Some of you may not be familiar with in game camera view names. Well, if you are currently confused as to what exactly a first person shooter is than I suggest you continue reading. Basically, there are two types of camera angles that most games use, first person and third person, second person is generally not so popular even though some games do use this angle. The camera angle is how you see the character you are playing, the term “person” is used to describe the distance away from the main character. Let me explain each camera angle in more detail.
A first person shooter is a game that allows you to see exactly what the character in game would be seeing. Basically, you are the game character, you can see their arms, guns, and legs, just like you see yours now. The first person shooter gaming genre has expanded by drastic measures over the past few years. You have probably heard of the world famous Call of Duty franchise, the franchise is one of the few million good examples of a true first person shooting game.
Call of duty black ops, one of the best and latest first person shooters.
So basically, whenever you view the game from the eyes of the character, and you can see the characters body parts and weapons, than you are playing a first person shooter.
A second person shooter is quite similar, except you do not see any parts of the character you are controlling. You see the game world through the characters eyes, but you do not see the characters body at all. A good example of game that uses the second player perspective would be Myst. The second-person gaming genre is quite small, most of these games are puzzle games. Here’s a screen shot of a second-person game.
As you can see in the screen shot, you see what the characters sees but you interact with the world usually with the mouse, and the character’s body parts are usually not visible.
Third person games show the character you are controlling from the way back, you can sometimes move the camera around. Basically, you can see your character’s entire body, usually legs, head, and back, though some games allow you to move the camera so that you can see the characters front. The first person and third person games are the most popular. Here is a in game screen shot of a classic third person game.
Max Payne 2 A Classic Third Person Shooting Game
So now you should have a better understanding as to what a first person, second person, and third person game is. Of course, there are many games that allow you to switch between third person and first person, some third person games allow you to switch to second person and so on.
Now, when I talk about first person shooters you will a better understanding as to what i am talking about.
