11.02. Block Breaker

Block Breaker games have the player control a paddle at the bottom of the screen to bounce a ball upward, clearing a field of blocks arranged at the top of the screen.

Gunbarich (Psikyo, 2001)

This subgenre comes as an evolution of Ball and Paddle games, with Breakout (Atari, 1976) and Arkanoid (Taito, 1986) among the more recognizable.

Oh, also, the subgenre is home to Namco's first video game, Gee Bee (1978). Yay!