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[Poyunch]

I used to hate first-person perspective before. For me, it was the claustrophobic nature of the camera. Realistically, you can't see everything and I loved the third-person perspective because you can see the entirety of your surroundings.

Now it's a non-issue. But I'll probably never play a first-person horror game. Nope nope nope.

 

[Poimandres]

I've loved FPS games since I first played Wolfenstein 3D, and I don't think it's ever going to change.

For my money, some things are just better in first person:

- Shooting
- The sensation of movement
- Immersion

On the other hand, there are some things that don't work as well from first person:

- Environment navigation
- Jumping, dodging etc

 

[Jake Tower]

Seuss, how do you feel about motion control games?

 

[Tain]

As explained above, the first-person perspective is weaker than 2-D sprites in being able to portray video games as an art form.

It's the equivalent of choose-your-own-adventure books, pick-your-own-ending movies, build-your-own-bear. You are trying to strap a diorama on your head, claiming it is "immersion", and passing it off as the highest paragon of videogame-as-art; I'm sorry, but in my opinion, central to art is having it relate to humanity, and games in the first-person perspective consistently and constantly fail to do this dating back all the way to Wolfenstein 3D.

I don't know if I could disagree more with this. It's like there's no common ground on each and every step of the way.

 

[Lothar]

I don't feel that a FPP makes it any easier to put myself in a character's shoes. At all. If anything, it feels weirder than third person view since you can only see one small section in front of you at a time. In real life, you'd be able to see all around yourself.

I prefer first person because it makes the game about me and I'm more personally invested in the story.

In Skyrim I am the Dragonborn
In Dishonored I am Corvo
In Farcry 3 I am Jason Brody

In third person games there's a disconnect between the character on screen and the player.

In first person games I make the decisions based on what I want to do whereas in a third person game decisions are base on what the game character would do within the context of the narrative.

In Red Dead Redemption, I am totally temporarily John Marston as I play the game.
In Zelda, I am Link.
Would putting these games in FPS make them any more immersive? I doubt that.

The same disconnect exists either way. You know you're playing a character that's not you. In FPP, those aren't your arms. You're not holding that gun. You're not making those grunts when you take damage. You're not saying those things in the cutscenes. You have to suspend disbelief. Immersion is a product of the story, what you're allowed to do in the game, and atmosphere not the perspective. At least for me. I get more immersion from the Zelda games than any FP game.

 

[zroid]

I don't like it because, contrary to how many people feel, I think it takes me out of the game. The idea that I'm pretending to be the character I play as is generally absurd to me. I don't attach myself to games in that way.

The first person perspective is weird and an entirely superficial way (in my opinion) of making yourself an avatar within a game. It doesn't work for me at all, and is ultimately an effect not unlike the uncanny valley.

The third person game is more honest in what it tries to convey. You're just controlling a character; the character isn't you, and that's how I like it.

 

[BurnOutBrighter]

Don't know what you're all on about. I'm fine with either.

 

[Sanctuary]

I don't mind it when some games use the first-person perspective, as long as it doesn't end up having shitty FPS controls/combat regardless of what genre it's supposed to be.

What I absolutely hate, is the overreliance of the first-person perspective this generation. It has nothing to do with immersion, and everything to do with how well FPS sell. So, let's just tack on a first-person view despite the genre just because FPS sell, so this will too! It's also easier to use someone else's engine than to create your own.

As much as I almost loath TPS as much, at least the view seems to mesh better overall. Take Mass Effect and Dead Space as examples of how to incorporate a specific view into another genre correctly. Third-person is a lot more cinematic and actiony. First-person just feels dated and gimmicky in more situations than not anymore. It especially ruins combat for every game that's not a shooter.

 

[Jawmuncher]

I don't mind FPS at all, though I still prefer 3rd person.
Mainly because for a first person game as odd as it sounds, I don't feel as connected especially with the story. One of the reasons why I couldn't get into Bioshock like most people. I know it makes no sense, and I can't really explain it.

