Final Thought.

For this critical studies unit i looked at genre on a broad scale from music to games, what i found out was that genre first came about 19th century, its a french word that means 'kind' or 'class', it was used to define what type of litrature there was. Then in the 50s it was the common word to use to define from different types of media. First of all in music genre is used alot as in hip hop to r&b to metal. But then there are sub genres like grime, crunk, nu-metal, hardcore metal etc. This is when it then becomes hard to define a certain type of music because it can fall into many different genres.Also with different types of genres of music the different type of fan base and culture comes with it. Like them wearing different type of clothes acting in certain way because of the music they listen to. With film it is more easy with Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime/Gangster, Drama, Historical, Horror, Musical, Sci-Fi, War & Western. But now these lead into sub genres like Biopic, Chick Flicks, Detective/Mystery, Disaster, Fantasy, Film Noir, Guy Films, Melodramas, Road Films, Romance/Comedy, Sports, Supernatural, Thriller/Suspense, These type of films are films like shaun of the dead, superbad and love actually.
The diffence with music and film compared to video games is that you get the interact with the game and get to do what you want within the limits of the game. Where as with film and music you can't really interact with it like video games. Genre in video games if very different to other types of media as in a game it can be changed and moulded to the users likes or dislikes. Like with games like half-life the users can create there own maps and characters and completely re-invent the game. Also some games don't really fall into a genre like grand theft auto series, its alot of genres mixed together you have your first person shooter, driving and action/adventure. Which makes it very hard to put in a genre. I think this makes a game successful because you don't know what you are going to get, because with most games you get told fps and its a fps. Also with games like mirrors edge it looks like a first person shooter but isn't because it involves running and jumping its more like a modern take on the platform game, much like the first games like mario and sonic.. I think games like mirrors edge are changeing the genre, if there was no genre to put things into there would have to be set rules or no common conventions to say what kind of thing the type of media is and would get incredibly confusing. Genre helps you to evole the type of game into somthing different and will also continue to evole as time goes by and culture and society changes.

What is Genre?

In this article it explains to you about culture and where it came from. What i found out in this article that genre was first made to tell the difference between different books like poetry, comedy and tradegy. And it wasn't untill the 50s that it became a common used term to describe different kinds of things in books tv and film. It also talks about how some genres die out and then new ones take there place. It also tlks about shaun of the dead and how its a new type of genre being the romantic comedy even thought it has links with Spaced and old zombie films.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/457259/genre_the_history_of_text_classification.html?cat=40

Genre - the History of Text Classification & Contemporary Genre Innovation

November 23, 2007 by

Andrew Cunningham

Changing Genre

In this peice is about how genre changes in itself like with this new madden game for the wii the art has completely changed making it more cartoony its most probaly down to the graphics on the wii, but is it for it to appeal to a wider audience. I think this because there are loads of types of simulation games out there and this is a tactic to revieve a brand.
http://kotaku.com/5233341/ea-shows-off-madden-10-for-wiis-genre+defining-art-style
as it sais in this article to give you somthing to look at than rather the normal boring realistic looking game.

Cross Genre

In this article jacob Stutsman talks about genre busting games, games that are classed as a certain type of genre but have other elements to them.
''When Metroid went to a first person view for the Gamecube, there was a bit of confusion of how to categorize it. At that point, it could have been categorized as a first person shooter, but it was clearly an adventure game, and marketed as such...what was it?''
This is like with gta was first on playstation it was a more like a adventure game because of the way it was set, but now its more like a fps with the third person veiws, but is also a driving game at the same time. also with games like fallout 3 its not only a rpg/adventure but also a fps.



