Top 5 most addictive video game genres

Deana Smith

Part two of a two-part series. Read the first segment here.

5. Third person action

These action games play a lot like platformers… you could say they are its evil twin, the more violent and realistic one. My all time favorite will always be anything Resident Evil. What can I say; I am a sucker for zombies. Other strong picks include Splinter Cell, Far Cry 2 and God of War.

4. RPG

RPG’s, or role playing games, are playable by one person for hours and hours… and hours, before they do eventually have an ending. Most you can play again with different results. Some absolute staples in this category are Final Fantasy, Chrono-Trigger and KOTOR (Knights of the Old Republic). Two newer and very popular releases are Mass Effect and Fallout 3 Whose army is better? Play these primarily turn-base games and find out: Dune, Warcraft, Starcraft and Civilization.

3. Real time strategy

Whose army is better? Play these primarily turn-base games and find out: Dune, Warcraft, Starcraft and Civilization.

2. First person shooter

Okay, last time. Virtually breaking things, beating up people and shooting them is definitely the most fun, as it hits number two on my addictiveness scale. These fast-paced games come in a variety of flavors, from serving in “real” historical wars to surviving in post-apocalyptic hysteria. In the virtual universe you get to shoot at all kinds of things. My personal favorite shooter is BioShock because it is as fun to watch as it is to play. Other nobles in the FPS kingdom include Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Half-life: The Orange Box.

1. MMORPG

And with no surprises at all, massively multi-player online role playing games, or “more pegs” as they are so lovingly called, are as this writer had no doubt, the most highly addictive games out there. Whether they are solely based on role-play, such as the highly popular SIMS and the cult classic Second Life, or level based progression games, like the beginning of it all, EverQuest, and the game 10 million gamers enjoy regularly, World of Warcraft, these games are made to keep you playing.