What truly new genres developed in the last 10 years?

[J T]

I was just thinking about how so many genres have been around for so long. Side-scrolling platformers, 3D platformers, First Person Shooters, Role Playing Games, Real Time Strategy Games, survival horror, fighters, shmups, beatemups. Most of these genres originated in the 80s or 90s. Since I grew up playing games in those decades, it was always exciting when somebody did something really different and a new genre was born. That doesn't seem to happen so much in new games. They more frequently just evolve old genres in new directions.

What are the new genres of this most recent decade though? I'm not exactly sure what has sprouted up that doesn't borrow heavily from the past. I was trying ot think of what genres would count as new. Maybe physics puzzle games? Defense of the Ancients clones? Tower Defense? What are the new genres?

[Limewater]

Rhythm games would almost fit your time constraint. Sure, there were a few one-offs, and DDR is a little more than ten years old, but most of the growth of the genre has been in the last decade.

[noiseredux]

Rhythm games would almost fit your time constraint. Sure, there were a few one-offs, and DDR is a little more than ten years old, but most of the growth of the genre has been in the last decade.

[Limewater]

I think you'd be hard pressed to call Simon a rhythm game. It's a memorization game. You can press the buttons faster, slower, or for different lengths of time and still win a round.

[noiseredux]

I think you'd be hard pressed to call Simon a rhythm game. It's a memorization game. You can press the buttons faster, slower, or for different lengths of time and still win a round.

good point.

[J T]

Rhythm games would almost fit your time constraint. Sure, there were a few one-offs, and DDR is a little more than ten years old, but most of the growth of the genre has been in the last decade.

I thought about those since Guitar Hero games became so popular this decade, but there was Parappa the Rappa back in 96/97, which was a pretty well known release.

[dsheinem]

I'd argue that he 3D hack-n-slash foots this bill. There were precursors, but nothing on the PS1/Saturn/N64 that really came close to the genre as it was fine tuned in the early to mid 2000s.

We were having a discussion on IRC the other day and I was the only one who could cite a favorite series (three or more games) that originated in the 2000s (Devil May Cry and God of War). Everyone else's favorite games from the past decade that were part of a series had their series roots in the 80s or 90s.

[Limewater]

I thought about those since Guitar Hero games became so popular this decade, but there was Parappa the Rappa back in 96/97, which was a pretty well known release.

Of course. That's why I said that it almost fits.

[ZeroAX]

the sandbox action game genre?

[J T]

the sandbox action game genre?

That's a good choice. There was Body Harvest in 1998, but things didn't really come together in this genre until Grand Theft Auto III came out in 2001.