Why are FPS games so popular?

[dscross]

People rave about FPS's all the time but I just have never been able to see the appeal. I didn't mind the original doom, and golden eye to a lesser extent, when they first came out because they were a bit of a novelty at the time, but most of them have bored the pants off me. To be fair, I don't enjoy 3rd person shooters much better either - I'm just not that into games that are heavy on shooting stuff all the time. I like games with a shooting element much better when the focus isn't really so much on the shooting, like in survival games for example.

So, with all that said, I know this is to some extent a matter of taste, but I'd like to understand what people see in them, more broadly. Is it the same reason people like action movies? Is it just simply that people like shooting virtual guns? Or they enjoy gunning down their mates in multiplayer?

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

They are simple. All about hand-eye coordination. You just point and shoot.
Then you can build on that base by adding new elements.

Is it the same reason people like action movies? Is it just simply that people like shooting virtual guns? Or they enjoy gunning down their mates in multiplayer?

All of the above.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

They're easy to pick up and understand. Someone new to gaming would have a hard time understanding the leaps of logic needed for success in Monkey Island, or of working out the best deck builds in MTG or Hearthstone, or having any idea of understanding what in the hell is going on in the MGS universe. But shooters, on the other hand, are pretty basic. Point, shoot, try not to die. Plot optional. It's quite literally a case of 'connect thumbs, disconnect brain' - and I say this as someone who loves shooters.

 

[dscross]

Shooters are practically the gaming equivalent of porn. They are easy to pick up and play for instant but generally shallow gratification from a gameplay standpoint, including for multiplayer which compliments the genre very well. They also typically look very pretty since there?s no need to fully render a smoothly animated player character model.

Having said that, I?m still waiting for an FPS that justifies current gen technology. They could really be much better than they are from a technical standpoint. I want weapons that destroy environments realistically depending on bullet caliber, and the same goes for what happens to enemies when shot up.

Also while speaking of first person games in general, it?s not to say they?re all this way by any means. I love Kingdom Come: Deliverance for the immersive factor added by the perspective, and the upcoming Cyberpunk: 2077 will be amazing for the same reason.

 

[B-Cell_v1legacy]

I dont see the apeal of MP FPS. but SP FPS are by far best gaming genre ever.

From early Half life to Deus Ex to FEAR to Crysis to STALKER to Metro to Doom etc. it is full of masterpieces.

 

[Aerosteam]

Because people just want to shoot stuff. Most of the time, other people.

 

[dscross]

I dont see the apeal of MP FPS. but SP FPS are by far best gaming genre ever.

From early Half life to Deus Ex to FEAR to Crysis to STALKER to Metro to Doom etc. it is full of masterpieces.

What appeals to you about them though, exactly? You just gave a subjective opinion about where you rank the games there - you didn't tell me what elements of them you find appealing about the whole genre.

 

[dscross]

Because people just want to shoot stuff. Most of the time, other people.

What a depressing thought

 

[Aerosteam]

Because people just want to shoot stuff. Most of the time, other people.

What a depressing thought

Er... don't read into that too much. '>.>

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Simple, uncomplicated catharsis.

 

[B-Cell_v1legacy]

I dont see the apeal of MP FPS. but SP FPS are by far best gaming genre ever.

From early Half life to Deus Ex to FEAR to Crysis to STALKER to Metro to Doom etc. it is full of masterpieces.

What appeals to you about them though, exactly? You just gave a subjective opinion about where you rank the games there - you didn't tell me what elements of them you find appealing about the whole genre.

In MP FPS. you are doing same thing in same map over an over again. as a result they get boring.

In SP FPS, you explore, you complete objectives, you shoot, you may solve puzzle or find a way etc.

 

[CaitSeith]

I think this is a loaded question. Is the genre really "so popular"? Or it's just a handful of ridiculously popular games that just happen to be FPS? I want to point out they also happen to be competitive multiplayer games, and I think that's more of a factor for such games.

 

[Casual Shinji]

It's point and click, instant results.

There's really nothing more to it than that.

 

[Smithnikov_v1legacy]

I dont see the apeal of MP FPS. but SP FPS are by far best gaming genre ever.

From early Half life to Deus Ex to FEAR to Crysis to STALKER to Metro to Doom etc. it is full of masterpieces.

It's also full of crap. Daikatana, Rogue Warrior, Corridor 7, Operation Body Count, Zombie Island, that gawdawful Land of the Dead game, PUMPKINHEAD fer fuck's sake....

 

[Smithnikov_v1legacy]

In MP FPS. you are doing same thing in same map over an over again. as a result they get boring.

I did Payday. Never was boring, even on the worst cocked up runs. Also, Killing Floor is good junk food shooter fun even with the same maps.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Save for Fighting Games, it's the genre I go to when I want my skill to mean more than random RNG.

Not that I just picked the right action in a target to acquire and take down, but my reflexes got me me there before the other guy and I took him down before he could do anything. That sates something in me, but not as much as fighting games.

However, with games like Gun Club PSVR, I get more of a skill satiation with actually doing the actions with my body. But that's more of an On-Rails Light Gun than a FPS.

 

[EvilRoy]

Its very straightforward to start, but has a potentially limitless skill curve to climb if you are so inclined. Most other game styles diverge significantly between entries such that they require a heavier upfront investment even if the mechanics are ultimately very similar between entries. Rts games all play similarly but the units/synergies/maps vary wildly forcing even experienced players to relearn a bit, puzzle games are all usually quite unique (unless they suck), rpgs tend to be all over the place between series but even vary heavily within them, and so on.

Theres higher or lower levels of it required in any game type, but fundamentally (and pointified by the inclusion of soldier76 in overwatch) an fps is typically gonna be easier to pick up than other game types and can readily have a comparable skill progression and depth as any other type. It makes it the perfect type to pick up on a whim while still working for people who want more.

 

[Trunkage]

I dont see the apeal of MP FPS. but SP FPS are by far best gaming genre ever.

From early Half life to Deus Ex to FEAR to Crysis to STALKER to Metro to Doom etc. it is full of masterpieces.

What appeals to you about them though, exactly? You just gave a subjective opinion about where you rank the games there - you didn't tell me what elements of them you find appealing about the whole genre.

In MP FPS. you are doing same thing in same map over an over again. as a result they get boring.

In SP FPS, you explore, you complete objectives, you shoot, you may solve puzzle or find a way etc.

So the best part is NOT the shooting.

 

[sXeth]

Games often involve combat, for whatever reason.

Barring the melee option, the most true-to-life shooty option for most people to identify with is a gun.

Hence shooters are something of dominant thing to a majority audience (alongside other "true to life" experiences like driving based games, or sports ones)

As to why first person specifically, thats how we see things, so a greater portion of people perceive that as a more natural viewpoint. Rather then the external camera of third person, or the side-scrolling Megaman/Duke Nuke,(original)-esque 2d option.

 

[Lufia Erim]

I feel like Where you live also plays a factor. I think different countries have different " popular" genres.