Rare Breeds: Video Game Genres on the Verge of Extinction

Four endangered species within the wilderness of the game industry.

By: Todd Ciolek
April 11, 2012

The game industry has little room for failures. Like a vast and cruel wilderness, it’s rarely merciful to the games that can’t adapt to a changing environment. Yet it’s rare that an entire breed of game goes completely extinct; as long as there’s one small developer or semi-profitable fan following, a genre can survive. It’ll just be on the endangered list — that’s where you’ll find all of the following species, which were once healthy or prosperous in some way. But time and technology dulled their appeal, and faster, leaner, more appealing games took over.

Some genres have made comebacks in recent years. Between Telltale Games’ catalog and Double Fine’s newly funded project, the classic point-and-click adventure game isn’t doing so badly. But other kinds of games aren’t so lucky, as the current market finds these formerly proud creatures subsisting only through independent studios or cheap downloadable software. So let’s take a look at them, their history, and the many small ways they endure today.