 

[Sanctuary]

I don't mind FPS at all, though I still prefer 3rd person.
Mainly because for a first person game as odd as it sounds, I don't feel as connected especially with the story. One of the reasons why I couldn't get into Bioshock like most people. I know it makes no sense, and I can't really explain it.

I don't see how anyone can feel connected to a pair of ever persistent, disembodied pair of floating hands that probably look nothing like your own.

 

[CielTynave]

Basically when it comes to immersing me in a game, first person is much less so than third. Part of immersion is basically about artificially stimulating senses, only 2 of which games are able to make much use of (sight and hearing). 3rd person compensates by showing you these things that you would be able to feel if it were actually you doing them.

Kind of a poor way to explain it, but I'm too lazy to go into to much detail, so here's movie bob basically explaining the same thing I'm trying to say.

 

[ii Stryker]

I don't feel that a FPP makes it any easier to put myself in a character's shoes. At all. If anything, it feels weirder than third person view since you can only see one small section in front of you at a time. In real life, you'd be able to see all around yourself.



In Red Dead Redemption, I am totally temporarily John Marston as I play the game.
In Zelda, I am Link.
Would putting these games in FPS make them any more immersive? I doubt that.

The same disconnect exists either way. You know you're playing a character that's not you. In FPP, those aren't your arms. You're not holding that gun. You're not making those grunts when you take damage. You're not saying those things in the cutscenes. You have to suspend disbelief. Immersion is a product of the story, what you're allowed to do in the game, and atmosphere not the perspective. At least for me. I get more immersion from the Zelda games than any FP game.

My point was that in Skyrim for example I'm a sorcerer a thief a warrior, however I choose to play its easier to project myself onto a character played in the FPP and experience the game however I see fit.

In most third person games the narrative and experience is more tightly crafted to whatever that character is supposed to be. For instace trying to play as a bad guy in GTA IV and RDR was contradictory to how those characters narratives were crafted and it felt wrong.

 

[longdi]

cannot stand first person single player games. bad for platforming action, fov is too limited and so i get motion sickness because of the slower game progression.

fps mp is fine because it is fast paced non-scripted action and my only focus is on fragging the next dude on screen.

i wish more sp games use a good 3p camera, missed out on many highly rated fp sp games since the explosion of western led games in fp view.

 

[Terrell]

I don't like it because, contrary to how many people feel, I think it takes me out of the game. The idea that I'm pretending to be the character I play as is generally absurd to me. I don't attach myself to games in that way.

The first person perspective is weird and an entirely superficial way (in my opinion) of making yourself an avatar within a game. It doesn't work for me at all, and is ultimately an effect not unlike the uncanny valley.

The third person game is more honest in what it tries to convey. You're just controlling a character; the character isn't you, and that's how I like it.

I completely agree.

The immersion ends for me as soon as the camera moves or the character does. Simulating the way a neck turns or your sight shakes slightly from footsteps... screw the digital doll effect, THAT is the Uncanny Valley. Never mind that I have a suspicion that's what makes me and other people sick.

 

[foogles]

Wife doesn't like the first person perspective because it makes her physically ill: migraines and nausea. Extended attempts to "get over it" have been met with, er, extended bouts of migraines and nausea. Switch to third person view and bam, it's fine. It was like that with Borderlands 2. She was super hyped for it and the PC version of the first game had a third-person hack and she loved playing it that way, but when the sequel was released, the method for doing that hack stopped working with the PC version because the devs changed the control system and obfuscated the bindings. We still played, but she couldn't take it for more than about 20 minutes, and all attempts to play with FOV, frame rate, and aspect ratio did not help. A third person hack was eventually found with something similar to a trainer, and bam, everything was fine.

So yeah, she doesn't like first person because her brain or physiology can't handle it. I don't blame her for not sitting through the rather awful and debilitating effects of it hoping that it stops at some point. First person shooters aren't so terribly important as to make yourself sick trying to play them, even if you like the games themselves.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

No spatial awareness.

FPS is fun when it's arena based madness.

