Classifications of Video Games

By Theresa Walter

Video games may be classified into three broad categories: casual games, serious games and educational games. Casual games are games that are easily accessible and simple. They usually have the option of being able to be played on demand and saved when not in use. The format of casual games has been here long before even the term 'casual games' was coined. They encompass video games like Minesweeper, Tetris, Solitaire, and Free Cell, and are usually found in Operating Systems already pre-installed, such as in Windows. Casual games can be played on PCs, PDAs and cellular phones, as well as online console systems.
Serious games are primarily intended to communicate learning and informative experiences to their users. They traditionally do not count as video games, however. And although they are educational, they are of a different classification due to the difference in their goal as well as the target age range of their users. Serious games are intended to go beyond mere entertainment. They are designed typically to cater to professionals, sometimes for purposes of specifically improving their skills or as part of a specific job function. They can also sometimes be used to convey awareness of a socio-political nature.
One prominent example of a serious game is the famous Microsoft Flight Simulator. Simulations based on virtual reality have always been extensively used by the military, usually as a training exercise. This has also been used by other units like firefighters, police, emergency medical teams, and the like. One instance of non-game environments that were used as platforms for the development of serious games is Second Life. It is a virtual reality game currently being used by the government and by universities and businesses. It is used for educational programs, remote learning, and office trainings and meetings.
Tactical media is a kind of media that reaches a larger number of audiences, and is useful in information dissemination. Newsgames is an example of this, and it provides awareness of relevant and critical news and issues in the form of short video games.
The third type is the educational game. Interactive video games are multimedia that has a lot of potential in educating students in various ways. They can also be useful in disseminating current events and issues in an entertaining and engaging manner. Most educational games teach standard and basic information to support the school curricula, such as reading, counting, arithmetic, spelling, and the like.
No less than the United States government has stated its agenda of using interactive video games to improve the mathematical, scientific, engineering, and technological capacity of students in the country. These games are aimed at enhancing the learning of students and help them excel in their studies. This move has spawned several exciting innovations and opportunities in the realm of video gaming, and it even gave rise to several national competitions. Examples of these competitions include the Imagine Cup and Stem National Video Game Competition. These competitions also help bring student awareness to national and international issues and current events. Some websites also utilize games to engage their visitors to learn in a fun and entertaining way.

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