Video Game Tropes: Difference between revisions

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#REDIRECT [[:Category:Video Game Tropes]]
{{trope}}
An article in this index will be about these things:

* Gameplay mechanics--including mechanics borrowed from Tabletop Games.
* Characterization and setting tropes specific to game characters and settings.
* Setting tropes that aren't necessarily specific to games but are used in games to the degree they are pretty much stock elements, or without which many games would be unrecognizable/unplayable.

'''NOTE: Please do not add tropes to this index if they can instead be put in one of the sub-categories.'''
----

=== Tropes related to technical aspects of video games: ===

<div style="float:right"><sidebarmenu>
Categories:
*[[Acceptable Breaks From Reality]]
*[[Video Games/Awesome]]
*[[Boss Battle]]
*[[Error Index]]
*[[Gameplay and Story Segregation]]
*[[The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches]]
*[[How Video Game Specs Work]]
* [[Japanese Games]]
*[[Not the Way It Is Meant To Be Played]]
*[[Older Than the NES]]
*[[Role Playing Game]] Tropes
*[[Stock Video Game Puzzle]]
*[[Strategy Game Tropes]]
*[[Various Videogame Views]]
*[[Video Game Characters]]
*[[Videogame Culture]]
*[[Video Game Difficulty Tropes]]
*[[Videogame Effects and Spells]]
*[[Video Game Genres]]
*[[Video Game Interface Elements]]
*[[Video Game Items and Inventory]]
*[[Videogame Objectives]]
*[[Video Game Physics]]
*[[Video Game Rewards]]
*[[Video Game Settings]]
*[[Videogame Systems]]
*[[Video Game Tactical Index]]
</sidebarmenu></div>

* [[Two and A Half D]]<br />A sidescrolling platform game in a three-dimensional world.
* [[Three Quarters View]] <br />A method of portraying three dimensional space in a two-dimensional plane. Basically, it's a tilted bird's eye view perspective in which both the top and front of an object is seen at the same time, and the vertical axis indicates both height and depth.
* [[Ambidextrous Sprite]] <br />An asymmetric sprite will be perfectly mirrored--meaning it will "switch sides" depending on what side is visible.
* [[Arcade Perfect Port]] <br />Once the golden standard for ported video games when the difference in processing power between arcade and home was substantial.
* [[Automatic New Game]] <br />If the game can't find a previous save file, it skips the usual choice of "New Game" / "Continue Game" and starts up a new game by default.
* [[Back That Light Up]] <br />Handheld game consoles can be lit in several ways.
* [[Camera Centering]] <br />Quickly focusing the camera behind the player so you can see the same direction they are.
* [[Camera Perspective Switch]] <br />When the camera switches between first and third person perspective, or vice versa, either manually or dynamically.
* [[Cel Shading]] <br />A kind of rendering process that makes 3D models look like cartoons.
* [[Combat and Support]] <br />A pair of combat roles players can select between based on their respective play-styles.
* [[Console Cameo]] <br />A replica of the console a game is on (or another console by the same company) appears in the game.
* [[Cut and Paste Environments]] <br />Repetition of levels/environments, either in part or whole.
* [[Dialogue Tree]] <br />Dialogue which proceeds by selecting options from a list.
** [[Shall I Repeat That]] <br />When, at the end of a long set of text or dialogue tree, the person with whom you are speaking asks to start the entire conversation over.
* [[Digital Avatar]] <br />Your custom persona inside the game (and elsewhere in [[Cyberspace]]).
* [[Digitized Sprites]] <br />Converting an existing or pre-made image into a sprite.
* [[Dynamic Loading]] <br />Techniques used to hide [[Loads and Loads of Loading]].
* [[Elaborate Equals Effective]] <br />Items and weapons will have a better look as they grow stronger.
* [[Essence Drop]] <br />Dead enemies drop some intangible thing (usually spheres) that refill your health, magic, etc.
* [[Event Flag]] <br />Something that happens that triggers something else (possibly totally unrelated) to occur.
* [[Evolutionary Retcon]] <br />As graphics technology improves, the appearance of the enemies changes so they are scarier, more detailed, and/or more and more lifelike.
* [[Faux First Person 3D]] <br />A way to simulate 3-D graphics by arranging 2D elements into a perspectivical picture.
* [[First Person Ghost]] <br />In [[First Person Shooter]] games, you can never see any part of your body other than perhaps your arms.
* [[Fixed Camera]] <br />The camera in a game shifts, but you can't control it.
* [[Flip Screen Scrolling]] <br />A continuous gameworld scrolls only in full-screen intervals, or is otherwise rendered as a series of "screens".
* [[Freelook Button]] <br />The ability to switch from player control to camera control (when you can't have both), and simply observe all the gameworld's [[Scenery Porn]] from the character's perspective.
* [[Freeware Games]] <br />Games which have either been created for free distribution, or are formerly commercial titles that have been released from their copyright obligations.
* [[Game Favored Gender]]<br />When gender differences lead to one gender being more useful than the other.
