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site/garden/guide-to-incrementals/defining-the-genre/index.md
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<h1 class="p-name">Guide to Incrementals/Defining the Genre</h1>
<p>3972 words, ~22 minute read. <span v-html="data[`site/${pageData.page.value.relativePath}`]" /></p>
<p>4048 words, ~22 minute read. <span v-html="data[`site/${pageData.page.value.relativePath}`]" /></p>
<hr/>
<details><summary>Referenced by:</summary><a href="/garden/incremental-social/index.md">Incremental Social</a><a href="/garden/kronos/index.md">Kronos</a><a href="/garden/social-media/index.md">Social Media</a></details>
@ -92,29 +92,31 @@ I'm also trying to ensure I pick a large breadth of incremental games, so I'm go
With all that behind us, here is a list of games I think could justifiably make up a Modern Incremental Games Canon:
- [Dodecadragons](https://demonin.com/games/dodecaDragons/)
- This game represents incremental games with many prestige layers that often have rapid resets and automate lower layers as more get unlocked. Other examples could also include [The Prestige Tree](https://jacorb90.me/Prestige-Tree/), [Really Grass Cutting Incremental Classic](https://mrredshark77.github.io/RGCI-Classic/), [Distance Incremental](https://jacorb90.me/DistInc.github.io/main.html), or the massive [modding community](https://forums.moddingtree.com/c/mods/8/none/l/top) TPT has. A lot of the games I've personally worked on fall in this group, like [Advent Incremental](https://www.thepaperpilot.org/advent/).
> This game represents incremental games with many prestige layers that often have rapid resets and automate lower layers as more get unlocked. Other examples could also include [The Prestige Tree](https://jacorb90.me/Prestige-Tree/), [Really Grass Cutting Incremental Classic](https://mrredshark77.github.io/RGCI-Classic/), [Distance Incremental](https://jacorb90.me/DistInc.github.io/main.html), or the massive [modding community](https://forums.moddingtree.com/c/mods/8/none/l/top) TPT has. A lot of the games I've personally worked on fall in this group, like [Advent Incremental](https://www.thepaperpilot.org/advent/).
- [Evolve Idle](https://pmotschmann.github.io/Evolve/)
- This game represents incremental games with few prestige layers, very slow resets, and a focus on resource management. Typically involve some sort of worker allocation. Other examples would be [Kitten's Game](https://kittensgame.com/web/) and [Shark Game](https://alpha.shark.tobot.dev/).
> This game represents incremental games with few prestige layers, very slow resets, and a focus on resource management. Typically involve some sort of worker allocation. Other examples would be [Kitten's Game](https://kittensgame.com/web/), [Shark Game](https://alpha.shark.tobot.dev/), or [Magic Research](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2311680/Magic_Research/).
- [(the) Gnorp Apologue](https://gnorp.dev/)
- This game represents incremental games with a central mechanic that gets added to by various other mechanics. All the mechanics remain relevant throughout the game, with different ones contributing most over time. Other examples include [Nodebuster](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3107330/Nodebuster/) and [To the Core](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1988550/To_The_Core/). A lot of traditional games also fall in this archetype by having characters or buildings you level up, that each contribute additively to gaining the primary resources. These include [Cookie Clicker](https://orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker/), [Clicker Heroes](https://www.clickerheroes.com/play.html), and [Realm Grinder](https://store.steampowered.com/app/610080/Realm_Grinder/). In a way, that makes the modern titles mentioned in this archetype the spiritual successors of those traditional games, and exemplifies how the genre has changed.
> This game represents incremental games with a central mechanic that gets added to by various other mechanics. All the mechanics remain relevant throughout the game, with different ones contributing most over time. Other examples include [Nodebuster](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3107330/Nodebuster/) and [To the Core](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1988550/To_The_Core/). A lot of traditional games also fall in this archetype by having characters or buildings you level up, that each contribute additively to gaining the primary resources. These include [Cookie Clicker](https://orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker/), [Clicker Heroes](https://www.clickerheroes.com/play.html), and [Realm Grinder](https://store.steampowered.com/app/610080/Realm_Grinder/). In a way, that makes the modern titles mentioned in this archetype the spiritual successors of those traditional games, and exemplifies how the genre has changed.
- [Idle Momentum](https://idlemomentum.com/)
- This game represents incremental games that include polynomial growth as a central mechanic that is then built upon. Other examples include [Antimatter Dimensions](https://ivark.github.io/AntimatterDimensions/), [Swarm Simulator](https://www.swarmsim.com/), and [Derivative Clicker](https://gzgreg.github.io/DerivativeClicker/).
> This game represents incremental games that include polynomial growth as a central mechanic that is then built upon. Other examples include [Antimatter Dimensions](https://ivark.github.io/AntimatterDimensions/), [Swarm Simulator](https://www.swarmsim.com/), and [Derivative Clicker](https://gzgreg.github.io/DerivativeClicker/).
- [Melvor Idle](https://melvoridle.com/)
- This game represents incremental games that are essentially a genre blend between incremental games and RPGs. Compared to other types of RPGs, these games have a focus on progressing while idle. Other examples would be [IdleOn](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1476970/IdleOn__The_Idle_RPG/) and a _very large_ amount of mobile RPGs.
> This game represents incremental games that are essentially a genre blend between incremental games and RPGs. Compared to other types of RPGs, these games have a focus on progressing while idle. Other examples would be [IdleOn](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1476970/IdleOn__The_Idle_RPG/) and a _very large_ amount of mobile RPGs.
