An action video game is a video game in which the player must use his speed, skill, and reaction time. Among the various video game genres, the genre of action is the most extensive and most comprehensive, encompassing many subgenres such as wrestling video games, first-person shooting video games, beat them ups and platform video games.
Very often, action video games use violence as their main feature of interaction, more specifically combat with firearms or hand-to-hand.
History
The first commercial action games were Computer Space (1971) and the famous Pong (1972). Arcade rooms are the privileged terrain of the action game, and it is on arcade terminals that most of these sub-genres were born and developed in the 1970s and 1980s. The term “arcade game” has long been used as a synonym for “action game.” Action games are based on movement and on real-time, they usually require more resources systems to function than a set of adventure, strategy, or reflection.
Characteristics
While the first action video games were for computer, much of the action video game genres became popular in the arcades, which became popular in the 1970s and 1980s. At the time, the vast majority of video games were focused on challenging the player’s skill, which led to them adopting that short, addictive style of play that characterizes the arcade. Sports and driving themes were common, but other video games with more varied (and usually violent) themes began to be part of the genre of action.
Among some of the first action video games, we can find Space Invaders, and Kung Fu Master, which contributed to popularizing the subgenres shot them up and beat them up, respectively. As video games and personal computers became more popular, it was increasingly common for action video games to include other non-action elements to prolong the game and reduce repetition.
Objectives and gameplay
While the purposes of these video games vary from video game to video game, they generally involve advancing through levels, eliminating hordes of enemies, and solving problems. Many video games include one or more” bosses,” sometimes preceded by “Mini-Chiefs.” A mini-boss is usually the climax to a level or series of standards, with a boss at the end of the game or periodically by the game, leading to a “final boss,” which defeating IS the primary goal.
To defeat bosses, “pattern recognition” and physical reaction speed are often used. In most old video games (and even some modern ones) bosses are programmed with a simple attack pattern or with moves the player learns through experience. These simple patterns often include “combos” that require the player to jump, dodge, or block attacks and then attack at specific key points, all while managing the time of the patterns to attack.
Many subgenres, such as platform video games, include gymnastic style problems, such as regulated time jumps to and from mobile platforms. Platform video games, whether in two or three dimensions, are similar in concept to the Mario Bros video game series. Some action video games have a gameplay style of the games of third-person shooting, allowing the player to acquire, and (sometimes) improve a set of weapons, each with a unique ability.
Another common subgenre is the shoot them up, in which the player controls a character or vehicle with many weapons, and must shoot a lot of enemies and objects.
Physical consequences
Some studies have shown that people can improve their vision by playing action video games. Tests carried out by scientists at the University of Rochester on students indicated that over a period of one month, the performance of eye exams improved by 20% on those who played Unreal Tournament compared to those who played Tetris.1 it is believed that this is because the action video game improves the spatial resolution of the players ‘ vision.