Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design

What Is an Adventure Game?

An adventure game isn't a competition or a simulation. An adventure game doesn't offer a process to be managed or an opponent to be defeated through strategy and tactics. Instead, an adventure game is an interactive story about a character who is controlled by the player. Chapter 4, “Storytelling and Narrative,” discussed this idea in theoretical terms. The adventure game is the idea's practical application, although the way in which interactivity and narrative are handled varies considerably from game to game.

All adventure games are conceptual descendants of the original Adventure. Although the genre has changed considerably over the years, the games are characterized by certain qualities that they all share: exploration, ...