* [[Going Through the Motions]] <br />3D games have a recognizable set of animations for each character which are repeated throughout the game.
* [[Graphics Induced Super Deformed]] <br />Video game characters have big heads in-game due to the low pixel count they take up.
* [[Head Swap]] <br />Same body, different head.
* [[Hyperactive Sprite]] <br />Sprites which will not have an idle mode, thereby being animated as if moving when it should be standing still.
* [[Isometric Projection]] <br />A form of graphical projection that fakes a third dimension when only 2D graphics are available.
* [[Kill Screen]] <br />When an older game gets played so far past expectations that it results in a [[Game Breaking Bug]].
* [[Loading Screen]] <br />Please wait, your trope description is loading.
** [[Loads and Loads of Loading]] <br />A game that takes ''fricking longer to load than to play GRAHHH''
* [[Magnet Hands]] <br />Characters in [[Platform Game|Platform Games]] will always be holding their weapon, no matter what kind of crazy acrobatics they're engaged in.
* [[Mook Debut Cutscene]] <br />A short, usually wordless cutscene runs when you meet a new kind of mook.
* [[Multi Platform]] <br />Any software program, particularly a [[Video Game]], that is simultaneously developed and (usually) simultaneously released for more than one system.
* [[Point Build System]] <br />The opposite type of [[Game System]] to the [[Class and Level System]], you spend points to buy stats & skills.
* [[Post Processing Video Effects]] <br />Common visual effects that are applied after the scene is rendered by the game engine.
* [[Ratchet Scrolling]] <br />Scrolling controlled by the player but only operating one-way.
* [[Real Time With Pause]] <br />The ability to affect gameplay while it's paused.
* [[Repeatable Quest]] <br />Quests that can be repeated.
* [[Respawn Point]] <br />When you die, there's a designated place your new body pops out.
* [[Scripted Event]] <br />Events in video games which are programmed to unfold in the same way each time.
* [[Shareware]] <br />A popular form of game distribution, especially during the 1990s.
* [[Side View]] <br />A video game perspective in which all objects are viewed strictly from the side, with little or no amount of their tops or bottoms visible.
* [[Skybox]] <br />A graphical representation of the sky that "wraps around" a computer game-world, and is used to simulate the "sky" of a game-world.
* [[Soft Reset]] <br />The ability to restart just the game, without having to reboot the system.
* [[Sound of No Damage]] <br />A sound effect played when something is hit without taking damage.
* [[Sprite Polygon Mix]] <br />Fifth-generation systems often used fully 3D backgrounds with sprite characters, or static backgrounds with polygonal characters.
* [[Suddenly Blonde]] <br />A character's design must be constrained due to technical limitations.
* [[Tech Demo Game]] <br />A game that has such high hardware requirements, it's almost like a tech demo for said hardware requirements. It can also refer to games that make an obvious push to show off power (such as a game for a video game console).
* [[Thematic Series]] <br />A series of loosely connected games.
* [[Top Down View]] <br />A bird's eye view of the action.
* [[Vector Game]] <br />Any game that uses a vector graphics display.
* [[Video Game Geography]] <br />The consequences of making maps fit to a game instead of the other way around.
* [[Who Forgot the Lights]] <br />They made it dark for atmosphere. Pity you can't see anything.
* [[Wrap Around]] <br />A mechanic where the edges of the screen are hyperspatially connected: move past the left side, and you appear on the right.
* [[Zip Mode]] <br />An out-of-story way to quickly get from one area to another, to minimize [[Back Tracking]].

=== Common gameplay tropes: ===
* [[Absurdly High Level Cap]] <br />In games with [[Character Level|Character Levels]], the maximum level is far higher than necessary.
* [[Absurdly Low Level Cap]] <br />In games with [[Character Level|Character Levels]], the maximum level will be attained long before the end of the game.
* [[Action Commands]] <br />The player must execute a command within a small window of time.
* [[Alliance Meter]]<br />Getting the game's factions to like or hate you.
* [[An Interior Designer Is You]] <br />A video game that lets you decorate a room.
* [[Artificial Atmospheric Actions]] <br />[[NPC]] actions which are programmed but turn up in inappropriate ways or circumstances.
* [[Battle Intro]] <br />The introduction a character has before a fighting game match.
* [[Beating a Dead Player]] <br />You just died... so why are those dudes still attacking your corpse?
* [[Beat Them At Their Own Game]] <br />The most effective tactic against the enemy is the enemy's own tactics.
* [[Big Damn Fire Exit]] <br />Is the building being destroyed around you? There'll always be a fireproof/destructionproof pathway you can escape through!
* [[Call a Hit Point A Smeerp]] <br />A common video game convention that is given a different name in an attempt at immersion.
* [[Camera Lock On]] <br />Focusing the camera on a target.
* [[Capture the Flag]] <br />Common video game mode where two teams try to capture each other's flag. And kill lots of them while they're at it, usually.
