Genre vs. Type

Genre versus type.  Type versus genre.  Which one is more important?  Well, who is it important TO is important.  To the general public, it doesn't matter.  Stores can't keep Wii systems on their shelves because it's a brand new type of game all together.  Humans enjoy new things.  If the blobs on "The View" talk about it or Jay Leno made a joke about it - you simply must have one.  No.  You need two.  One for upstairs and downstairs.  NO.  Wait.  You need one in the stairwell, so get three.  Yes, you will buy three.

The genres are just sorta lumped together in basic categories like "violent", "sports", "kids", and "adventure" to make selling them easier.  Old records have "File under Rock n' Roll" labels at the top so folks knew what section to put them.  Those were the days when they sold records in grocery stores. The 60-something-year-old shelf stocker had no idea what section to put the new Peanut Conspiracy record in.  Folk?  Jazz?  The trash can?  Looks like a bunch of girls if you ask me.  Actually sir, one member IS a girl.  Oh.  Well, it needs to have a label that says that, too.  Okay, sir.  We'll make labels that say "One Member is a Girl" and, we'll say that YOU were responsible for bringing it to our attention.  We'll have a smaller label on the album that says just that.  What's your full name?  Well, uh....okay, I guess.  It's...Harold, H-A-R-O-L-D, Jenkins, J-E-N-K-I-N-S.  Allright.  Better head off to the label printers. Thank you,sir.

For players, genre is "What I play and don't try to tell me not to, because this is what I always play and I'm pretty damn good, so be quiet so I can get back to shooting these people".  Sure, they'll play Guitar Hero at Thanksgiving with the little kiddies, but they're rather be shooting stuff.  The type of the game player's chosen game is usually something they've come to love and rely on as well.  Don't mess with it.  How the game is seen.  Where the camera is.  Who, if anyone, are you playing against or with.  What is the goal of the game.  Is there a goal.  Is it dumb or serious.  Rarely, does a game company change the formula to a successful game.  There will be angry emails.  Eighteen billion of 'em.  Some with mild profanity.   

Like music lovers, some game players probably enjoy experimenting with different genres and types all the time.  But then again, you're not walking around inside the songs in your MP3 player, shooting bass drums with bazookas and punching the lead singer repeatedly in the gut.  Whoa.  Another cool idea for a game.  Gotta go.