What's the appeal with first-person gameplay?

[Miss G.]

I'm a 3rd-person kinda girl and I was just wondering why it's so popular. If there's a character on the box or one you get to create I would like to see what I payed for. I don't care for shooters, but now it's even in newer JRPGs that I would've otherwise been all over nowadays.

 

[Nouw]

I don't know about anyone else but personally it makes for a more immersive gaming experience. In games with customization, however, I'd much prefer a third-person perspective e.g. the Halo series. Pimping out my Spartan is fun and all but let me see him damn it!

EDIT: The first half of Mr.K's post explains it better.

 

[suntt123]

It's supposedly more "realistic" or something... Except for the fact that it only accounts for you sense of sight, which means that if you back into a wall or something you'll have no idea where to go. And the fact that our arms are forever frozen onto that one spot, and we are unable to twist our necks without moving the whole rest of our body.

I guess it's some design decision or something. Trying to emphasize that it is you doing this or something. Problem is, it is NOT me doing this. I am playing as somebody else and while these actions may make sense for THE GAME'S character, I'd have sooner booked a flight to Splitsville than engage in any sort of combat. It also makes platforming a ***** as you can't see where your legs/feet are and renders any form of character customization (outside of arms) completely moot. So basically, it has absolutely nothing going for it and I will never understand some people's preference for it. But it never gets in the way (too much) and it serves it's purpose so whatever :/.

 

[TehCookie]

So you can be the protag rather than controlling someone else, and it's suppose to be more immersive or something. Though nothing breaks immersion more than doing things I can't do in real life when I'm suppose to still be me. I'd rather play as a character other than me and enjoy the fantasy, so I like 3rd person more.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Brings you closer to the action, be it shooting or conversing with people or exploring/looting you just get that bit closer to our natural perspective.

Has to be said however poor controls, high demand for spatial awareness and low FoV will make the first person experience horrid and far less usable then all other views, so unless devs can get it right they should be thinking of alternatives.

 

[Doom972]

It adds immersion, it makes exploration more comfortable (for example: searching a room for items), and it's great for shooting.

Unless you play shooters or RPGs that allow for free exploration (either hub-based like Deus Ex, or sandbox like Skyrim), you might not see the appeal, as this is the king games where it works best.

 

[Zhukov]

I find it makes for more precise control, especially when using a mouse and keyboard. Third person can sometimes feel like I'm wrestling with the controls of an RC car. Also, I find first person better in games where I want to, or am required to, examine the environment closely because I won't have a character taking up a large chunk of screen real estate and getting in the way.

That said, I don't really have any preference one way or the other.

 

[Aris Khandr]

Supposedly, it is more immersive, but I've always felt it is more like playing a game with a box on your head. I find peripheral vision to be very immersive, and over-the-shoulder third person does that a lot better than first person ever could. Also, feet. It is particularly jarring to look down and have nothing more than maybe a forearm or two, like an Inspector Gadget villain.

 

[votemarvel]

I loathe the first person perspective in games. The realistic stance takes a big hit because it doesn't take into account depth perception, peripheral vision or spacial awareness. I find the first person view in games to be like having a completely numb body, in a strange location and being forced to wear an eye patch and blinkers.

Now true the third person view is hardly any more realistic, we don't view ourselves from behind after all. However it helps replicate depth perception by being able to view the character against objects in the environment. Peripheral vision and spacial awareness by the wider field of view around the character.

It takes a special game for me to be able to look past the first person view in games. So far the only ones that have done that are the Left4Dead and Halo games, and then only really when played in co-op.

 

[GoaThief]

I'm a 3rd-person kinda girl and I was just wondering why it's so popular. If there's a character on the box or one you get to create I would like to see what I payor. I don't care for shooters, but now it's even in newer JRPGs that I would've otherwise been all over nowadays.

I much prefer first person perspective as I find it vastly more immersive. I wish more games were played from a first person perspective or at least given the option. Same deal with unvoiced protagonists, especially in RPGs.

