Special Issue The Rise(s) and Fall(s) of Video Game Genres May 2019 74-102 Wargame, Strategy, Action, and Multiplayer in the Early 1980s 1 Simon Dor Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue Abstract: Extensive literature underlines the importance to critically examine the phenomenon of game classification. In computer games magazines of the 1980 decade, the combination of “action”, “arcade,” or “real-time” with “strategy” is quite common. Here and there, the expression “real-time strategy” is used. But real-time strategy games as we will come to know them in the 1990s are not very similar to games labelled “real -time strategy” in the 1980s: we are simply not witnessing the description of the same gameplay or experience. Micro-histories of gameplay can underline different forms of continuities and reveal new perspectives on strategy gaming. Keywords: Game genres; real-time strategy; strategy games; 1980 decade; history of games. Résumé en français à la fin de l’article ***** 1 I have to thank the LUDOV research team from Université de Montréal where I pursued my doctoral research for some of the findings used here. I also want to note that I would have loved to play each game mentioned here, but it is unfortunately in practice impossible; I hope the observations I make here will be corroborated or refuted by first-hand play when some of these games will be found or made available.