Chris Crawford on Game Design

Glossary

Arcade game

A custom-built game placed in a public setting such as an arcade. For years, arcade games had the best hardware and therefore the best games, but during the 80s this advantage slowly evaporated and arcade games are now rarer than during their heyday in the late 70s and early 80s. Also known as quarter-grabbers for their success in extracting “just one more quarter” out of hopelessly addicted players.

Combat flight sim

The player flies a warplane and engages in aerial combat.

Computer game

A game played on a personal computer.

Dungeon crawl

A term of derision for a role-playing game in which the player must clear out a huge dungeon, battling hordes of monsters with no seeming end.

Fantasy

A context for games involving dragons, ...