* [[Character Customization]] <br />Altering the statistics of your character in relation to the game the character is in.
* [[Check Point]] <br />A point to which the player can return after play has been interrupted, especially by player character death.
* [[Check Point Starvation]] <br />A severe lack of [[Check Point|Check Points]].
* [[Color Coded Armies]] <br />Opposing sides in a strategy game can be told apart by their color.
* [[Color Coded Multiplayer]] <br />Identical PC's can be told apart by their color.
* [[Comeback Mechanic]] <br />A feature that provides assistance to losing players or players near elimination.
* [[Controllable Helplessness]] <br />Video games that allow you to control your character (somewhat) even while helpless.
* [[Corridor Cubbyhole Run]] <br />A corridor with a constant hazard you have to avoid by utilizing "safe zones".
* [[Cranium Ride]] <br />Jumping on an enemy's head and riding him, often across hazards.
* [[Critical Existence Failure]] <br />You can survive any amount of injury with no lasting effects -- unless it takes out your last [[Hit Point]], in which case it's instant death.
* [[Critical Status Buff]] <br />A character becomes more powerful as his [[Hit Points]] approach zero.
** [[Turns Red]] <br />When an enemy (usually a [[Boss Battle|Boss]]) becomes more powerful as his [[Hit Points]] dwindle.
* [[Crouch and Prone]] <br />Crouching and/or lying on the ground has various effects for your character.
* [[Die Chair Die]] <br />In-game props which can be destroyed, sometimes resulting in a reward.
* [[Direct Continuous Levels]] <br />It's a linear game, but not broken up by jumps between levels.
* [[Do Not Drop Your Weapon]] <br />Heroes and enemies will never drop their gun--until they die.
* [[Do Not Run With a Gun]] <br />Only the player can move and shoot at the same time; everyone else has to stop if they want to attack.
* [[Drop in Drop Out Multiplayer]]<br />Other players can join and leave any time they want.
* [[Dual World Gameplay]] <br />Gameplay techniques introduced by the idea of the player travelling between two worlds.
* [[Easy Exp]] <br />Non-standard way to gain XP (experience/experience points).
* [[Easy Mode Mockery]] <br />[[You Suck]]! Easy mode is for grandmothers and preschoolers.
* [[Elites Are More Glamorous]] <br />While frequently a military type, your [[Player Character]]'s specific position rarely happens to be "[[Redshirt Army|Yet Another Grunt In This Trench]]". Then again, in most cases you would not ''want'' to play as one of these for long.
* [[Endgame Plus]] <br />Defeating the [[Final Boss]] returns you to your most recent save point, but with new bonus content added to the gameworld somewhere.
* [[Endless Game]] <br />A game that never ends; you just keep going to more and more levels.
* [[Enemy Detecting Radar]] <br />Blip! Blip! Blip... [[Metal Gear Solid|VRRRRP!?]]
* [[An Entrepreneur Is You]] <br />A game where you run a business of some sort.
* [[Everything Breaks]] <br />It's like as soon as you touch it, it crumbles into dust!
* [[Everything Is Smashable Area]] <br />A confined space in a video game where every object surrounding you is smashable, usually for collecting points.
* [[Extra Turn]] <br />[[Super Mario Bros Super Show|Take one step, and then again!]]
* [[Fake Balance]] <br />Theoretically balanced gameplay elements that in practice, are '''not''' balanced
* [[Fake Difficulty]] <br />When game designers create the illusion of a challenge through [[Luck Based Mission]] and other means, or when a game really '''is''' hard, but for the wrong reasons.
* [[Fake Longevity]] <br />Padding a game out to make it longer
* [[Fake Skill]] <br />When the player finds alternative methods to beat the game than what developers intended to allow. Sometimes requires real skill to pull off.
* [[First Person Snapshooter]] <br />A gameplay element that requires you to take pictures of things.
* [[Fission Mailed]] <br />When it looks like you've lost the game, but the plot still continues.
* [[Flash of Pain]] <br />Every time an enemy gets hit, it blinks a different colour for a short time.
* [[Flushing Edge Interactivity]] <br />Because being able to flush toilets that otherwise serve no function whatsoever is the cinematic interactive experience players are looking for!
* [[Follow the Money]] <br />Ubiquitous, small, often shiny collectible items, usually in [[Platform Game|Platform Games]].
* [[For Massive Damage]] <br />When a match just won't work... go for a flamethrower!
* [[Game Lobby]] <br />When players need to get together and agree to play before an online game can start.
* [[Gameplay Automation]] <br />When the game runs, or offers to run, parts of itself.
* [[Game Within a Game]] <br />Playing a different game inside a game.
* [[Geo Effects]] <br />Where the terrain can affect battles, such as stats or effectiveness of elemental abilities.
* [[Gravity Barrier]] <br />A huge cliff or vertical drop that acts as a "fence" keeping the player from passing it.
* [[Grimy Water]] <br />Water with a tainted color that harms or kills the character upon contact.
* [[Healing Spring]] <br />A body of water that heals bathers.
