An action game requires players to use quick reflexes and timing to overcome obstacles. It is perhaps the most basic of gaming genres, and certainly one of the broadest. Action games tend to have gameplay with emphasis on combat. There are many subgenres of action games, such as fighting games and first-person shooters.
The predecessor of all console game genres, a ball-and-paddle game was the first game implemented on a home console (Pong). Later renditions have included Breakout, which was a driving influence behind the Apple II computer, and Arkanoid, an arcade staple for many years. A version of Breakout called Block Buster was also packaged with the first handheld console with swappable cartridges, the Microvision.

No More Heroes, a 3D hack and slash action game.
Beat 'em up and hack and slash games have an emphasis on one-on-many close quarters combat, beating large numbers of computer-controlled enemies.[4][5] Gameplay involves the player fighting through a series of increasingly difficult levels. The sole distinction between these two genres are that beat 'em ups feature hand-to-hand combat, and hack and slash games feature melee weaponry, particularly bladed weapons. Both genres feature little to no use of firearms or projectile combat. This genre became popular in 1987 with the release of Double Dragon, leading to a large number of similar games. The fighting style is usually simpler than for versus fighting games. In recent times, the genre has largely merged with that of action-adventure, with side-scrolling levels giving way to more open three-dimensional areas, and melee combat co-existing with shooting and puzzle elements.

Street Fighter, a one-on-one fighting game.
Fighting games emphasize one-on-one combat between two characters, one of which may be computer controlled.[6][7] These games are usually played by linking together long chains of button presses on the controller to use physical attacks to fight. Many of the movements employed by the characters are usually dramatic and occasionally physically impossible. Combat is almost always one-on-one,[6] though there are some exceptions such as the Super Smash Bros. series and Guilty Gear Isuka, pitting up to four combatants in the fight at one time. This genre first appeared in 1976 with the release of Sega's Heavyweight Boxing and later became a phenomenon, particularly in the arcades, with the release of Street Fighter II. The genre is still popular today, although it has failed to see the extreme popularity it once did.
Maze games have a playing field which is entirely a maze, which players must navigate. Quick thinking and fast reaction times are encouraged by the use of a timer, monsters obstructing the player's way, or multiple players racing to the finish. The most famous game of this genre is Pac-Man.
Pinball games are essentially virtual pinball tables, designed to replicate the look and feel of a common pinball table. Most pinball games feature the same gameplay style, where the player controls a right and left flipper, and tries to make the ball hit various parts of the playfield to gather up points. The control scheme in pinball games is, for the most part, the same. On consoles, left and right "shoulder" buttons are often used to approximate the left and right flipper buttons of a real-world pinball game. In some cases, a pinball game may feature more than two flippers: two are generally located at the bottom of the playfield, and others (generally only one or two more) are found above the bottom two. Some games automatically fire the ball into the playfield, while others require the player to press a button to pull down the spring-loaded plug and fire the ball into the playfield. One significant way that video game pinball games can progress beyond pinball table emulation is the inclusion of features impossible to incorporate in a real pinball table (multiple table layouts, or direct ball control for example), although some games strive to provide a more realistic experience and avoid this type of game play. Pinball games have become more popular in recent years on handheld systems, as opposed to consoles.

Super Mario Bros, one of the best selling video games of all time, is a platform game.[8]
Platform games (platformers) are a subgenre of action game. These games involve traveling between platforms by jumping (very occasionally other means are substituted for jumping, like swinging or bouncing, but these are considered variations on the same mechanic). Other traditional elements include running and climbing ladders and ledges. Platformers frequently borrow elements from other genres like fighting and shooting (such as the Castlevania series, which incorporates role-playing). They are most often associated with iconic cartoon mascots like Donkey Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, Megaman and Rayman, though platform games may have any theme. The term itself first came into use to describe any game in which the player traveled between platforms, and Space Panic, a 1980 arcade release, has been cited as the first platform game under this definition,[9] but the lack of the ability to jump, swing, or bounce, or fall made the distinction contentious under modern definitions of the genre. While Frogs was the first game that allowed the player to jump, Donkey Kong, an arcade game created by Nintendo, released in July, 1981, was the first game that featured obstacles and gaps to jump over, making it a platformer by the modern definition of the word.[10] Pitfall can also be classified as an early platformer. Traditionally, platform games were 2D, with players viewing the environment from a profile, "cutaway" perspective. This could be done easily with sprites and was simple for early computers to handle. 3D computer graphics have opened these games up for movement in all directions. However, 3D perspectives make it more difficult to judge distance, which is an important part of platformers. Because of this, many 3D platformers have a feature to make this easier,[citation needed] such as a player shadow that will always be cast straight down, tracking their location on the ground while the character is jumping. At their peak, platformers were the most popular games on the market.[11] The genre experienced a sharp decline, from 15% of total market share in 1998 to 2% in 2002.[11] Although there are many 3D platform games, few have proven to have the universal appeal of their older games.[11] However, this could merely be a result of a changing market and an increase in game variety.[11]By wiki and I really want to do a action game.