- [Stuck in Time](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1814010/Stuck_In_Time/)
- This game represents incremental games that include a reset mechanic where there are pre-defined decisions being made during the course of the run. There's typically a concept of a playable character, whose actions are being "queued up" during a run, and these runs become longer or otherwise more productive as the game progresses. There are a lot of examples of this genre, including [Cavernous II](https://nucaranlaeg.github.io/incremental/CavernousII/), [Increlution](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1593350/Increlution/), [Progress Knight](https://ihtasham42.github.io/progress-knight/), [Idle Loops](https://stopsign.github.io/idleLoops/), and [Groundhog Life](https://mogron.itch.io/groundhog-life).
> This game represents incremental games that include a reset mechanic where there are pre-defined decisions being made during the course of the run. There's typically a concept of a playable character, whose actions are being "queued up" during a run, and these runs become longer or otherwise more productive as the game progresses. There are a lot of examples of this genre, including [Cavernous II](https://nucaranlaeg.github.io/incremental/CavernousII/), [Increlution](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1593350/Increlution/), [Progress Knight](https://ihtasham42.github.io/progress-knight/), [Idle Loops](https://stopsign.github.io/idleLoops/), and [Groundhog Life](https://mogron.itch.io/groundhog-life).
- [Universal Paperclips](https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/)
- This game represents incremental games that involve several phases of completely distinct gameplay that fully replace the previous, called "paradigm shifts". Prestige layers are also often paradigm shifts, but this game represents paradigm shifts that are not reset mechanics but still transform the gameplay. Other examples would be [Crank](https://faedine.com/games/crank/b39/) or [A Dark Room](https://adarkroom.doublespeakgames.com/). [Spore](https://www.spore.com/) would be an example that's not typically considered an incremental.
> This game represents incremental games that involve several phases of completely distinct gameplay that fully replace the previous, called "paradigm shifts". Prestige layers are also often paradigm shifts, but this game represents paradigm shifts that are not reset mechanics but still transform the gameplay. Other examples would be [Crank](https://faedine.com/games/crank/b39/) or [A Dark Room](https://adarkroom.doublespeakgames.com/). [Spore](https://www.spore.com/) would be an example that's not typically considered an incremental.
- [Unnamed Space Idle](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2471100/Unnamed_Space_Idle/)
- This game represents incremental games that focus on unlocking many different independent progression systems that boost each other, and all remain relevant throughout the course of the game. Other examples include [NGU Idle](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147690/NGU_IDLE/), [Anti-Idle](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yE8OxD0P0Tx1B5JyGpEaLJ7KOuayMd9s), [Idle Skilling](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1048370/Idle_Skilling/), and [Idle Wizard](https://store.steampowered.com/app/992070/Idle_Wizard/).
> This game represents incremental games that focus on unlocking many different independent progression systems that boost each other, and all remain relevant throughout the course of the game. Other examples include [NGU Idle](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147690/NGU_IDLE/), [Anti-Idle](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yE8OxD0P0Tx1B5JyGpEaLJ7KOuayMd9s), [Idle Skilling](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1048370/Idle_Skilling/), and [Idle Wizard](https://store.steampowered.com/app/992070/Idle_Wizard/).
It may look like I've just shifted the problem down a level - rather than defining the genre, I'm now defining a bunch of sub-genres. However, the methods used here for defining the canon, and my attempt at ensuring a breadth of games by determining distinct archetypes, is just my approach. This list is additionally biased towards games I'm more familiar with, which will differ person to person. The only hard and fast rule is that every game on the list should be nearly universally accepted as an incremental game. So long as you do that, the factors should be relatively similar, although ofc individuals will still likely have small differences, as is the nature of socially constructed definitions.
Naturally this canon is a perpetual work-in-progress. I'm currently a bit uncertain about the distinctions between the evolve idle, melvor idle, and unnamed space idle archetypes. I could see those being rewritten as two or even a single archetype.
### Unfolding
There are several related concepts mentioned in the canon - unfolding, prestige layers, and paradigm shifts. Unfolding is the umbrella term which includes the other two, and is clearly the _highest_ possible value factor for an incremental. It's so common that for a while people referred to incrementals that exhibit this trait as "unfolding" games, to the point of trying to _replace_ the term incremental due to their popularity.
There are many reasons for the appeal of unfolding mechanics. Oftentimes each mechanic builds on top of the existing mechanics, increasing the complexity of the game in steps so the player can follow along. They provide a sense of mystery, with the player anticipating what will happen next. They shake up the gameplay before it gets too stale - allowing the game to entertain for longer before the sense of [Guide to Incrementals/What is Content?](/garden/guide-to-incrementals/what-is-content/index.md) dissipates. Of the canon games selected above, I would argue _every single one_ contains unfolding to some degree.
There are many reasons for the appeal of unfolding mechanics. Oftentimes each mechanic builds on top of the existing mechanics, increasing the complexity of the game in steps so the player can follow along. In fact, sometimes the older mechanics will be entirely phased out (e.g. by automating them), so the complexity of the game remains roughly equal throughout the game. In any case, adding new mechanics regularly provides a sense of mystery, with the player anticipating what will happen next. They shake up the gameplay before it gets too stale - allowing the game to entertain for longer before the sense of [Guide to Incrementals/What is Content?](/garden/guide-to-incrementals/what-is-content/index.md) dissipates. Of the canon games selected above, I would argue _every single one_ contains unfolding to some degree.
I should take a moment to say that while I'm hyping up this specific factor, we cannot just reduce the genre definition to "does it introduce new mechanics over time". Many games have paradigm shifts that are not incremental, so it's just an _indicator_ of incrementalness. Every single canon game may show that it's common amongst incremental games, but could just as easily indicate that they're common in games in general.