* [[Hit Points]] <br />A number attributed to your health that indicates how close to death you are.
* [[Homing Boulders]] <br />Where any projectile homes into its target--even things like arrows and boulders.
* [[Human Cannonball]] <br />Launching yourself out of a cannon is an useful form of transportation.
* [[Idiosyncratic Combo Levels]] <br />Names for combo length or timing specific to a game.
* [[Informed Equipment]] <br />Equipped weapons and armor are not visibly reflected on your character sprites or models.
* [[In Universe Game Clock]] <br />Time passes, generally on a day/night cycle.
** [[NPC Scheduling]] <br />NPCs can be seen moving about as the time passes.
* [[Last Chance Hit Point]] <br />If [[Critical Existence Failure]] doesn't occur immediately upon zero HP, but waits for the owner to take one more hit.
* [[Last Second Karma Choice]] <br />Single choice made near the end of the game determines your karma.
* [[Level Editor]] <br />Make your own levels--ridiculously easy or fiendishly difficult? You decide!
* [[Level Goal]] <br />The way to mark a definitive end to a video game level without a [[Boss Battle]].
* [[Level Scaling]] <br />As you level up, so do your enemies.
* [[Level Up Fill Up]] <br />Go up a level, and your HP fills back up to the max.
* [[Lift of Doom]] <br />A [[Floating Platforms]] that ascends, and as it does it passes through everything but the player character.
* [[Locked Door]] <br />You need a key to open the door. No, [[Insurmountable Waist High Fence|you can't just knock it down.]]
* [[Luck Manipulation Mechanic]] <br />Game mechanics that let you re-attempt chance based elements to get a better result.
* [[Luck Stat]] <br />A vaguely described statistic used as a catch-all for various effects.
* [[Mini Game]] <br />We interrupt your regularly scheduled plot for an [[Unexpected Gameplay Change]]!
** [[Betting Minigame]] <br />Let's pause our quest to play craps!
** [[Fishing Minigame]] <br />Toss a line and reel in the big one!
** [[Hacking Minigame]] <br />Hacking into computer systems is for profit and fun!
** [[Hot Coffee Minigame]] <br />No need to call Freud -- these characters are in fact making out or having sex.
** [[Mini Game Credits]] <br />The closing company credits double as their own Minigame.
** [[Racing Mini Game]] <br />First one to the finish line wins!
* [[Mirror Match]] <br />Where a character fights himself.
* [[Mooks but No Bosses]] <br />A game is full of enemies to beat but doesn't have any real [[Boss Battle]].
* [[Multi Mook Melee]] <br />Where you have to fight a seemingly endless stream of [[Mook|Mooks]] who slowly become tougher.
* [[Musical Gameplay]] <br />Games where the background music is immediately affected by what happens on the screen.
* [[New Game Plus]] <br />Way of starting a new game by accessing a previous finished game, allowing you to start with improved stats, [[And Your Reward Is Clothes|new costumes]] or [[Bag of Holding|items won beforehand]].
* [[No Bulk Discounts]] <br />In games with shops, buying items in bunches never saves you money.
* [[Non Combatant Immunity]] <br />No enemies will try to attack you, or be capable of killing you, until you have the means to fight back.
* [[No Points for Neutrality]]<br />Lets face it, being neutral sucks in video games. Those goody-two-shoes and bastard villains get all the development.
* [[One Hit Polykill]] <br />When a bullet goes through its target and can continue to hit more targets.
* [[Only Smart People May Pass]] <br />Any barrier that requires the heroes to solve some kind of puzzle or [[Riddle Me This|riddle]] in order to pass.
* [[Outside the Box Tactic]] <br />Certain enemies are vulnerable to tactics that are bizarre or otherwise not intuitive at first glance.
* [[Overheating]] <br />Your gun will overheat if you use it for too long, even if you have unlimited ammo.
* [[Oxygenated Underwater Bubbles]] <br />Conveniently located air bubbles to replenish your [[Oxygen Meter]].
* [[Padded Sumo Gameplay]] <br />High defensive and low offensive stats for both the player and enemies result in long, monotonous battles.
* [[Palette Swap]] <br />Two sprites (characters, monsters etc.) that are identical except for their color scheme.
* [[Pass Through the Rings]] <br />The player must pass through a certain number of rings or other objects within a limited time period.
* [[Password Save]] <br />Saving your progress through use of a password rather than game memory.
* [[Path of Most Resistance]] <br />When you are presented with multiple paths or options, you should ''always'' take the most difficult looking one.
* [[Playable Menu]] <br />Fully interactivized main menu sequence.
* [[Player Versus Environment]] <br />A type of video game mode in which the enemies are computer-generated AI, specifically when players can be fought as well outside this mode.
* [[Player Versus Player]] <br />A type of video game mode in which the enemies are other players of the game.
* [[Plot Lock]] <br />Something which you should easily be able to pass through, given your abilities, but the plot decrees you can't.
