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
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.
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