Meta Description: Some games never die. Click here to find out about the 3 oldest gaming genres and the best games that are still going strong today.
Good games never die. The reason Half Life 2, as an example, is still going strong today is because it offered something that went beyond the hardware it ran on upon release.
It was a game that captured people’s imagination, with perfect storytelling and intricate gameplay. It was also a first-person shooter, and first-person shooters are a gaming genre that have become mainstays in the public consciousness.
From Half Life 2, to Call of Duty, to Maze War, first-person shooters have been going strong for decades now, with players loving their fast-paced action, immersive environments, and strategic depths.
Games that push the boundaries of the genre, like Half Life 2, have increased shelf lifes, but as a whole, any first-person shooter tends to have a dedicated audience who will always try it out no matter what.
This recently got us thinking about genres as a whole and which ones have really stood the test of time. There are many to choose from, granted, but we’ve managed to narrow it down to three of the oldest gaming genres that are still proving successful.
The Gambling Genre
If you want a gaming genre that can be traced back hundreds of years ago, you won’t find anything but the gambling – or casino – genre. While the casinos found on https://www.johnslots.com/en/ are relatively new, what they’re offering are games that can trace their roots back to the early 19th century.
Poker, roulette, blackjack. All of these games were first reported back in the 1800s, with the game Texas Hold’em, specifically, coming out of Texas in the 1870s – and yet all of them still capture people’s imagination and continue to be just as popular today.
As for why they’re so popular, it’s hard to say. But perhaps the psychological appeal has something to do with it. The gambling genre essentially offers a game of chance, filled with unpredictability and suspense. This is something that a lot of players look for – not necessarily to test their own skills, but test their luck and working through the odds.
Granted, not every game focuses purely on luck. Poker, in particular, is highly strategic, with players needing to utilise their face-reading skills and apply certain tactics. But even then, the cards need to fall for you in the first place.
This, complete with a strong communal aspect, have made it endure through the years, and even thrive with the move from traditional land-based casinos to the current online space.
The Platforming Genre
Platformer games have also stood the test of time, with players having to navigate characters through a series of platforms, obstacles, and challenges. The genre gained prominence with early arcade machines and consoles in the 1970s and 80s, but when the first console was released, they moved from the arcades and into our homes – and it’s fair to say the move went swimmingly.
Still in 2024, platformers are some of the most popular games for console, PC, and mobile, with players loving the challenging gameplay, creative level design, and engaging mechanics that they offer. In our opinion, simplicity is the key here.
While there are plenty of different games to have come out of this genre, whenever someone buys a platformer, they know exactly what they’re getting. A simple A to B game with a bit of strategy sprinkled into the mix, and because they already know that, platform releases tend to do quite well, with hardly any ‘hesitant buyers’. T
This kind of assurance aids the studios and developers, who will put more work into increasing their output and – consequently – keeping the platforming genre alive. If you look at some of the successful releases of 2024, for instance, platformers take up a lot of real estate, sitting comfortably alongside the most admirable RPGs and adventure games.
The Puzzle Genre
One of the other oldest gaming genres is the ‘puzzle genre’. Once again, this picked up steam along with the 1980s gaming industry, where puzzle games like Tetris and Minesweeper began developing a fanbase with the release of early Windows systems.
Today, you can find tons of these kinds of games in the app store, with particular favourites including Candy Crush and Portal. The reason players like these games is not unlike the gambling genre.
These are games that you can pick up and play in a few minutes, and then continue with your day without getting too invested. They’re simple, but strategic, and focus primarily on usability and convenience rather than intricate gameplay or storylines.
The survival of the puzzle genre – and all of the genres on this list, for that matter – also prove that games don’t have to be complex. Sometimes the most simple of ideas survive the longest, and the gambling, platforming and puzzle genres are going to survive for another few decades yet.