Not pseudo realistic war porn or ambitious beyond the current limitations of the input and player awareness capabilities.

It's why I hate any FPS that has platforming or any aspect of needing to be aware of where my feet are in relation to empty space. I can run and jump IRL without looking down. I hate not being able to tell where my "body" is in FPS games, and that's where third person perspective curb stomps FPS.

I can SEE my character in relation to the objects I'm interacting with.

FPS games will be viable once we have affordable tele-immersion technology. You have spatial awareness, and you hold a fake gun as the controller / input device.

 

[Lumpy Onion]

I like First-Person but a lot of the games that use it are shooters, which I don't really play anymore. Although, Kings Field I-IV's FPP really made me feel like I was exploring whatever location I was in. Same with Skyrim and Oblivion. So yeah, overall I don't have an issue with it. It's just that I rarely get to play one that fits my genre preferences.

 

[DarkPanda]

My point was that in Skyrim for example I'm a sorcerer a thief a warrior, however I choose to play its easier to project myself onto a character played in the FPP and experience the game however I see fit.

In most third person games the narrative and experience is more tightly crafted to whatever that character is supposed to be. For instace trying to play as a bad guy in GTA IV and RDR was contradictory to how those characters narratives were crafted and it felt wrong.

That's a product of how the game is structured, not something inherent to the viewpoint. Myself and others in this thread played Skyrim completely in third person and still got to make all the same choices you did. A first person game can have the same kind of storyline restrictions as GTA or RDR; there's no diplomacy option in Halo, for example, and Mirror's Edge won't let you take a cab.

Perhaps it's not first-person cameras you like so much as games that let you craft a character completely from scratch? Which, if MMOs are any indication, is completely possible from a third-person perspective.

 

[HAL_Laboratory]

I'm not tired of 1st-person so much as bald space marines. I haven't played an FPS since... fuck it's been a long time. Just totally burned out on the genre.

 

[InsaneZero]

First person perspective is fine unless the game expects me to perform actual platforming.

Then my player character suddenly become a hobbled one-eyed freak without arms.

 

[DocSeuss]

Well, guys, it worked for a while, but I don't think distraction's working anymore. Gonna have to find some other way to deal with the day, I suppose. I really appreciate those of you who took the time to reply and comment. Bit surprised by the number of people who don't seem to be able to relate spatially, and still confused by those of you who have a huge hangup with 'feeling like a floating camera,' since I don't have troubles filtering that level of abstraction. Whatever. It was still cool to see the viewpoints of a bunch of different people. Thanks for that.

I'm not tired of 1st-person so much as bald space marines. I haven't played an FPS since... fuck it's been a long time. Just totally burned out on the genre.

You should start playing first-person shooters again. The only bald space marine I've encountered in the past few years has been... has... hm.

I got nothing. I like to think my femme Spartan in Reach had hair.

 

[Zhengi]

Motion sickness.

 

[LiK]

FPS is awesome.

 

[SuperDowns]

I would love more first person platformers. Maybe taken to ridiculous physics of Mario Galaxy and spherical worlds.

 

[Magnus]

I feel a lot more in control of my character, what's around him, and his overall participation and interaction with the world he's in when I can see him on the screen. Just an attitude I've developed on being raised on non-FPS games in my childhood, I guess.

That said, I love the immersive quality of an FP-experience. There's just nothing like it. I definitely get more lost, disoriented and frustrated overall with that gameplay, but that's part of it.

 

[djtiesto]

Haha, probably. It's funny though, I'd be very interested in more FP games by Japanese developers because of the different design mentalities. Especially when it comes to boss fights I think the guys at Platinum or From could probably do a much better job than any Western dev. I was actually looking forward to Coded Arms Assault, however janky it looked.

Yeah, I'd especially be curious about how Japanese devs would decide to tackle collision and spacial awareness in FP games. I'd like to see someone like Treasure or Platinum try their hand at a scripted, linear, arcade-y, gamey, experience in the first person, in particular. Scoring systems, boss fights, less realistic gameplay...