http://www.gamer20.com/features/365

Genre Busters: Games that Defied their Genres
Written by Jacob Stutsman

In this article on ign.com Charles Onvett and Steve Butts write about how a genre can die out and can it be rereived. In this article they say how the consumer now look for faster action paced games. And how in the late 80s early 90s that adventure games that are slow paced but have lots of story where the pc gamers choice for games. But now days gamers don't want to be walking around spending ages looking for a key to open a door. They just want to be put straight into the fight. Like with older games like Grim Fandango, Myst and Day of the Tentacle, these games would take up hours of time to play but now with the new adventure games out like Fable 2 and fallout the main story lines can be completed under 12 hours.


http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/849/849843p1.html

Can the once thriving genre ever regain its popularity?
by Charles Onyett and Steve Butts

Genre and game studies

In this article, Thomas H.Apperley talks about 2 games of civilisation. He talks about how they are different and what relation thay have with australian history while reading through this it went into the genre of the games saying it is historic stradgy game. But he then argues it isn't.
‘Videogames of the Oppressed: Critical Thinking, Education,
Tolerance and Other Important Issues’, simulations allows for ‘multiple and alternative’
views, opening a space for the player to explore different possibilities in their own
‘personal and social realities’
From this quote in this article it tells me that in some type of genres of game you get told what the game is that it is a stradegy with historical elements, but the player can change them and turn it into a different type of game.

http://tomsresearch.googlepages.com/virtualunaustralia_apperley.pdf

Virtual Unaustralia: Videogames and Australia’s Colonial History, Thomas H. Apperley

Observe and Report

On friday night i went to see Observe and Report, but i came back after watching this film and couldn't decide if it was meant to be a comedy or dark humour because at some bits it tried to be serious. so i couldn't really put it into a genre. Overall this film wasn't great because it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Also i think you were meant to feel sorry for the main character played by seth rogen but didn't. I think this film is one of them films that cannot be put into a genre.

Genre in my favourite type of film: zombie films

When george a romero released night of the living dead it was criticaly acclaimed as a good horror film then he released dawn of the dead which was even better than night of the living dead.


BOOM! a shot from dawn of the dead when a man gets his head blown off, i actually found out how they did this. they filled a balloon full of red paint and bits of meat and shot it with a shotgun.
Anyway back on subject, now with the genre of zombie films they have made them even more scarier and realistic with films like 28 weeks later. as making it seem more real. Also gone away from the slow moving dumb zombie to the fast mad enraged zombie that just wants to beat the crap out of your face.
This is also shown in L4d the zombies in this game run really quick and are agile well the hunters are, unlike other zombie game dead rising where the zombies are slow like in george .a.romero films. The sound in L4D is used really well aswell, as it will get all dramatic when a tank attacks



when the tank music comes when playing you feel like o crap we are about to get owned. So i think its one of the best uses for music in a game.

Mirrors Edge

I recently completed this game and not sure what genre this game falls into, because is it a fps or adventure. Because in most fps the main objective is to shoot stuff but on this game you just mostly run round jumping on things, like parkour. but you can also shoot enemys but you dont have to.

I think the game is brilliant and looks fresh and bright. it reminds more of a platform puzzel game where you have to find the best route and the way to get to the finish abit like tomb raider. So i think this is a like a adventure game set in a city and alot better than tomb raider.

Mixed music genre

Just been going through you tube and found this band, i don't know if it has anything to do with genre but they have seemed to mix 2 of the worst genres together. Screamo/crunk. i personally think it is complete rubbish but lots of younger kids seem to love it.

Link to awful mixed genre music



But also found some music videos that mix different genres that are actually very good

Hardcore Punk and Grime/hip hop
Artic monkeys and dizzie rascal

Crs4 Genre

For this critical studies unit i will be looking at Genre. So far i found some links describing genre.

http://www.robinlionheart.com/gamedev/genres.xhtml
http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/849/849843p1.html
http://www.gamer20.com/features/365

http://kotaku.com/5233341/ea-shows-off-madden-10-for-wiis-genre+defining-art-style

new madden nfl game.

This is a link to a site all about genre in the media.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/3093/genre.html?cat=38