We jump from platform games to shooting games.
From jumping or platform games to shooting games,
all them are inside the action games genre.
Well, we start with the First Person Shooter,
in which the main mechanics are shooting, covering, using items,
cooperating, solving puzzles and -in a second plane- jumping.
The control is medium-hard but demanding as it requires a lot of precision and
it takes a lot of time to understand it with enough control and precision level.
So the experience is quite physical, controlling in each moment both
the player's position and where is he aiming at in the screen,
and also cognitive, especially in spacial orientation.
At an emotional and motivational level they also work a lot
on having the players hooked with the different challenges and,
mostly, strong emotions such as competition, rage,
joy, anxiety, stress, etc.
At a social level the experience is very important,
especially in games with an important multiplayer component.
The target is variated, although there is a specific trend for a teen and
adult masculine audience; as well as a specific target,
which is hardcore gamer, in which many first person shooters play.
The setting is also variated, although there is usually
fantasy with realistic references, especially in sci-fi settings.
The cinema's importance is huge as usually these settings
mimic cinema films' settings.
Story has a secondary relevance.
There are usually campaign modes,
but these games are mostly focused on multiplayer experience.
Here we can see that we can play at an individual level,
but they are usually designed for a multiplayer experience.
The gameplay style is hardcore and in some levels or
types it can be less demanding at an arcade level,
but it is usually made for demanding players that
have a lot of experience and hours played.
As examples we have Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo or Doom.
Third person shooter.
The third person shooter is a variation of the first
person shooter.
The camera zooms out and is set behind the character
and we see a bit more of the scene.
Main mechanics are very similar: shooting, covering, jumping,
solving puzzles, using objects and cooperating.
Proportionally it can variate as
usually the scene's importance is bigger and aspects such as
solving puzzles or even jumping can have more presence.
The control is similar, it's also middle-hard
and requires a lot of precision when applying it,
but it is true that it's a bit easier than the first person shooter's.
The experience might be a bit less physical,
and a bit more cognitive and emotional.
Taking the camera away helps us to see a bigger part of the scene and
the experience can be more cinematographic.
So we want to play more at an emotional level by creating a richer experience
at an emotional level in the scene immersion.
The target is variated, more or less similar to first person shooters'
but a bit younger and which can include
a hardcore gamer but a bit less demanding.
The setting is similar, very similar to the first person shooters', diverse, with
realistic reference fantasy, sci-fi environments and cinema importance
Story has a bigger importance than in first person shooter
and individual game and multiplayer mode are much more balanced.
The playability style is still hardcore and also arcade
based on the game modes or the game itself.
As examples we find games such as Gears of War, Max Payne or Vanquish.
Shoot'em up are shooting games in which main mechanics,
apart from shooting, are dodging, jumping, using objects and solving puzzles.
The control is easy-medium,
much easier than the other two shooting genres we've seen.
The experience is also very physical and cognitive,
as it requires a lot of attention, perception and coordination.
The target is more variated, with younger people,
but also more adult, hardcore gamers but
also a less demanding audience and both male and female.
The setting is diverse, with a lot of fantasy but there
are also a lot of cartoonish designs and even more figurative ones.
The story has a secondary importance
but depending on the game it can have a bit more importance.
Usually the experience and the game are a bit more individual,
although there are some multiplayer cases.
Gameplay is more arcade but it can be more hardcore
as in the 'bullet hell' sub-genre.
As examples we have R-Type,
any Starfox game, Rez, Ikaruga or Geometry Wars.