A hidden object game, also called hidden picture or hidden object puzzle adventure (HOPA), is a puzzle video game genre 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. Time-limited trial versions of these games are usually available for download, although many are free to download on app stores. Popular themes include detective crime stories, adventure, gothic romance and mystery.

Definition

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.Hidden Object Games Are Mindless Fluff, And That's Why I Love Them
By Mike Fahey from Kotaku.com. May 1 2016. Hidden objects generally tend to feature: * Courageous, adventurous female protagonists * Characters who need to be rescued from something and have relations to the main protagonist * Fantasy themes with

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

elements and themes of romantic horror * Visuals of hand-painted 2D art that can be playable even on weak personal computers

History

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. An early hidden object game was ''Mother Goose: Hidden Pictures'', released for the

CD-i The Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-I, later CD-i) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage device, data storage format that was mostly developed and marketed by Dutch company Philips. It was created as an extension of Compact Disc Di ...

in 1991. Other early incarnations are the video game adaptations of the ''I Spy'' books published by Scholastic Corporation since 1997. '' 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 game play and narrative that would be predominate in hidden object games since. More recently within

indie game An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...

s, new takes on the hidden object genre have changed the approach these take. For example, ''

Hidden Folks ''Hidden Folks'' is a hidden object game developed by Adriaan de Jongh and Sylvain Tegroeg. In the game, players are presented with a series of animated, interactive scenes and must find hidden characters, objects, and animals. The game was relea ...

'' is considered more of a searching game, as to find one character among hundreds on the screen that look similar to each other, similar to ''

Where's Wally ''Where's Wally?'' (called ''Where's Waldo?'' in North America) is a British series of children's puzzle books created by English illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicti ...

''.

Popularity

''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 still puzzles with little animation. Hidden object games draw players who were fans of games like '' Myst'', and player demographics skew toward women who are over 55 years of age . In 2021, Big Fish Games' player base was 85% female, 76% of whom were over the age of 55.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puzzle Video Game Video game genres

Definition

History

Popularity

See also

References