Video Games Classification Trivia Quiz

Answer: Matching

Match type games are popular for casual players who don't necessarily want to work their way through a long story. Mostly, they involve matching three items of the same kind, maybe by colour or shape. 'Bejeweled' was one of the earliest in the genre with its first version appearing in 2001, since when many other versions and updates have been issued.

As you'd expect from the game, it involves matching three jewels in a row or column to clear the screen and move on to the next level. It was created by PopCap Games, later to become a subsidiary of Electronic Arts.

Answer: Matching

This match game is so popular, I've even heard it mentioned in a television advertisement in the UK, although I can't remember what the advert was for. Designed by the company King, which is based in Malta at the time of writing (2022) and is a subsidiary of Activision-Blizzard, 'Candy Crush Saga' was released onto Facebook in 2012 and quickly became the most popular game on the site.

The aim is to match three matching items, which resemble candies, and move up through the levels - new ones are added each week so finishing the game never becomes an option.

Although free to play, extra moves and items to assist in finishing levels can be bought before and during play.

Answer: Matching

'Bubble Witch Saga' is another game from King although the original game, which was first available in 2011, was discontinued towards the end of 2020 as it was reliant on Adobe Flash. Subsequent versions, numbered 1 & 2, were still available at the time.

As the name implies, the game involved matching coloured bubbles which were destroyed by aiming a cannon located at the bottom of the screen at the bubbles you wished to match.

Answer: Platformer

Platformer games involve moving a character through a series of obstacles to progress and often involve jumping, either up or down, to get pas these impediments. 'Crash Bandicoot' came out in 1996 and was exclusive to Sony's PlayStation at the time. It has since expanded into a franchise.

The game involves a bandicoot named Crash (you might already have worked that out) as he tries to defeat a mad scientist set on world domination. It is set on an island and features jungles and a witch doctor.

Answer: Platformer

One of the best-known, and bestselling, games of all time this game came out in 1985 in Japan and became available world wide by 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The main character in the games is Mario, with his brother, Luigi, available if more than one person is playing.

The game is set in the Mushroom Kingdom where Mario has to defeat the enemy, Bowser, and rescue Princess Toadstool.

Answer: Platformer

Dating from 1991 and available on the Sega Genesis console, Sonic is a blue hedgehog who is named for his ability to increase his speed to supersonic levels. In common with most games of this genre, Sonic has to deal with an evil enemy - in this case Dr. Ivo Robotnik - who has captured all the animals on the island where Sonic lives.

He also wants to obtain possession of emeralds and the player, controlling Sonic, has to free the animals and capture the emeralds to win the game.

Answer: Shooter

Shooting games, some of which are known as first-person shooter (FPS) games, fall under the general category of action games, but in early versions the player went through the game playing as the protagonist, which is where the first-person designation came from. Published by Activision, 'Call of Duty' is a franchise consisting of numerous games with the earliest of them being set in World War II.

The first game in the series came out in 2003 on Microsoft Windows, with the player being an infantry soldier who is given various missions to complete to progress through the game.

The game included three different campaigns, one American, one British and one Soviet, with the player taking on a different persona in each one.

Answer: Shooter

Developed in America by the video game company Bungie, the first game in what became the 'Halo' franchise came out in 2001. It was named 'Halo: Combat Evolved' and was created specifically for Microsoft's Xbox console. Gameplay naturally includes shooting weapons, but in this game these are weapons from science fiction, including a pulse carbine and a gravity hammer.

The enemy consists of an alliance of various aliens known as the Covenant. Numerous follow up games in the franchise have been released.

Answer: Shooter

This is another well-known game that developed into a big franchise with various sequels, not to mention films, comics and novels. The first game in the series, published by id Software, came out in 1993 to be played on the MS-DOS system. The player controls a space marine, who is widely known by the nickname Doomguy, in his fight against demons.

The action takes place on Phobos, one of the moons of Mars, which has been used as a waste processing plant. The first series of the game dates from 1993-1997 with a second batch issued between 2004 and 2012 and subsequently.

Answer: Role Playing

Role-playing games (RPG) evolved from board games such as 'Dungeons and Dragons'. Players are in control of their character(s) and can develop and adapt them as play progresses. There is more emphasis on puzzle solving, although action RPGs, in particular, do include more elements of combat.

'Ultima' dates from 1981 and was bought by Electronic Arts in 1992. The game is often cited as being one of the first to transfer role playing games to computers. The first game was simply called 'Ultima' on release but was later renamed 'Ultima 1: the First Age of Darkness' when it became popular and opened up the way to sequels. The game is set in a kingdom called Sosaria, governed by Mondain, an evil wizard, who the player has to overcome.

Answer: Role Playing

'Fallout' is another long-running RPG series, with later versions falling more into the action RPG category. The first in the series came out in 1997 and was set in a world which had suffered a global nuclear war. The player plays the part of a survivor who lives in the Vaults, one of several underground nuclear shelters.

As this is role playing, the player can create their own character or pick one of those available in the game. This character has to venture out to locate a computer chip and discovers mutants living above ground which sets the game in motion.

The first game proved popular and encouraged sequels and spin-offs.

Answer: Role Playing

The first game in the 'Final Fantasy' franchise came out in 1987 in Japan and in 1990 elsewhere for the Nintendo Entertainment System, as were the next two. The games are widely available on other systems too. The games are set in a fantasy world people by humans, mermaids, elves and dwarves, among other creatures.

The player is one of the Light Warriors, who have to complete a series of quests to obtain help and/or objects to assist in the next steps in the game. As in other RPGs, numerous sequels have been created.