* [[Point of No Return]] <br />A place in the story where it becomes impossible to revisit earlier points.
* [[Pop Quiz]] <br />A sudden general knowledge quiz regarding obscure facts about the events, characters and monsters in the game universe.
* [[Power Up Motif]] <br />An auditory cue that a powerup is in play.
* [[Pressure Plate]] <br />A door that's powered by a floor plate that trips when stood upon.
* [[Press X to Not Die]] <br />During a cinematic event, you are instructed to press a button to trigger events or dodge attacks etc.
* [[Purely Aesthetic Gender]] <br />Character sex (where it can be chosen) makes no difference in player stats.
* [[PVP Balanced]] <br />In games where players can fight each other, classes must be balanced so one type of character is not overpowered.
* [[Regenerating Health]] <br />You can heal injuries just by being inactive, even without first aid.
* [[Regenerating Shield Static Health]] <br />You have [[Multiple Life Bars|two health meters]], only one of which regenerates.
* [[Relationship Values]] <br />A usually hidden meter that measures the depth of your relationship to other characters.
* [[Restart At Level One]] <br />When a powerful character is given a plot-powered "level down" so he isn't statistically overpowered.
* [[Ring Out]] <br />To win a match held in a bounded area by throwing, forcing, or tricking the enemy into stepping out of bounds.
* [[Rocket Tag Gameplay]] <br />High offensive stats and low defensive stats for both the player and enemies result in quick, unpredictable battles.
* [[RPG Elements]] <br />Where a non-[[RPG]] is given some aspects of one (menu battles, equipment, levels).
* [[RP Gs Equal Combat]] <br />The only way to get equipment, skills and levels is to fight things.
* [[Run Don't Walk]] <br />Modern games have characters run by default; walking is more difficult to do.
* [[Rules of the Game]] <br />An area of the game with special rules or restrictions.
* [[Save Point]] <br />A specific spot where the player is allowed to save.
** [[Justified Save Point]] <br />Use this computer terminal to record your progress? ('''Yes'''/No)
* [[Scoring Points]] <br />It's all about the points, baby! Rack up those zeroes!
** [[Pinball Scoring]] <br />Games that award points in extremely ridonkulous amounts.
* [[Scratch Damage]] <br />You are never invincible - even enemies much weaker than you will still do 1 [[Hit Point]] of damage with their attacks.
* [[Set a Mook To Kill A Mook]] <br />Games that offer some way to control, trick, or override enemies and make them attack other enemies.
* [[Sidequest Sidestory]] <br />A sequence of optional sidequests reference/join up to each other to create a seperate story.
* [[Silliness Switch]] <br />A game option that raises the game to significantly elevated stupidity levels.
* [[Sliding Scale of Turn Realism]] <br />How games simulate the passage of time.
* [[Smashing Survival]] <br />In order to break free of an enemy's grip or shake loose from a trap, you have to smash the buttons, frantically spin the analog stick, or a combo of both.
* [[Sniping Mission]] <br />When the player is tasked with using a [[Sniper Rifle|long-range weapon]] to attack far-away targets.
* [[Spread Shot]] <br />Your gun shoots bullets covering wider range.
* [[Springs Springs Everywhere]] <br />Video games are full of springboards and other bouncy things.
* [[Stance System]] <br />The ability to switch to a new set of abilities or attack styles, designed to open up more strategies and combo opportunities.
* [[Story Driven Invulnerability]] <br />Even if you interact with the bad guy while chasing after him, you can't actually damage him until the [[Boss Battle]] officially begins.
* [[Subsystem Damage]] <br />When individual body parts can be targeted or damaged, or when physical effects impede your character, such as limping or shaky aim.
* [[Swiss Army Hero]] <br />Sometimes you get many heroes in one.
* [[Tank Controls]] <br />When a game forces you to move forward and backward separately from left and right.
* [[Teased With Awesome]] <br />When a video game gives you awesome gameplay elements only to take them back immediately.
** [[A Taste of Power]] <br />Where you are given a strong character or ability early on, but lose it quickly.
* [[Ten Second Flashlight]] <br />Your flashlight only lasts a few seconds. Stupid cheap Taiwanese knockoffs.
* [[Time Trial]] <br />A game mode where the game keeps track of how long you've been playing a level.
* [[Tube Travel]] <br />In which you get somewhere by going through a tube.
* [[Unexpected Shmup Level]] <br />Whoa, my trusty steed! Forsooth, we must pause to do a [[Shoot Em Up]] level!
* [[Veteran Unit]] <br />An equivalent of a [[Character Level]] in [[Real Time Strategy]] games
* [[Videogame Set Piece]] <br />An occurrence that is not part of the game's typical gameplay/engine mechanics (e.g. monsters suddenly smashing down doors).
* [[Warp Zone]] <br />A secret area of a video game that allows you to magically teleport to another level, possibly offering you a choice of levels.
* [[When All Else Fails Go Right]] <br />Application of the [[Genre Savvy]] concept that the goal is generally to the right of the starting point.

