Third-person (video games)

This article is about a camera style in 3D video games. For top-down and side-view 2D games, see Video game graphics § 2D.

Screenshot from the third-person shooter Dead Justice

An illustration of a protagonist whom a player controls and a tracking camera just behind, slightly above, and slightly facing down towards that character

In video games, third-person (also spelled third person) is a graphical perspective rendered from a fixed distance behind and slightly above the player character. This viewpoint allows players to see a more strongly characterized avatar and is most common in action games and action adventure games. Games with this perspective often make use of positional audio, where the volume of ambient sounds varies depending on the position of the avatar.

Camera systems

Main article: Virtual camera system § Third-person view

There are primarily three types of camera systems in games that use a third-person view: the "tracking camera systems" in which the camera simply follows the player's character; the "fixed camera systems" in which the camera positions are set during the game creation; and the "interactive camera systems" that are under the player's control.

Simple tracking cameras follow the characters from behind, and were common in early 3D games such as Crash Bandicoot or Tomb Raider since it is very simple to implement. However, the player is unable to move the camera to resolve occluded views or focus on areas of interest, and may jerk or end up in awkward positions if the character is near a wall.

Fixed camera systems are defined by the developers during the game creation. The camera views will not change dynamically, so the same place will always be shown under the same set of views. Games that use fixed cameras include Grim Fandango (1998) and the early Resident Evil and God of War games. Such a system allows designers to use the language of film, creating mood through camerawork and selection of shots.

Interactive camera systems still track the character, but can also be moved by the player. Fully interactive camera systems are often difficult to implement in the right way; GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann argued that much of the Super Mario Sunshine's difficulty comes from having to control the camera. Conversely, IGN's Matt Casamassina called The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker's camera system "so smart that it rarely needs manual correction". One of the first games to offer an interactive camera system was Super Mario 64.

Controls

Many games with fixed cameras use tank controls, whereby players control character movement relative to the position of the player character rather than the camera position; this allows the player to maintain direction when the camera angle changes.

On video game consoles, interactive camera systems are often controlled by an analog stick to provide good accuracy, whereas on PC games they are usually controlled by the mouse.

See also

• 3D graphics
• First-person shooter engine
• Free look
• Simulator sickness
• Virtual reality
• First-person (video game)