Video Game Perspective

Here I will be talking about what video game perspective means and the different perspectives used in video games. I will also be outlining the differences between them and their advantages and disadvantages.

Introduction

The term Video Game Perspective refers to the angle from which us players view the character and the game. This is really important as it effects the way the game's world (terrain, architecture, objectives), characters, non-playing characters and objects will be designed.
The different Video Game Perspectives are:

• First Person
• Third Person
• Aerial view (Bird's Eye)
• 2D Scrolling

First Person

This perspective allows the player to see the action from the eyes of the main character. First person perspective are normally identified as First Person Shooters as they are combat based games involving the use of a gun. The very first first person shooter game was made back in 1973 and it was called Maze War. In June 19, 1999, the Father of all First person shooters was made under the name of Counter Strike. From here on, thousands of first person shooters were made based on Counter Strike and as of today we have come a long way with games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield. This was only possible due to the fast developing of gaming graphics and now this genre is commercially packed and extremely popular.

















A great example of the first person perspective is Call of duty. As you can see from the video below, the game looks extremely good with its good graphics, which immerses the player into the universe that makes Call of Duty so popular. This is one of the main reasons why there are so many First Person shooters out there for gamers, since this perspective lets you connect with the world much better and feel as if you were the one playing in that virtual world.

Advantages of First Person:

- The realistic feel that gamers get is undeniably good and is what makes gamers fall in love with a game so much. 

- The accuracy of movements is improved since the action is more on a close-up view rather than something like aerial perspective. This might make a game more enjoyable since people are not missing skills half the time.

- Also, in shooting games this perspective improves a players reflexes and reaction times. Not just during gaming but also in real life because of the fast paced game play that first person shooters offer.

Disadvantages of First Person:

- A player's field of vision is limited since the character can only see what is in front of him. This makes it hard to see what is going on around the character and gamers would often rotate the screen to see. This problem is what led the usage of radars and maps which allow you to see where you are and what is around you.

Third Person

Third person perspective is where the character being played by the user is visible on-screen.In this genre, the player will be looking at the character's back most of the time. The camera angle can be moved, which means that the player can look at the character from different perspective angles. Usually, in this perspective, the players have assistance from the game due to the bad accuracy that comes with third person games. Also, third person perspective allows a game to have a more cartoon like style more than any perspective. A very popular example of a third person game right now is GTA 5.

Advantages: 

- Character is clearly visible. This means that the player knows what is happening to the character and around them at all times, which is an advantage over the first person perspective.

- Visible actions. So the jumping, climbing and destruction of buildings are all clearly visible from this perspective. 

- Wider field of view. Again, the world in third person games is clearly visible at all times.

- Players have an easier time controlling their character since they can see exactly where they are going and what they are doing. 

Disadvantages: 

- It can be less realistic. This is one of the ways in which third person games lose out since they sacrifice some graphic qualities for a better world and much wider field of vision.

2D scrolling

2D scrolling are video games in which all the action is viewed from a side-view camera angle. Generally, things move from left to right. 2D scrolling is usually found in more arcade like games such as Mario Bros, Flappy bird and many more. Below is an example of Flappy Bird gameplay:

As you can see from this video, flappy bird is a very addicting game. Although this game is really simple, we can see how the 2D scrolling perspective can be successful. The tubes are easy to spot so people can effectively calculate when to jump with the bird. The reason why this perspective is successful is because it allows the game to be even more fun to play with the graphics style that the game has.

Advantages:

- The player can see exactly everything that is going on in the game as they can see from one side of the map to the other side. It gives time for the player to plan a strategy.

- It is easier to play since the character only does very basic movements such as going left or right and up or down. 

Disadvantages:

- An obvious disadvantage of 2D scrolling games is their graphics. They do not look realistic at all but also their intention is not to look realistic but to be a fun experience.

- Also, the game play usually follows a specific rule or pattern. This means that it is very limited and there is less freedom for the player, unlike a game such as GTA 5.

Aerial view (Bird's eye)

Aerial view in video games is when all the action is viewed from above as if the gamer were a bird in the sky. In this perspective you can see absolutely everything that is going on in the map and in the game. Aerial view is mostly used in strategic games, where there is a lot of skill involved. Sometimes, gamers might be able to move the camera through the map if the game world is too big for it to be all in the screen. Examples of games that use aerial view are League of Legends and Starcraft. 

As you can see from this video, starcraft is a strategic game where you build up your army to try and get your opponent to surrender. From the video there are a lot of structures and creatures which makes the aerial view perfect since we can look at everything that is going on at once. Also, you can see that the player is able to move the camera throughout the map or game world.

Advantages:

- Player is more aware of actions taking place in the game.

- Players can prepare ahead to counter the opponents movements.

Disadvantages:

- Requires a lot of skill to know exactly everything that is happening around the whole map

- Newer players might find it boring.