 

[DementedSheep]

Well I personally suck at aiming from 3rd person so if its guns or bows I much prefer being in first person. In some rare cases like Mirrors Edge and Amnesia I feel it does actually make it more immersive and being in 3rd would destroy that though most of the time that doesn't matter to me.

 

[piinyouri]

It's an alternative to other camera views.

Though I think the first first-person game I played was Hexen, and I remember seeing just my knuckles as I mashed a demons face in and thinking "This is so cool!"

So yeah, the usual for me, immersion, better sense of action, makes everything feel more personal/intense.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

People have went over the pros and cons pretty well. The thing I hate about 1st-person is no peripherals and the fact that you can't walk straight ahead while looking behind you (which is why I'm not a fan of FPS competitive multiplayer), you can do that in a TPS and in real life. There's only a few games where I think the 1st-person view actually made that game better like Mirror's Edge (which I thought would fail horribly, a 1st-person platformer?!?!) and Bioshock.

I think the main reason most games are made in 1st-person is because the 1st-person camera is way easier to code than a well done 3rd-person camera. Plus, you don't really have to worry about animations for the player character.

 

[Jandau]

Personally, I find 1st person to be less immersive than 3rd person. In real life, when moving we're getting all kinds of sensory feedback beyond sound and sight, this is completely gone in 1st person. In 3rd person I at least get visual feedback on what is happening to my character and can translate it to what it might feel like in regards to touch and proprioception. Also, it helps me identify with my character more since he's more than just a floating camera with a gun...

 

[BrotherRool]

I think there are pros and cons, but I really dislike 1st person. It always makes me feel like I'm some bizarre floating square with no feet and holding hands in a really weird position. The position of hands in an FPS makes it look like someones carrying a giant invisible box right in front of their face.

I like the idea that 3rd-person gives you the peripheral vision and environmental awareness the humans really have.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Mainly I think immersion and gameplay that involves a limited view (e.g. in horror games). Both have their uses. I'm happy with either, as long as the game's designed with it in mind. In Skyrim I did have to stop every once in a while and admire my character in third person, helmless so I could see the face, but other than that I did like Skyrim's style and played in first person, because third person play is clunky as hell. But as I said, either as long as the game commits to it. I like Armored Core, I like Hawken. I like Skyrim, I like Dark Souls.

 

[AngloDoom]

Have you played the first hour of The Darkness? If not, there's a scene in which the main character cuddles up to his girlfriend and just watches television from a first-person perspective. When she kisses Jackie, she kiss the camera. When she falls asleep, you can look down and see her on Jackie's (your) lap.

I don't know about anyone else, but I sat for a good ten minutes watching a film because I felt guilty moving her. I would have never felt like that if the scene was shown from a third-person perspective, it wouldn't have been 'me' moving and disturbing Jackie's girlfriend, it'd just be Jackie getting on with the story.

 

[DoPo]

I find it makes for more precise control, especially when using a mouse and keyboard. Third person can sometimes feel like I'm wrestling with the controls of an RC car. Also, I find first person better in games where I want to, or am required to, examine the environment closely because I won't have a character taking up a large chunk of screen real estate and getting in the way.

That said, I don't really have any preference one way or the other.

Yup, you described me very well. I can (very) broadly divide uses for 3rd person and 1st person cameras in the following way:
- TPS - if you need more environmental awareness closer to your character and/or when the character needs to be closer to the action
- FPS - more freedom of view and sometimes the restriction that come with it contribute to the experience (like, not knowing what is behind you unless you turn around)

But at any rate, why are there "camps" on the matter? Going for one of these as TEH ONE TRU WAI, YO!!11! seems like it shouldn't be happening. Like, at all.

 

[krazykidd]

I like the controls better . I can't control 3rd person games for shit , also aiming is a ***** . But i'm the kind of person who has no problem with 1st person platforming .

I usualy use inverted y axis in first person . But when in 3rd person , my brain goes all wonky , so i need to keep it in normal y-axis .