Hidden object game
A hidden object game, also called hidden picture or hidden object puzzle adventure (HOPA), is a subgenre of puzzle video games in which the player must find items from a list that are hidden within a scene. Hidden object games are a popular trend in casual gaming.[1][2] Time-limited trial versions of these games are usually available for download, although many are free to download on app stores. They primarily make money through in-app purchases and ads. Popular themes include detective crime stories, adventure, gothic romance, and mystery.[3]
Definition
[edit]In a hidden object game, the player wanders from one place to another to discover objects that allow the player to finish the game. The player adds objects to their inventory. A hidden object puzzle within the game provides more objects or clues that will assist the playing in completing the game.[4]
Hidden objects generally tend to feature:[4]
- Courageous, adventurous female protagonists.
- Characters who need to be rescued from something and have relations to the main protagonist.
- Fantasy themes with supernatural elements and themes of romantic horror.
- Visuals of hand-painted 2D art that can be playable even on weak personal computers.
History
[edit]Hidden object games originated in print publications such as the I Spy books or a regular feature in Highlights for Children, in which the reader was given a list of objects to find hidden in a cluttered illustration or photograph.[3] An early hidden object game was Mother Goose: Hidden Pictures, released for the CD-i in 1991. Other early incarnations are the video game adaptations of the I Spy books published by Scholastic Corporation since 1997.[3]
Mystery Case Files: Huntsville, released by Big Fish Games in 2005, came at the rise of casual gaming in the mid-2000s. Mystery Case Files: Huntsville established many of the principles in both gameplay and narrative that would be predominant in hidden object games since then.[3]
More recently within indie games, new takes on the hidden object genre have changed the approach. For example, Hidden Folks is considered more of a searching game, where the players have to find one character among hundreds on the screen that look similar to each other, similar to Where's Wally?.[3]
Popularity
[edit]Huntsville broke prior sales of casual games, and the series' third iteration Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst was the third best-selling game on personal computers during the end-of-year sales period of 2007. This motivated gaming companies to expend in this sort of storytelling that focuses on puzzles with little animation.[3]
Hidden object games draw players who were fans of games like Myst.[3] In 2021, Big Fish Games' player base was 85% female, 76% of whom were over the age of 55.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ George Roush (October 17, 2008). "Everest: Hidden Expedition iPhone Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009.
- ^ Albert Kim (September 30, 2008). "Casual Games: 'Peggle Nights' and 'The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes'". EW.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
Mystery titles, particularly hidden-object games, have become a hugely popular segment of the casual-game market.
- ^ a b Hidden Object Games Are Mindless Fluff, And That's Why I Love Them Archived 2021-11-08 at the Wayback Machine By Mike Fahey from Kotaku.com. May 1 2016.
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