How did FPS's become so popular?

[Waffle_Man]

It's actually quite simple: Mechanics versus content. This doesn't just apply to FPSs, but Racing and sports games as well.

It's incredibly easy to make a Shooter "fun," or more accurately, it's easier to make games in other genres "not fun." All it really entails is putting together somewhat competent mechanics. Compare this with, say, an RPG, a platformer, or an adventure game, where the actually context of given actions are what makes a game enjoyable.

This is because other genres live or die by the sum of their parts, where as a shooter can at least somewhat atone for everything else with fun mechanics. This isn't to say that any genre is inherently better or capable of more depth, due mind you, but it does have an effect on what people are going to look for when they want a game that guarantees them (or appears to guarantee them) at least a small amount of enjoyment.

 

[Netrigan]

Although many have tried, no one truly nailed console FPS until Halo did it. With effective methods of focusing on what they can do with console controls and hardware, many companies jumped onto the bandwagon.

Halo cracked the console control problem. Their control scheme is a thing of beauty, perfectly suited for the console controller, even making grenades and melee combat essential parts of the FPS experience instead of something you can do but hardly ever do because it (usually) involves weapon switching.

But there's still three main phases to the rise of the FPS.

1) Standing on the shoulders of giants... have you noticed how little innovation has shown up in the FPS since Halo: Combat Evolved? That's because Halo was the last AAA game to add a major new feature with vehicles (and they weren't the first FPS to have them). The FPS was a near perfected gaming genre by the time Halo landed.

2) Halo cracked the console control problem. This is a big deal. Ain't going to deny it. Without it, console FPS would still be clumsy PC ports and likely wouldn't have taken root on consoles... this widened the market, even if the PC market was fairly wide to begin with.

3) Numerous AAA devs with plenty of FPS experience were primed to take advantage of the opening Halo made. Most notably Epic, whose Unreal Engine runs so many games these days. Lots of high quality games hit the market along side the blatant attempts to cash in on Halo's success... meaning the trend takes root because of multiple high-quality games hitting one after the other.

Take away any one of those elements and the FPS is just another genre on the console. Halo would not have been the same game if nothing of interest had happened between it and Goldeneye. Console FPS wouldn't be successful without the Halo control scheme. And it would have been a flash in the pan if there hadn't been high quality games from established PC devs being released at regular intervals.

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

Because a lot of people like multiplayer. FPS games have fantastic multiplayer. Because of my almost complete aversion to multiplayer, I don't care for most FPS games. They all play the same to me and my actions don't have any impact beyond dead guys and holes in walls. For some people that's fine, but not for me.

 

[ZiggyE]

Three words;

"Halo

CoD

Counter-strike"

That's six words if you expand the acronym, four if not.

Acronym remains unexpanded and counter-strike is hyphenated making it one word.

 

[T-Bone24]

Three words;

"Halo

CoD

Counter-strike"

That's six words if you expand the acronym, four if not.

Acronym remains unexpanded and counter-strike is hyphenated making it one word.

I've already had my surprise English tuition today thank you. At least this one wasn't quite so bitter.

So... thanks?

 

[Tharwen]

They're easy to play and produce. Almost all commercial game engines are designed for a first-person view. No-one expects anything special from them. They represent simple, measurable competition between people.

I've run out of reasons...

If you wanna get technical about it...

Spoiler

Two or more computers at the same time?

 

[CPUburrito]

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1