Unit 29: Vocabulary

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Noun (concept)
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Arcade game
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a game genre with highly addictive gameplay and a steep difficulty curve
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"Atari, Nintendo, and Sega are three gaming giants who all successfully transformed themselves from arcade game heroes to console kings."
Noun (concept)
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Casual game
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a game genre featuring simple, non-offensive themes suitable for all ages
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"Good examples of casual games throughout history include Pac-Man, Windows Solitaire, Wii Sports, and Candy Crush."
Noun (thing)
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Console
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a dedicated home game computer intended for use with a TV and game controllers
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"New consoles often succeed or fail depending on price and/or the number of Triple-A titles available at launch."
Adjective
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Engrossing
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taking up almost all of one's attention
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"The girl found the new Zelda game so engrossing that she started to dream about the game in her sleep."
Adjective
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First-person
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a game perspective where the action is viewed through the eyes of the protagonist (main character)
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"Due to the high-adrenaline gameplay and excellent multiplayer support, first-person shooters (FPS) are among the best-selling video game genres."
Noun (thing)
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indie game (independent studio game)
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a game genre featuring low-budget games built by a small team
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"Probably the most successful indie game release of all time was Minecraft, originally developed by Markus Persson and later sold to Microsoft for 2.5 billion dollars."
Noun (concept)
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Mobile game
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games designed specifically to run on smartphones and other portable devices
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"The analyst said that mobile games are especially popular with female and casual gamers, while males and more hardcore gamers tend to prefer PC or consoles."
Adjective
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Multiplatform
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describing a single code base capable of running on more than one operating system
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"Using popular a game engine such as Unity or Unreal is a good way to ensure multiplatform support across PC, consoles, and even mobile."
Adjective
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Nostalgic
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feeling an emotional longing for the past
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"People are often nostalgic for games they played as a kid, so occasionally game studios release remastered versions of old classics."
Noun (concept)
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Platform game
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a game genre where the player runs and jumps through a scrolling environment often full of ladders, obstacles, power-ups, cliffs, or deadly enemies
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"Platform games such as Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog are extremely popular with nostalgic audiences and are the subject of many re-releases on newer consoles."
Noun (concept)
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Puzzle game
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a game genre featuring games that make the player think and solve increasingly tricky problems
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"Puzzle games are popular across all ages and include such favorites as Tetris, Portal 2, and Jackbox."
Adjective
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Quintessential
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an item that almost perfectly represents its category or genre
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"Id Software's game Doom is perhaps the quintessential first person shooter because it basically invented the genre, and its many sequels and spinoffs have dominated sales charts for ages."
Noun (concept)
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RTS game (real-time strategy game)
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a game genre where players control different factions and compete against each other simultaneously
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"Popular RTS games include Warcraft, Age of Empires, and Command and Conquer."
Interjection
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Reminiscent
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reminding someone about something that happened earlier
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"Streets of Rage 4 is reminiscent of earlier titles in the series, but thankfully it updates and improves on nearly everything."
Noun (concept)
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RPG (role-playing game)
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a game genre where players create custom avatars and quest through fantastical environments collecting experience points and leveling up
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"As a kid in the 1980's, I played Ultima IV on my Atari 800 and became so obsessed I basically lost a year of my life to this engrossing RPG."
Noun (concept)
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Shooter game
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a game genre featuring intense combat-simulation, and has many subgenres
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"Popular shooter game sub genres include: side-scrolling shooters, vertical-scrolling shooters, gallery-style shooters, first-person shooters (FPS), and third-person shooters (TPS)."
Noun (concept)
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Sports game
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a game genre simulating athletic events such as car racing, football, baseball, golf, or even fishing
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"Sports games are normally quite profitable because they release annually, sell for AAA-title prices, and usually only receive minor gameplay updates between versions."
Noun (concept)
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Stealth game
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a game genre where the objective is to be sneaky (not to be seen)
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"Many games feature stealthy elements, but titles that define the stealth game genre include: Metal Gear Solid, Thief, and Hitman."
Noun (concept)
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Subgenre
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a further refinement or evolution of a larger category
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"FPS games are indeed a subgenre of shooter games, but they could hardly be considered niche."
Noun (concept)
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Survival horror game
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a game subgenre where the gameplay focuses on creating tension via elements such as darkly lit scenes, frequent monster boxes, and a scarcity of useful resources such as weapons or ammunition
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"If you like to be scared I highly suggest you play the survival horror game Dark Space on a projector at 2 o'clock in the morning."
Adjective
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Third-person
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a game perspective where the player sees his own character from a disembodied, hovering state
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"Popular third-person shooters include: Gears of War, Tomb Raider, Red Dead Redemption, and Fortnite."
Adjective
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AAA (triple-A)
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an industry term used to describe big-budget games
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"AAA titles are similar to blockbuster movies in that they take years to develop and can cost hundreds of millions of dollars."
Adjective
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Ubiquitous
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typically found everywhere in the area
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"Swords and shields are not exactly rarities in RPG games, they are pretty much ubiquitous across the genre."
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