=== Common non-gameplay-related tropes: ===
* [[Thirty Day Free Trial]] <br />Offering the game free for a limited time so that new players can try it out.
* [[Addressing the Player]] <br />Once you enter your name, the game brings it back later as part of the plot or gameplay.
* [[Alchemic Elementals]] <br />Four specific monsters (variations are rare) are often used to represent an element.
* [[Already Done for You]] <br />Another character in the story has already accomplished one of your objectives.
* [[Already Undone for You]] <br />How did those NPCs get through the dungeon ahead of you without being required to [[Solve the Soup Cans]] like you were?
* [[And Now for Someone Completely Different]] <br />After getting used to one hero, you suddenly find yourself controlling a different character.
* [[Announcer Chatter]] <br />Announcers in video games can be funny, but also annoying.
* [[Another Side Another Story]] <br />After beating the game, you get to play a parallel storyline with another character or plotline.
* [[Back From the Brink]] <br />The story begins with the enemy about to kill off the players, then you have to fight back.
* [[Back Tracking]] <br />Having to return to an area you've already been to.
* [[Black Mesa Commute]] <br />The game starts with exploration of a small part of the setting while getting a tour of the level.
* [[Camera Screw]] <br />The camera in a 3D game can be more of a hindrance than a help.
* [[Canon Name]] <br />A character which is named by the player is given a "real" name in subsequent adaptations.
* [[Catastrophic Countdown]] <br />One a [[Time Bomb]] is set, the whole area starts joining in. Even before the boom.
* [[Chain Reaction Destruction]] <br />Instead of thing exploding with BOOM, it goes "pow pow pow pow pow" etc.!
* [[Character Portrait]] <br />Important characters in some [[RPG|RPGs]] may have pictures of them display during dialogue.
* [[Character Roster Global Warming]] <br />50 light guys, 2 heavy guys.
* [[Clairvoyant Security Force]] <br />Certain guys seem to psychically know when you are trying to steal something and immediately appear from wherever they were to stop you.
* [[Com Mons]] <br />The monster (in monster battlers) or card (in card battlers) for beginners, which quickly becomes useless.
* [[The Computer Shall Taunt You]] <br />The game [[Cruelty Is the Only Option|wants you to kick a puppy]]. You don't want to kick it. Then the puppy starts laughing at you and [[Talking Animal|telling you]] what a loser you are. [[Unstoppable Rage|Now you want to punt the little bastard into the next time zone.]]
* [[Coup De Grace Cutscene]] <br />After you defeat a boss, a cutscene shows you delivering the final blow.
* [[Crate Expectations]] <br />Crates are ''everywhere'' in video games and serve all kinds of different purposes.
* [[Cruelty Is the Only Option]] <br />Hey, you! Yeah, ''you!!!'' [[Kick the Dog|Kick this puppy!]] What's that, you say? [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|You say that'd be mean?]] That you're not [[Karma Meter|evil]]? Well, ''that's too [[Precision F Strike|fucking]] bad!!! '''Now kick that puppy!!!!!!!!'''''
* [[Cutscene]] <br />Non-interactive sequences inserted into the action of a game.
* [[Death Cry Echo]] <br />When a character is killed, they give off a dying scream, which is repeated (getting fainter) like an echo.
* [[Defeat Means Playable]] <br />Once you defeat a character, you can then play as said character.
* [[Destructible Projectiles]] <br />Projectiles can be taken out by hitting them with an attack.
* [[Dialog During Gameplay]] <br />The character you control has conversations with other characters as you're walking around, instead of during a cutscene.
* [[Empty Room Psych]] <br />What do you mean this room really ''is'' empty?
* [[Enemy Chatter]] <br />Random or scripted lines which enemy soldiers or [[Mook|Mooks]] speak amongst themselves.
* [[Equipment Reset Button]]<br />Wait, didn't I have a rocket launcher at the end of the last level?
* [[Excuse Plot]] <br />A bare-bones plot that's only there as a justification for the gameplay.
* [[Exposition Break]] <br />A break in the gameplay to provide you with [[Exposition]].
* [[Fackler Scale of FPS Realism]] <br />A scale that measures how close [[First Person Shooter]] games are to real-world shooting and combat.
* [[Foreboding Architecture]] <br />Games which allow you to predict when enemies will appear based on the room or visuals you're seeing.
* [[Gameplay Guided Amnesia]] <br />Because the character knows things the player doesn't, sometimes the character gets amnesia to excuse the explanation to the player.
* [[Gay Option]] <br />A game that allows the character to pursue romantic ties with a same-sex character.
* [[Golden Ending]] <br />The only "real" ending; [[Multiple Endings|the rest]] [[Nonstandard Game Over|just tell you]] [[Its a Wonderful Failure|how you screwed up]].
* [[Golden Path]] <br />The exact combination of choices that will make the best (usually with the most content) playing experience.
* [[Heroes Prefer Swords]] <br />In an RPG, the main character always uses a sword.
