Video Games: Are Wrestling Games Fighting Games or Their Own Genre?

For almost as long as there has been home video game consoles there have been wrestling games. Going all the way back to the pixelated pictures of the NES up to the super high-def displays of today's consoles, wrestling games have been a very popular category.

For decades now fans have been able to play as their favorite wrestlers in different match modes and story-lines.

Over the years, we have seen many different progressions in the game designs, as well as how the game is played.

When the genre first came to fruition is was a few simple match types with a small roster of some of the more notable names in the business.

Now, there are numerous game modes which incorporate RPG elements with the action inside the ring as well. Anything from running the whole company to being a simple manager at ringside is possible.

Since the progression of these games have seen new advancements and additions to the story the question must be asked: are wrestling games their own genre or are they fighting games?

Many other games have similar mechanics and can be lumped into the same category. Games based on MMA and boxing might be considered to be within the same genre by some fans because they all deal with the same basic concept, hand to hand fighting.

WWE has taken the experience a step further by integrating story lines, backstage interactions and choices the player can make which will affect the game.

With boxing and MMA missing the element of story lines it becomes clear that wrestling is another genre of game altogether.

WWE has re-branded their signature SmackDown vs Raw series into one that is named simply WWE followed by the two digit year, similar to some other major sporting game franchises.

Another big thing which separates wrestling games from other sports games is the plethora of create options the player has.

In WWE's most recent game players were given the ability to design custom superstars, rings, entrances, attires, story lines and even brand with new logos and hand-picked championships.

They have also incorporated a new game engine which will produce more unique in-game events for the player to overcome as well as make the dialogue appear less repetitive.

These changes mean WWE is moving into another direction from the fighting genre, much like how their business model has began incorporating more than simply wrestling and wrestling related merchandise.

With the sky being the limit on what WWE can do to their games to make them unique it is clear that these games have become their own genre altogether.

What do you think? Have wrestling games become their own genre entirely or are they still just a sub-category of fighting games?