Games are an age old way of passing time with friends and fleecing strangers for money. The most common categories are:
- Arcade Games: The original Video Games.
- Board Games: From Monopoly to chess, the classic test of skill and wits between friends and foes alike.
- Euro Game: A recent style in board gaming, first becoming widely popular with the mid-1990s success of The Settlers of Catan.
- Ameritrash Games: American style board games that don't fit into the Euro Game or classic categories. Talisman and Cosmic Encounter are popular examples.
- War Games: Board games that attempt to simulate realistic military conflict. Many are infamous for having Loads and Loads of Rules. Advanced Squad Leader is probably the most famous example.
- Card Games: From poker to Magic: The Gathering, a way to win money and while away the empty hours.
- Parlor Games: The oldest genre of social games, requiring no special equipment.
- Pinball: The longest-running form of Arcade game.
- Role Playing Games: The most diverse and unusual new game genre of the last century, these include both Tabletop and Video Game RPGs in various formats, from D&D to MMORPG.
- Tabletop Games: Whether you are role-playing an ancient mage or a fighter pilot for the Zarlon empire, these allow you to sit among friends and act out your fantasies. Dungeons & Dragons is the ur example.
- Tabletop Miniatures: The intersection of Board Games and Collectible Card Games, featuring Hero Clix, Mech Warrior, Mage Knight and others. They often employ Turn Based Strategy.
- Strategy Game: Games that require strategy or tactics to win.
- Video Games: The most recent revolution, and certainly most popular. Video games throw you into enthralling or addictive worlds where you forget yourself for a brief period. Any of the above categories can be translated to this format. Originating with Arcade Games, subgenres include Text, Adventure, PC/Console, MUDs, MMORPGs, RTS, FPS, and more.
Tropes common to games in general:
