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Quick Survey: Evolution of Graphic Adventure Games
Hi everyone,
Quick introduction. My name is Denis. I study a game design master program in Zurich, Switzerland. The topic of my research is the evolution of the graphic adventure games. I prepared a short survey for everyone who is interested to help me in my research.
Thank you for taking your time to answer my question!
1. How often you play graphic adventure games?
2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
a. Dead
b. Dying
c. In hibernation
d. In resurgence
3. What are the essential elements you consider that define an graphic adventure game?
4. What frustrates you the most in graphic adventure games?
5. How you imagine a possible evolution of this genre?
Hi everyone,
Quick introduction. My name is Denis. I study a game design master program in Zurich, Switzerland. The topic of my research is the evolution of the graphic adventure games. I prepared a short survey for everyone who is interested to help me in my research.
Thank you for taking your time to answer my question!
1. How often you play graphic adventure games?
half an hour to one hours a day, but that is now I used to (not long ago) play 3-4 hours a day
———————————————————————2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
a. Dead
b. Dying
c. In hibernation
d. In resurgence
In resurgence with a new face (disfigured)—————————————————————
3. What are the essential elements you consider that define an graphic adventure game?
Cartoony, Huge locations, difficulty-above-average, traditional.
Immersing story (even if silly but keeps me waiting for me from chapter to another, Smart Puzzles, Nice Artwork, Interesting Protagonist, Gameplay Design ...etc
————————————————————-
4. What frustrates you the most in graphic adventure games?
Non-logic puzzles, and easiness
————————————————————
5. How you imagine a possible evolution of this genre?
US developers to start to pick up what/where the European’s are about.
1. How often you play graphic adventure games?
When I have time.
It varies from no time at all to 12+ hours, though my game sessions are rarely more than 5 hours.
2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
a. Dead
b. Dying
c. In hibernation
d. In resurgence
They have not been the top-selling genre since around the mid-1990’s.
However they have never been “dead” or “dying.”
People have been playing them ever since they were first created.
There is currently a lot of experimentation going on with different types of adventures.
I’m not sure I’d call it “resurgence” but it’s closer to that than to any of the other things you’ve listed.
I’d call it either
e. none of the above or
e. Experimentation—both in gameplay styles and in how games get funding for development.
3. What are the essential elements you consider that define an graphic adventure game?
Generally story, puzzles, and environment/exploration—not necessarily in that order (depends on the sub-genre).
And any game intending to be humorous would need “humor” added to the list.
4. What frustrates you the most in graphic adventure games?
Motion sickness (more accurately called “simulation sickness” or “simulator sickness”) in 1st person games with 3D game engines—which makes the games unplayable for me.
It’s not usually a problem with 3rd person games, but it’s terrible with 1st person games, and most new 1st person games seem to be using realtime 3D.
For a while I tried casual games, but they’re just not the same—they don’t have the same immersiveness and have unwanted “extras” tacked on that further destroy immersiveness.
5. How you imagine a possible evolution of this genre?
Adventure games don’t need “evolution” IMO. The core gameplay characteristics should stay the same. There’s nothing wrong with experimentation or “pushing genre boundaries” for games where it’s warranted—and works with the game—but in order to maintain its identity the genre as a whole can’t mutate (or “evolve”) into a different genre. Change for the sake of change is never an improvement.
1. How often you play graphic adventure games?
Depends really on if anything interesting has came out or if I feel like playing some old classic. Also the amount of time I play on one sitting depends greatly on how well the game reels me in. I can’t really give a solid answer to this, as it can be weeks between my adventure games.
2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
d. In resurgence
Adventure games have gained a lot more publicity lately, but I’ve also noticed that the there still is a lot of prejudice towards the genre thanks to some older design methods, i.e. dead ends or illogical pouzzles, which can frustrare people and potentially make them stop playing.
3. What are the essential elements you consider that define an graphic adventure game?
Story and puzzles are my two most important aspects. The game can have any graphical style or control style, that doesn’t matter that much to me, but story and the puzzles need to be in order.
4. What frustrates you the most in graphic adventure games?
Pixel hunting is my pet peeve, also illogical puzzles, that can’t be solved by using common sense. I’d also hate it when a game prevents me to use multiple objects to sove a puzzle that could in real life be solved by using multiple objects, i.e. breaking a windwo needs a specific crowbar and can’t be done by any rock or other obejct suitable for the task. Also dead ends.
5. How you imagine a possible evolution of this genre?
Adventure game elelement have, and will be used more and more in other games as well. In a sense adventure games are becoming a sub-genre, which mechanics are included in other game design as well in order to beef up the game play. I.e. RPG’s often have stuff in them that would be just as well home in adventure games, like item puzzles, dialogue puzzles etc.
1. 10 hrs/week, used to be a lot more.
2. Zombified, stench of rotting is smelled from far away.
3. Thoughtful puzzles, beautiful graphics, sense of exploration and immersion, interesting story, in that order.
4. Stupidity and the lack of interactivity.
5. Corruption will probably continue and what was once beautiful and pure will become disgustingly disfigured.
Gee, why the negativity?
No option 2e) flourishing.
What frustrates you the most… but no question what do you like most…
See you around, wolf. Nerissa
1. How often you play graphic adventure games?
From 4 to 8 hours on weekends.
2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
b. Dying I think they are dying by turning into something completely different.
3. What are the essential elements you consider that define an graphic adventure game?
Exploration, interactiveness, puzzles integrated into a storyline.
4. What frustrates you the most in graphic adventure games?
Bad writing, linearity, limited interaction, casual gameplay.
5. How you imagine a possible evolution of this genre?
More open-world and less story-driven; full advantage of 3D, real time, multiplayer; adult themes (i.m. politics, economics, history), but no political correctness.
PC means personal computer
1. How often you play graphic adventure games?
A lot
2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
Its In resurgence because of the growing popularity of “casual adventure games”
3. What are the essential elements you consider that define an graphic adventure game?
“Story” is what defines graphic adventure to me and puzzles I can take or leave
4. What frustrates you the most in graphic adventure games?
illogical and ridiculous puzzles turned me off adventure games for years lol
5. How you imagine a possible evolution of this genre?
I can kind of see the genre becoming more like RPGs in the future
2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
a. Dead (as Dodo)
b. Dying (in agony)
c. In hibernation (but still pretty much dead)
I wish I had a pretzel for every time I’ve heard this.
Then again, if I had I would be buried under a mountain of pretzels right now.
Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.
Even Me.
-Cary Grant
2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
a. Dead (as Dodo)
b. Dying (in agony)
c. In hibernation (but still pretty much dead)
I wish I had a pretzel for every time I’ve heard this.
Then again, if I had I would be buried under a mountain of pretzels right now.
The genre is changing but certainly not dead or dying.
Indies have the future!
See you around, wolf. Nerissa
1. It depends and is really hard to quantify. “As often as I have the time for”, which is not at all one week, and over ten hours another week…
2. D is the only answer. Maybe even E “doing just fine”. 
He who answers A, B or C has been blinded by the mainstream opinion of the late ‘90s/early ‘00s and is seriously out of touch with the genre. AGs never “died”, they were still being made and being played, and even when things were at their darkest, we still had relatively high-profile releases like Syberia 1 & 2 and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Then we had a bunch of good titles on the DS, then Heavy Rain, etc.
A decrease in mainstream popularity does not equal death, it equals “niche”. 
And “resurgence” is an accurate description as we’re steadily getting more and more mainstream attention again, so the genre is back on the rise.
It’ll never reach the heights of the golden age in the ‘90s again, but there’s nothing wrong with that…
3. Story, puzzles and exploration. And I value “story” the most out of those. The rest just needs to fit the story. Heck, even the graphics and the control system need to fit the story.
4. Dead ends!
For instance, being stuck because you need an item that’s at a location you can no longer go back to, requiring you to reload a save from WAY earlier. The worst thing is that you never know for certain you are even in one. Dead ends are evil.
5. The genre is evolving just nicely, imo. We still have text adventures, we still have old-school point-and-clicks, we still have Myst-clones, etc. yet we also have devs that want to push the boundaries of our genre and try new things. Some things stick, some things don’t, but we have a good mix of old-school projects and more experimental projects. All is well in that regard, imo…
@ Karlok: Hey, we’re agreeing! 
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
2. Which of the following best describes the current state of the graphic adventure genre?
a. Dead (as Dodo)
b. Dying (in agony)
c. In hibernation (but still pretty much dead)
I wish I had a pretzel for every time I’ve heard this.
Then again, if I had I would be buried under a mountain of pretzels right now.The genre is… certainly not dead or dying.
Who said it was dead (or dying)?
I just said I had heard creatures screaming “AGs ARE DEAD!!!” million times before. There will always be _______s (insert an invective of your choice) who claim AGs are dead.
Indies have the future!
Who said they didn’t have the future?
Not me.
Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.
Even Me.
-Cary Grant
Who said it was dead (or dying)?
I just said I had heard creatures screaming “AGs ARE DEAD!!!” million times before. There will always be _______s (insert an invective of your choice) who claim AGs are dead.Who said they didn’t have the future?
Not me.
Good to see you are your feisty old self today.
See you around, wolf. Nerissa
Of course I am.
That’s the way I am all over my (small) body, actually. 
Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.
Even Me.
-Cary Grant
Almost as many different answers as there are responses.
The only one we (mostly) agree on is #2.
So many different and interesting answers. Thanks to everyone. Hope to get more participants.
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