Platformers, also called side-scrollers, historically viewed the game area from a side or "cutaway" perspective. In these games, the background or playing area smoothly scrolls as the player moves about, hence the name. These games are traditionally 2D, but some have employed 3D effectively. Traditional elements of these games include running, jumping and some fighting. Side-scrollers were some of the first types of video games and are still popular today, usually with younger players.

Since the introduction of the video game generation that started with the Sega Dreamcast, platformers are often now fully 3D, allowing the player to move the camera around 360° and run in any direction, whereas the 2D versions would only allow side to side movement.

See also: List of platform games

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Articles in category "Platform games"