<span class="mw-page-title-main">First-person shooter</span>

First-person shooter

<p><b>First-person shooter</b> (<b>FPS</b>) is a <a href="/en/Video_game_genre" title="Video game genre" class="wl">sub-genre</a> of <a href="/en/Shooter_video_games" title="Shooter video games" class="mw-redirect wl">shooter video games</a> centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a <a href="/en/First_person_(video_games)" title="First person (video games)" class="mw-redirect wl">first-person perspective</a>, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of an <a href="/en/Antagonist" title="Antagonist" class="wl">antagonist</a> or <a href="/en/Protagonist" title="Protagonist" class="wl">protagonist</a> which is armed, and then controlling the <a href="/en/Player_character" title="Player character" class="wl">player character</a> in a <a href="/en/Three-dimensional_space" title="Three-dimensional space" class="wl">three-dimensional space</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-routledge_chp31_1-0"><a href="#cite_note-routledge_chp31-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span> The genre shares common traits with other shooter games, and in turn falls under the <a href="/en/Action_game" title="Action game" class="wl">action game</a> genre. Since the genre's inception, advanced <a href="/en/3D_computer_graphics" title="3D computer graphics" class="wl">3D</a> and <a href="/en/2.5D" title="2.5D" class="wl">pseudo-3D</a> graphics have challenged hardware development, and <a href="/en/Multiplayer_video_game" title="Multiplayer video game" class="wl">multiplayer gaming</a> has been integral.</p>

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<div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title"><a href="/en/Video_game_genre" title="Video game genre" class="wl">Subgenres</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content">
<ul><li><a href="/en/Action-adventure_game" title="Action-adventure game" class="wl">Action-adventure</a>
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<li><a href="/en/Platform_game" title="Platform game" class="wl">Platform</a>
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<li><a href="/en/Rhythm_game" title="Rhythm game" class="wl">Rhythm</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Action_role-playing_game" title="Action role-playing game" class="wl">Action RPG</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Shooter_game" title="Shooter game" class="wl">Shooter</a>
<ul><li><a href="/en/Artillery_game" title="Artillery game" class="wl">Artillery</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Arena_shooter" title="Arena shooter" class="wl">Arena</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/First-person_shooter" title="First-person shooter" class="wl">First-person</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Hero_shooter" title="Hero shooter" class="wl">Hero</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Light_gun_shooter" title="Light gun shooter" class="wl">Light gun</a>
<ul><li><a href="/en/Twin-stick_shooter" title="Twin-stick shooter" class="wl">Twin-stick</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/en/Tactical_shooter" title="Tactical shooter" class="wl">Tactical</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Third-person_shooter" title="Third-person shooter" class="wl">Third-person</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/en/Shoot_'em_up" title="Shoot 'em up" class="wl">Shoot 'em up</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Sports_video_game" title="Sports video game" class="wl">Sports</a>
<ul><li><a href="/en/Racing_game" title="Racing game" class="wl">Racing</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/en/Stealth_game" title="Stealth game" class="wl">Stealth</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Survival_game" title="Survival game" class="wl">Survival</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Vehicle_simulation_game" title="Vehicle simulation game" class="wl">Vehicle Driving</a></li></ul></div></div></td>
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<div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title">Topics</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content">
<ul><li><a href="/en/Capture_the_flag" title="Capture the flag" class="wl">Capture the flag</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Cover_system" title="Cover system" class="wl">Cover system</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/First-person_shooter_engine" title="First-person shooter engine" class="wl">First-person shooter engine</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Free_look" title="Free look" class="wl">Free look</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Quick_time_event" title="Quick time event" class="wl">Quick time event</a></li>
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<div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title"><a href="/en/Lists_of_video_games" title="Lists of video games" class="wl">Lists</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content">
<ul><li><a href="/en/List_of_battle_royale_games" title="List of battle royale games" class="wl">List of battle royale games</a></li>
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<li><a href="/en/List_of_fighting_game_companies" title="List of fighting game companies" class="mw-redirect wl">List of fighting game companies</a></li>
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<li><a href="/en/List_of_first-person_shooters" title="List of first-person shooters" class="wl">List of first-person shooters</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/List_of_freeware_first-person_shooters" title="List of freeware first-person shooters" class="wl">List of freeware first-person shooters</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/List_of_third-person_shooters" title="List of third-person shooters" class="wl">List of third-person shooters</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/List_of_Shoot_'em_up_game_companies" title="List of Shoot 'em up game companies" class="mw-redirect wl">List of Shoot 'em up game companies</a></li>
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<li><a href="/en/List_of_maze_video_games" title="List of maze video games" class="wl">List of maze video games</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/List_of_platform_game_series" title="List of platform game series" class="wl">List of platform games</a></li></ul></div></div></td>
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<figure class="mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Halflife_ingame.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Halflife_ingame.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/65/Halflife_ingame.jpg/250px-Halflife_ingame.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="365" data-file-height="273" data-file-type="bitmap" height="187" width="250" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Halflife_ingame.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Halflife_ingame.jpg 2x" alt="Halflife_ingame.jpg"></a><figcaption>A screenshot of <i><a href="/en/Half-Life_(video_game)" title="Half-Life (video game)" class="wl">Half-Life</a></i>, widely considered to be one of the most influential games in the genre</figcaption></figure>

