Video games have gone through a lot of changes as a medium since their earliest days. Many things, surprisingly, have remained consistent since the days of arcade cabinets and Atari 2600. However, with time, many specific trends in the video game world have become far too outdated for the modern-day industry.
Related:Forgotten Video Game Genres We’d Love To See Return
There are dozens upon dozens of genres in gaming: shooters, platformers, RPGs, and puzzle games. However, inside each of these categories, there are more specific subgenres that come and go with time. These ten gaming subgenres were once insanely popular, but now receive little to no attention by mainstream gamers.
10Plastic Instrument Rhythm Games
Rhythm games test players' musical ability in a variety of ways. Popularized by arcade stapleDance Dance Revolution, these games are often fast-paced with high energy. However, console rhythm games began to get pretty ambitious with their control schemes, coming packaged with instrument-based plastic controllers.
The most popular examples of this subgenre from the early 2000s would be theGuitar HeroandRock Bandfranchises, or Nintendo’s ownDonkey Kongaseries. However, these extraneous devices are rarely compatible with current generation consoles. The genre’s only remainder is the VR-exclusiveBeat Saber.
9Fitness Games
During the evolution of virtual reality,the idea that video games could incorporate elements of exercisehad been long in the works. Nintendo attempted to capitalize on this in 1988 with the Power Pad, as didDance Dance Revolution. However, it wasn’t until the Nintendo Wii’s release in 2006 that the dream became a reality.
Nintendo’s new franchise was calledWii Fit, packaged with the Balance Board. The game contained mini-games that would function as workouts, as well as yoga exercise guides. The series became popular enough to spawn its ownSuper Smash Broscharacter, but Nintendo has left the Balance Board and franchise in the past.
8Extreme Sports Games
WhileWii Fitand other games like it promoted active workout, other subgenres let players enjoy extreme sports from the comfort of their couch. These games were often sandbox-based, meaning players had free rein to wander complex areas. However, the goal would be to earn points from performing various tricks.
Related:Sports Games Perfect For Newcomers To The Genre
The most popular example of an extreme sports game would be the belovedTony Hawk’s Pro Skaterfranchise. However, many titles similar to it, likeJet Set RadioandMirror’s Edge, also thrived during the mid-2000s and early 2010s. Sadly, these games only remain popular due to nostalgia nowadays.
7Educational Games
The popularization of personal computers made it easy to appeal to kids. For millennials and zoomers, their first exposure to video games would likely be from educational video games provided by their parents. These games would strive to not only be fun, but also to subtly promote learning patterns in children.
The biggest example of this would beWhere in the World is Carmen Sandiego, which has been revived as a game showand animated cartoon in recent years.JumpStart Adventureswas also a popular franchise for kindergarten to fifth grade kids. Nintendo even jumped on the bandwagon with theBrain Ageseries.
6Text Adventure Games
One of the most primitive forms of video games were text adventures. These games featured no graphics, and would only be controlled via keyboard. Often, text adventure games worked similar to aChoose Your Own Adventurebook, allowing players to feel as if they were a part of a narrative story being told.
One example of this subgenre isThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, released in 1984 and based on the book series of the same name. TheZorkfranchise from the late 70s is also seen as a forefather of this subgenre. Nowadays,the subgenre is usually only seen in indie releases, such as 2014’sDepression Quest.
5Point-And-Click Adventure Games
A cousin of text adventure games is the subgenre of point-and-click adventures. These games allowed players to interact with cinematic game worlds by clicking to both move their character and investigate objects. This franchise was famously popularized by a video game developer known as Sierra Entertainment.
Related:Classic Point & Click Games That Still Hold Up Well Today
Among Sierra’s biggest series includedKing’s Quest,Space Quest, andLeisure Suit Larry. While these series have seen reboots in the modern age, the genre is also associated with Telltale games, a now-defunct studio that published point-and-click successors such asThe Walking Deadseries andThe Wolf Among Us.
4Sidescrolling Beat ‘Em Up Games
A “beat ‘em up” game refers to an action game that features characters fighting enemies with weapons or hand-to-hand combat. It’s one of the earliest gaming genres, originating in titles likeDouble DragonandTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Franchises likeFinal Fightonly cemented the genre’s legacy in gaming history.
Nowadays, beat ‘em up games have been mostly replaced by hack-n’-slash titles likeDynasty WarriorsandBayonetta. However,some indie releases sought to revive the long-gone subgenre, such asCastle CrashersandScott Pilgrim vs. the World.
3Real-Time Strategy Games
The subgenre of real-time strategy games began with games likeUtopiain 1981. The genre quickly evolved into more complicated franchises, such asCivilizationandAge of Empires. The positive is thatthere are still many communities dedicated to real-time strategy games, even though new releases are scarce.
Part of the reason companies rarely release new real-time strategy games is that they tend to have long lifespans. Blizzard Entertainment, for instance, released the latest installment in theStarCraftseries in 2013, and have kept it alive via expansion packs. Still, many older games of this genre can be found free-to-play online.
2MMORPGs
The term “MMORPG” stands for “massively multiplayer online role-playing game”. This mouthful of a genre is used to describe franchises such asWorld of Warcraft, which became very popular in the mid-2000s.World of Warcraft’s very first installment has remained alive and active to this day thanks to expansion packs.
Related:The First MMORPGs Ever, Ranked
13D Mascot Platform Games
The 90s saw an uptick in various video game publishers trying to introduce audiences to their own Mario-or-Sonic-level mascot. Some publishers succeeded, with games likeBanjo-KazooieandCrash Bandicootproducing iconic video game characters. However, this subgenre very quickly became overdone.
However, the genre hasn’t necessarily disappeared as it has decreased in popularity. Franchises likeKnackandYooka-Layleehave failed to appeal to wide audiences, but indie games likeA Hat in Timehave received critical acclaim. There probably isn’t much hope for the future of characters like Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, Spyro, or Tak.
