A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game , sometimes called a subgame or microgame ) is a short game often contained within another video game . A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained.
11-420: Some video games consist entirely of minigames which tie into an overall theme, such as Olympic Decathlon (1980). Minigames can also be used to represent a specific experience, such as hacking , lock picking , or scanning an area, that ties into a larger game. Some games are made up of many minigames strung together into one video game, such as Nintendo 's WarioWare series (which are called microgames in
22-513: A mixture of experienced technology journalists and working technology practitioners. The site averages 4.6 million monthly page views and 1.1 million monthly unique visitors. The magazine was founded by Jim Warren in 1978 as The Intelligent Machines Journal ( IMJ ). It was sold to IDG in late 1979. On 18 February 1980, the magazine name was changed to InfoWorld . In 1986, the Robert X. Cringely column began; for many, that pseudonymous column
33-617: Is an American information technology media business. Founded in 1978, it began as a monthly magazine. In 2007, it transitioned to a web-only publication. Its parent company today is International Data Group , and its sister publications include Macworld and PC World . InfoWorld is based in San Francisco , with contributors and supporting staff based across the U.S. Since its founding, InfoWorld ' s readership has largely consisted of IT and business professionals. InfoWorld focuses on how-to, analysis, and editorial content from
44-579: The Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics , Caitlyn Jenner (then known as Bruce Jenner ), is a character. It was ported to the Apple II in 1981. The 1982 version for the IBM PC was renamed Microsoft Decathlon . The ten events in the game are the 100m run, long jump , shot put , high jump , 400m run, 100m hurdles , discus , pole vault , javelin , and 1500m run. The running events involve alternately pressing
55-517: The 1 and 2 keys. Other events have more-complex controls, with the pole vault using five different keys. Decathlon received the Creative Computing Game of the Year Award at the 1980 West Coast Computer Faire . BYTE in 1981 called Decathlon "a great party game" and "a remarkable simulation ... challenging and entertaining", praising the adherence to the real decathlon's rules and
66-833: The TRS-80 and Apple II versions' graphics. Computer Gaming World stated in 1982 that Decathlon "has all the characteristics that are required of a long-lasting, quality game". It described the game as having "superb graphics and sound", and concluded that "it is an important contribution to the computer gaming hobby". Former decathlete Douglas Cobb wrote in PC Magazine in 1983 that "this impressive, realistic game brings back vivid memories and provides exciting entertainment through all ten events. The jumping and throwing events are particularly authentic, applying theories used in actual competition. Strategies combining speed, timing, and direction are authentic enough to help an Olympic hopeful train on
77-495: The basic principles behind the individual events". In 1984 InfoWorld wrote that "no one's topped it yet. If I were Microsoft, I'd market the heck out of [ Decathlon ] this summer ". Olympic Decathlon was one of first sports-related programs to mix game and simulation elements, with its Olympic track-and-field gameplay preceding Konami 's Track & Field (1983) by several years, as well as The Activision Decathlon (1983). InfoWorld InfoWorld ( IW )
88-416: The first Final Fantasy (1987), in which a 15 puzzle in the form of an Easter egg can be uncovered by entering a specific sequence of inputs while piloting a ship. It was added into the game by programmer Nasir Gebelli despite it not being part of Squaresoft 's original game design. The PocketStation for PlayStation and VMU for Dreamcast accessories allowed the user to download minigames from
99-565: The main console onto the pocket device, and often then sync progress in the minigame back on to the console. Two examples of this include the Chocobo World minigame inside Final Fantasy VIII . Olympic Decathlon Olympic Decathlon is a sports video game written by Timothy W. Smith for the TRS-80 and published in 1980 by Microsoft . In the game, the player competes in ten track and field events. The gold medalist for decathlon in
110-594: The series), Universal 's Video Action , David Whittaker's Lazy Jones and the mobile game Phone Story . Some similar games specifically developed for multiplayer are considered party games , such as the Itadaki Street series by Square Enix and Nintendo's Mario Party series. In party games, minigames usually involve performing an activity faster or collecting more of a specified item than other players to win; some may be entirely luck. The Final Fantasy series includes minigames in every entry, since
121-442: Was the face of InfoWorld and its close ties to Silicon Valley in particular. Up to and including the 15 June 1987 issue 24, volume 9, InfoWorld was published by Popular Computing, Inc. , a subsidiary of CW Communications, Inc. Since then it has been published by InfoWorld Publishing, Inc., a subsidiary of IDG Communications, Inc. Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe was CEO and publisher from 1991 to 1996, and contributed
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