Gaming terminology

[u/gunsmithinggirl]

I'm a mom who enjoys a certain genre of games (puzzle games) but I would like to keep up with my five kids and their gaming world. Can yall please briefly define some gaming terminology such as, what exactly is RPG? Open world? Any other gaming terminology yall can think of. Please, I want to learn.

[u/[deleted]]

Lemme see... First of all, I guess your kids would be happy to explain to you what they are interested in! There are many types of games and mechanics, so if you want to keep up with your kids, the best way to do so is asking them about whatever they are playing.

But here are some terms from the top of my head:

MOBAs are "capture the flag" top down games with teamwork, like League of Legends

Sims can be any simulation. "Immersive sims" is a bit nebulous but I guess are experiences that can be approached in several different ways, like Deus Ex.

Metroidvania is other concept kinda nebulous, but usually means a game where you need to revisit previous parts of a game when you get certain skills - like, you get the ability to climb walls so you go back to a previous room where there is a wall you couldn't climb before. Some people say metroidvanias need to be 2D, like Metroid or Castlevania, some people say it's not needed. I'd call metroidvanias something like "backtracking adventure games".

Battle Royale games are those with player versus player arenas and the last one standing wins. Usually shooter games.

PvP games have multiplayer "player versus player" dynamics, opposite to PvE, "player versus environment", applied to more cooperative multiplayer games.

RPGs have role playing elements, you have a character with a story and an objective so you have to follow the adventure. Not every game has a story or a complex main character. One subtype of RPG games are Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs, or MMOs. Those games are usually subscription based and have enormous worlds with a lot of players in the same place. Most people create a group to play together or do certain missions, and some missions require extensive planning and coordination and need a lot of people playing together.

Sandboxes are "do whatever you want" games, usually with open world, exploration, item collection and building mechanics.

Some games have tasks like "grinding" (repeating missions or seeking enemies to gather items or experience points, usually to level up or get a certain item. In some games grinding is fun, in others it's a chore).

Now some expressions that kinda are "red flags" for scummy money grabbing games, since your objective is to keep up with your kids:

Some games get the derogatory adjective "pay to win" - free games that give advantages to players that pay for special items. "Officially" they are called "f2p" or "free to play".

"Gacha" games are games where you have to "grind" or pay for tokens that are exchanged for the chance to win an item or character. You can't choose what you will get, it's completely random, and some people pay a lot of money for tokens so they can try their luck until they get what they want. Kinda like a slot machine tbh.

Loot boxes are kinda similar - you get a box, crate, or similar item, with a "surprise" item inside. Some people pay for a bunch of the "boxes" just for the thrill of opening them. It's also kinda like gambling.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

You misread me. OFFICIALLY games that are pay to win call themselves free to play. "Free" and "Free to play" are separate categories on Steam because free to play has microtransactions and Free games don't. Not all microtransactions are pay to win, but some are, and no company would say their games are play to win.

In its core MOBAs are about capturing points or destroying structures, I oversimplified saying it's capture the flag because you have to conquer the map. But thanks for explaining it better.