The physical requirements of hand-eye coordination
and response time are prioritized in an action game,
which belongs to the video game genre.
The genre has a wide range of sub-genres, including fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform games.
Online multiplayer combat arenas and certain real-time strategy games are also categorized as action games.
A protagonist or avatar is often used as the player's control in action games.
Using their innate talents as well as the weapons and other gear they have access to,
the player character must go through a level while gathering items, dodging hazards, and defeating adversaries.
A boss adversary, which is more difficult and often a key antagonist in the game's plot,
is usually encountered at the conclusion of a level or set of levels.
The player loses the game when they run out of lives due to enemy assaults and obstacles depleting the player character's health.
Alternately, the player may watch the credits after completing a series of stages in order to achieve the game's ultimate objective.
The main objective of certain action games, such as early arcade games, is to go as far as possible in order to maximize score.
These games are unbreakable and feature an infinite number of levels.