* [[Hide Your Children]] <br />In violent video games, there will be no children at all anywhere in the game, or they will be impervious to harm.
* [[Hit Scan]] <br />Since bullets travel really fast, they really travel instantly to their destination in a straight line, right?
* [[I Can't Use These Things Together]] <br />Main characters will talk to themselves about the items they have if the player tries to examine one, or use them in an invalid manner.
* [[I Can't Reach It]] <br />Characters refuse to do or "can't" do something that is clearly within their means.
* [[I Fought the Law And The Law Won]] <br />Whoever or whatever the local law-enforcement may be, attempting to fight it is futile. They're either downright invulnerable, or endlessly respawn. Run Away!
* [[Impassable Desert]] <br />You can't enter the desert without some item.
* [[Infallible Babble]] <br />Whenever you are given information, it is always correct.
* [[In Game Novel]] <br />A full-length novel which can be read inside the game.
* [[In Game TV]] <br />An actual TV show which the player can watch inside a game.
* [[Involuntary Group Split]] <br />The characters are forced by a suddenly falling pile of rock, to continue their journey alone.
* [[Irrelevant Importance]] <br />An important object that's already been used and hence irrelevant is still prevented from being destroyed or lost by the game.
* [[Its Up to You]] <br />It's the main character's job to do absolutely every task of any significance.
* [[Journey to Find Oneself]] <br />After the end of a game, one character goes off on his own to wander the world.
* [[Late Character Syndrome]] <br />A character who comes to the party too late in the game for the player to want to go through the effort of using him.
* [[Late to The Party]] <br />The main character arrives after something horrible has happened, and while he escapes or investigates, he inevitably learns the whole story.
* [[Ludicrous Gibs]] <br />Ridiculously overemphasized blood and gore.
* [[Mad Libs Dialogue]] <br />The practice of recording lines with blanks in it, which can be filled in later.
* [[Microtransactions]] <br />Selling additional game content for real-world money.
* [[Misaimed Realism]] <br />An element of the gameplay that is supposed to make the game realistic, but eventually makes it laughably unrealistic.
* [[Monsters Everywhere]] <br />Going from point A to point B is like carving your way through a thick jungle of flesh.
* [[Multiple Endings]] <br />Let's see, there's the Bad End, the Good End, the Sort Of Better Than The Bad End But Still Not That Great End...
* [[Musical Spoiler]] <br />A change in background music is an early indication that something is about to happen.
* [[Mythology Upgrade]] <br />Mythological monsters get beefed up over their original descriptions.
* [[New World Tease]] <br />You are given a glimpse of a new world, but can't do anything there yet.
* [[No Campaign for The Wicked]] <br />In games with two large forces, you can only play as the "good guys" in single-player mode.
* [[No Canon for The Wicked]] <br />The "good ending" is always the canonical one.
* [[No Gear Level]] <br />A level or piece of the plot where you've been stripped of your weapons and/or equipment.
* [[No Item Use for You]] <br />You can't use certain or any items in certain situations.
* [[No Plot No Problem]]<br />Forsaking any plot or character development so that the game is purely about the gameplay itself.
* [[Now Where Was I Going Again]] <br />OK, I saved my place three months ago and I'm picking the game up again... so where was I supposed to go?
* [[Omnicidal Neutral]] <br />Games that let you be not good nor evil but to take on ''everybody''.
* [[Only Idiots May Pass]] <br />The game assumes you've never played it before, and requires you to "find out" about things you may already know.
* [[Optional Character Scene]] <br />A scene is only triggered if you have a certain character in your party.
* [[Optional Sexual Encounter]] <br />Look at those pixels go at it!
* [[Paused Interrupt]] <br />When one character is "interrupted" by another, sometimes there is a pause before the second character actually starts talking.
* [[Playable Epilogue]] <br />Erm... it's an epilogue... [[Captain Obvious|but you can play it.]]
* [[Player and Protagonist Integration]] <br />Are you talking to your character, or ''are'' you your character?
* [[Player Punch]] <br />Where the game kills or hurts someone or something that the player has come to feel emotion for.
* [[Play the Game Skip The Story]] <br />A story that the company obviously spent a lot of time and effort on, but which ends up being annoying and silly and gamers just want to get to the gameplay already!
* [[Playing the Player]] <br />Where the standard relationship between the game and the player is [[Playing With a Trope|played with]] to make the player feel uncomfortable.
* [[Previous Player Character Cameo]] <br />In a sequel, the [[Player Character]] from a previous game in the series shows up.
* [[Puzzle Pan]] <br />Where the game's camera pans across the correct route in a puzzle before you begin.
* [[Quick Melee]] <br />Melee attacks caused by pressing a button, rather than switching to a melee weapon. Usually seen in shooter games.
* [[Random Event]] <br />Things that ''can'' happen, but where, when, or ''if'' they will happen are determined purely by chance.
* [[Random Power Ranking]] <br />The tendency of video games to rank [[Personal/phlebotinum|phlebotinum]] power on a oversimplified, seemingly random/arbitray scale.
