Definition

Components of an adventure game	Citations
Puzzle solving, or problem solving.	[1][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Narrative, or interactive story.	[1][5][6][7][9][11]
Exploration.	[1][5][7]
Player assumes the role of a character/hero.	[1][5][8]
Collection or manipulation of objects.	[1][5][6]

The term "Adventure game" originates from the 1970s computer game Adventure,^[5][6] which pioneered a style of gameplay that was widely imitated and became a genre in its own right. The video game genre is therefore defined by its gameplay, unlike the literary genre, which is defined by the subject it addresses, the activity of adventure.^[1]
Essential elements of the genre include storytelling, exploration, and puzzle solving.^[1] Adventure games have been described as puzzles embedded in a narrative framework,^[7] where games involve "narrative content that a player unlocks piece by piece over time".^[12] While the puzzles that players encounter through the story can be arbitrary, those that do not draw the player out of the narrative are considered examples of good design.^[13]