person. I am not that person. I flew through my allotted amount of money in record timing. Since it is a math and strategy based game, I don't think it would fit in my Language Arts classroom. Yahtzee would be fantastic in the elementary math classroom. Students who are Achievers or Masterminds would like figuring out the different ways to reach their goal and the best probability for obtaining the maximum point per level.


"Action Games 1: Shoot'em Ups"

Shoot'em Ups are games that tend to be a one vs all. The player takes the shape of aircraft or space shuttles and shoots a mass amount of opponents at the same time. Those opponents usually come from the top or side of the screen while the shooter is at the bottom or left side. Players need to have control of the arrow keys to move and the space bar to shoot. I played a few rounds, but died very shortly after beginning. The first time I played, I got 315 points. Basically, I went through all three of my lives almost immediately after starting to play. The second time, I earned 5,190 points. I was shocked I made it into the second level. Between the first and the second times playing, I learned how the enemies move and how I should react. Basically, avoid the bad guys coming for you instead of engaging them. If you engage, you will die.

"Simulation Games"

Simulation games do exactly that: simulate something. I played the Sim City RPG Adventure Game. I had to restart this game about five times due to running out of funds. This is something that I tend to excel at when it comes to real life or simulation games. I am near addicted to the classic Roller Coaster Tycoon game and run out of money constantly. In both games, I had to sit around for a long time and wait for money to roll in. In the RPG Adventure Game, I ran out and stayed out of money. I'm not sure exactly how to get that money back. I know it has something to do with raising taxes, but I had it at almost 12% and thought that was really high.

"Narrative Games 1: Text Adventure"

I once thought that simulation games are my favorite, but I was missing out on the wonderfully detailed and story-like world of narrative games. I was tasked to play the first ever narrative game, Zork, but for some reason the game wouldn't let me type. Who knows...

Instead, I used Steam to get the game To Burn in Memory. At first, I was not into the idea of having to read all the details, but very quickly did I mentally smack myself because I love to read. The romantically creepy music set into the game helped me get into the mood for reading my way through a mystery and choosing my own adventure. I was able to collect some interesting items that I'm sure will eventually lead me to discovering more clues to unveil the mystery. I enjoyed being able to choose where to go based on the given choices. It was awesome.

"Narrative Games 2: Graphic Adventures"

Peasant's Quest is hard! I played out the game twice and died by random monsters. I didn't even get to reach the dragon, Trogdor. This game was easier to follow than a text adventure, but with the basic graphics and simple commands, it seemed tedious. The best part of the entire experience was the sarcastic remarks that the video game designers added into the narrative. Quite amusing! When you did something wrong or didn't need an item, the game would let you know that it was useless to try and acquire that item with some snarky remark. I love snarky remarks, though.

"Narrative Games 3: Action Adventures"

For this quest we had to play Zelda. I could not for the life of me figure out how to use any weapons or win coins. I spent my time running away from bad guys and getting shot in the back. Maybe it's my computer? The directions have joystick controls, but I don't have a joystick. I recruited the husband to school me on his Zelda knowledge, but he was lost as to how to get my character to do anything. I'm pretty sure I pushed every key to no avail. I would probably love this game had I been able to play it the way it was designed to be played. I love a good plot line with my video games.