The genre initially evolved separately in the United Kingdom, Japan, and North America, afterward gradually merging into a unified worldwide tradition. As a result, designating 'early real-time strategy' titles is problematic because such games are being held up to modern standards. Games sometimes perceived as ancestors of the real-time strategy genre were never marketed or designed as such. The genre recognized today as 'real-time strategy' emerged from an extended period of evolution and refinement. This would only apply to anything considered a god game, where the player assumes a god-like role of creation. For instance, city-building games, construction and management simulations, and games of real-time tactics are generally not considered real-time strategy per se. Though some video game genres share conceptual and gameplay similarities with the RTS template, recognized genres are generally not subsumed as RTS games. Some features have been borrowed from desktop environments for example, the technique of 'clicking and dragging' to create a box that selects all units under a given area. The tasks a player must perform to win an RTS game can be very demanding, and complex user interfaces have evolved for them. More specifically, the typical game in the RTS genre features resource-gathering, base-building, in-game technological development, and indirect control of units. These resources are in turn garnered by controlling special points on the map and/or possessing certain types of units and structures devoted to this purpose. In a typical RTS game, it is possible to create additional units and structures, generally limited by a requirement to expend accumulated resources. In a real-time strategy game, each participant positions structures and maneuvers multiple units under their indirect control to secure areas of the map and/or destroy their opponents' assets.

The term 'real-time strategy' was coined by Brett Sperry to market Dune II in the early 1990s. By contrast, in turn-based strategy (TBS) games, players take turns to play. Real-time strategy ( RTS) is a subgenre of strategy video games that doesn't progress incrementally in turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in 'real time'.

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