Video Game Genre

Here I will be talking about video games and the different genres between video games. I will be giving examples and videos of the game play to illustrate my points. The different video game genres I will be talking about are:

• Sports
• Adventure
• Action
• Simulation
• Strategy
• Puzzle
• Role play
• Management
• Educational
• Viral marketing

Sports

Sports games are computer/video games that simulate the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been turned into a game, including team sports, athletics, extreme sports and combat sports. This means that the game also includes the sport's competitive tournaments, leagues, teams and professional players. Examples of sports games are listed below:

• Fifa 15
• NBA 2K15
• F1 2014

Also, here is an official trailer for Fifa 15 to show you the kind of game play you would expect a sports game would have. Although it is a computer game, you can see that it is really close to the real thing and a lot of people find this really fun.

Role Play

Role play games are different to sports games, and they put the player in control of a character in a fantasy or science fiction setting, where they can interact with the game's imaginary world. These types of games usually focus having the character level up and gain abilities. Also, the character usually needs to find help within the game to actually advance in the game. This help could come in the form of quests the collection and utilization of items and developing of skills of the character as they level up. There are also more upgrades and additional things as you level up but that is more on the complex side of the game. These options become available more and more as you reach a higher level.

Some really popular role play games worldwide, or MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play Games) are World of Warcraft and Skyrim. World of Warcraft has been around for more than 10 years but despite being so old, it is still as popular as ever with over 10 million daily active players over the world. Most of these players are actually in South Korea due to high amount of broadband adoption.

Below is a video giving you a first look at World of Warcraft.

Adventure

Adventure games are different to sport and role play games, although closer to role play games. Adventure games put the player into a fantasy role and becomes the protagonist in an interactive, episodic adventure story driven by exploration, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. These types of games usually focus on one element. Some games focus more on fighting while some focus more on the exploration of the world. Also, the protagonist usually needs to find help within the game to actually complete the game. This help could come in the form of other important characters, the collection and utilization of items and completion of missions. More options become available as you progress in the storyline.

Examples of adventure games are Tomb Raider, Fable III and Lego Star Wars.

Action

Action games are video games  that generally focus on physical challenges and challenging the players hand-eye coordination and reaction times. Action games typically like to focus on combat, where the user has to press and click buttons using their controller or keyboard to execute attacks and moves. Repetition of the attacks often result in pretty sick combos. The non-combat side to it could include avoiding traps, running and jumping to dodge abilities and other difficulties. Success in action games usually comes in being able to outplay your opponent quickly before they can react, so reflexes and quick thinking are essential. Some sub-genres of action games are shooters, fighting and platform games. Action games are extremely popular, specially shooter games. Shooters often require skill, precise mechanics and they are fun to play which is why some games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield are super successful in the gaming industry. There is also a competitive scene for each of these games which makes people want to play more since they have something to look up to. But one of the main reasons these games are so popular is the online multi-player game play they have, where you are up against other real players.

Below is a video of some Call of Duty multi-player game play.

Educational

Educational games are designed for the purpose of education or educating an individual in a specific area. These type of games are usually aimed at the younger audience with fun, creative and interactive ways of practising the "boring" subjects such as history and maths. All educational games are allowed to be used in an educational environment. Educational games are now being used by more and more teachers and this is a very effective way of teaching since it provides enjoyment, passionate involvement, motivation, creativity, social interaction and fun. It also develops an individuals way of thinking and problem-solving skills rather than just staring at a paper and trying to memorise every word.  Here are some examples of educational games.

Simulation

Simulation games are created for the purpose of putting the user in control of a certain activity while making it as realistic as possible. Simulation games are mostly used for training, analysis and prediction. Usually, there are not any strict rules but players are instead allowed to freely control a character for the purpose of measuring how well they control it but they do not need to achieve anything, Essentially, all games are simulation games since they cannot possibly exist without simulating actions and aspects of real life. However, simulation genre only includes games that focus entirely on imitating real life activities. Simulation games are very useful and they can vary greatly. They could be used for traffic networks, medical care, romance, music... Examples of simulation games are space combat simulation games and Wing commander games.

Strategy

Strategic games are games that emphasize on problem-solving and decision-making from the player and this would determine the outcome of the game. Strategy games require thinking, planning and game knowledge to be able to overcome an opponent. For example, a player could develop his army differently depending on his opponents actions or figure out a pattern in a puzzle. Strategic games are focused on problem solving and puzzle, chess and card games are all under the strategy genre. An example of a strategic games' context could be that the player gets put in charge of an army where they are trying to overcome the opposition using strategic means to win the war.

Games such as chess, Starcraft II and Hearthstone all fall under the strategy genre, although they could also fall in various different genres.

Puzzle

Puzzle games are really similar to strategy games and mainly focus on problem-solving. However, the main difference here is that in puzzle games, players do not actually have another opponent but they are instead fighting the game itself, or just trying to achieve the highest score possible. In these types of games, help is limited and you need to rely on yourself to beat the game. Also, there is usually no end to them and its just about who can get the longest time or the highest score before getting beaten by the game. Therefore, these types of games mainly focus on measuring how well you do against the AI. Puzzle games could test you on many different things such as logic, pattern recognition and word completion. Examples of puzzle games include Minesweeper, 2048 and Tetris.