* [[Real Is Brown]] <br />Games that try to be more "realistic" often seem to paint everything in shades of brown or gray.
* [[Recurring Element]] <br />An item, character, monster etc. that appears in several games which are otherwise disconnected.
* [[Right Handed Left Handed Guns]] <br />A weapon used in the right hand, but which seems to be designed for left-hand use.
* [[Save the Princess]] <br />Typical early video game plot.
* [[Saving the World]] <br />Typical ''modern'' video game plot.
* [[Scenery As You Go]] <br />As you walk along a bridge or walkway, it creates itself, allowing you to continue.
* [[Schrodingers Gun]] <br />Where several story possibilities exist, but the one that will actually happen depends on the player's actions and choices.
* [[Schrodingers Question]] <br />You determine reality by answering a question whose answer you don't know.
* [[Shoplift and Die]] <br />Stealing from a shop can be hazardous to your health.
* [[Sidetrack Bonus]] <br />It can be a good idea to go the wrong way.
* [[Songs in The Key of Panic]] <br />Certain events cause a song in video games to speed up.
* [[Space Filling Path]] <br />Rooms always have to have stuff in them, or twist or turn or generally make you spend more time in them than necessary.
* [[A Space Marine Is You]] <br />In [[Science Fiction|sci-fi]] [[First Person Shooter|First Person Shooters]], starring a [[One Man Army|member of the military]], you will be a [[Silent Protagonist|mute]] [[Space Marine]].
* [[Speaking Simlish]] <br />A language, generally for [[NPC|NPCs]], made up of nonsense sounds strung together like actual words.
* [[Stalactite Spite]] <br />Inanimate cones of limestone can see players coming and fall appropriately.
* [[Story to Gameplay Ratio]] <br />On one side, ''[[Hotel Dusk]]''. On the other, ''[[Tetris (Video Game)|Tetris]].''
* [[Stronger Sibling]] <br />In most games, if the [[Big Bad]] has a sibling, it will be even stronger than the Big Bad itself.
* [[Stupidity Is the Only Option]] <br />Sometimes the plot makes the main character do stupid things, even if the player knows not to do them.
* [[Subtitles Are Superfluous]] <br />Some games do not have any subtitles for fully voiced scenes.
* [[Suicidal Overconfidence]] <br />No matter how much stronger you are than the enemy, they will always attack you.
* [[Super Move Portrait Attack]] <br />Whenever a video game character uses his Limit Break, a portrait of him or close-up of his face is flashed on the screen just before he proceeds to beat the crap out of his enemy.
* [[The Three Trials]] <br />The hero must achieve [[Rule of Three|three]] goals to advance the plot.
* [[This Is the Final Battle]] <br />[[Stock Phrase]] spoken just before the battle with the [[Final Boss]].
* [[Title Theme Drop]] <br />When the Title Screen theme for a game is played in a certain context within the game itself.
* [[Variable Mix]] <br />The running background music has parallel parts that fade in and out with the rising and falling action level, rather than a set track.
* [[Victory Pose]] <br />[[Street Fighter|YATTA!]]
* [[Victory Quote]] <br />In a [[Fighting Game]], the winner gives a [[Badass]] quote to the loser.
* [[Video Game Historical Revisionism]] <br />The practice of misrepresenting facts in a historical setting, even when it would make no change to gameplay to be true to history.
* [[Villain Shoes]] <br />A part of the story where you get to control the villain.
* [[Violation of Common Sense]] <br />Where the game allows you to do something that would be ''really stupid'' in the real world.
* [[Visible Silence]] <br />[[Silent Protagonist|...]] ... ...!
* [[Voice Grunting]] <br />Games that either have audible "beeps" while text is scrolling, or short voice clips rather than full voice acting.
* [[The Wandering You]] <br />Games that make you walk around a lot just so you'll fight a lot of battles.
* [[War Has Never Been So Much Fun]] <br />It's a war game, but it stars cute, colorful characters and there's no blood.
* [[The War Sequence]] <br />Stage of a game where the enemies begin to come out in huge droves, usually near the climax.
* [[Wasted Song]] <br />This is the [[Video Games/Awesome Music|best music ev]]--HEY! Where'd it go?
* [[What Are You Looking At]] <br />[[NPC|NPCs]] just stand and stare blankly into the distance when you're not talking to them.
* [[What the Hell Player]] <br />When the player does something weird or cruel, another character will call him out on it.
* [[A Winner Is You]] <br />An ending sequence that's little more than a single line and a pixelly picture.
* [[You Must Be This Tall to Enter]] <br />Once you receive a particular item that lets you enter a previously inaccessible area, you will need it all over the place to simply continue on your journey.

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Media]]
[[Category:Index Index/Sandbox]]
[[Category:Game Tropes]]
[[Category:Index Index]]
[[Category:index]]
[[Category:Video Game Tropes]]
[[Category:Trope]]

Latest revision as of 18:52, 3 August 2014

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