<p>The first-person shooter genre has been traced back to <i><a href="/en/Wolfenstein_3D" title="Wolfenstein 3D" class="wl">Wolfenstein 3D</a></i> (1992), which has been credited with creating the genre's basic archetype upon which subsequent titles were based. One such title, and the progenitor of the genre's wider mainstream acceptance and popularity, was <i><a href="/en/Doom_(1993_video_game)" title="Doom (1993 video game)" class="wl">Doom</a></i> (1993), often considered the most influential game in this genre; for some years, the term <b><i>Doom</i> clone</b> was used to designate this genre due to <i>Doom</i><span class="nowrap" style="padding-left:0.1em;"><span>'</span></span>s influence.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span> <b>Corridor shooter</b> was another common name for the genre in its early years, since processing limitations of the era's hardware meant that most of the action in the games had to take place in enclosed areas, such as in cramped spaces like corridors and tunnels.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-3"><a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[3]</span></a></span></p>

<p>1998's <i><a href="/en/Half-Life_(video_game)" title="Half-Life (video game)" class="wl">Half-Life</a></i>—along with its 2004 sequel <i><a href="/en/Half-Life_2" title="Half-Life 2" class="wl">Half-Life 2</a></i>—enhanced the narrative and puzzle elements.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-quantum_4-0"><a href="#cite_note-quantum-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[4]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-ign100_5-0"><a href="#cite_note-ign100-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[5]</span></a></span> In 1999, the <i>Half-Life</i> <a href="/en/Mod_(video_gaming)" title="Mod (video gaming)" class="mw-redirect wl">mod</a> <i><a href="/en/Counter-Strike_(video_game)" title="Counter-Strike (video game)" class="wl">Counter-Strike</a></i> was released and, together with <i>Doom</i>, is perhaps one of the most influential first-person shooters. <i><a href="/en/GoldenEye_007_(1997_video_game)" title="GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)" class="wl">GoldenEye 007</a></i>, released in 1997, was a landmark first-person shooter for <a href="/en/Video_game_console" title="Video game console" class="wl">home consoles</a>, while the <i><a href="/en/Halo_(series)" title="Halo (series)" class="mw-redirect wl">Halo</a></i> series heightened the console's commercial and critical appeal as a platform for first-person shooter titles. In the 21st century, the first-person shooter is the most commercially viable video game genre, and in 2016, shooters accounted for over 27% of all video game sales.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2016popularity_6-0"><a href="#cite_note-2016popularity-6" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 6;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[6]</span></a></span></p>



First-person shooter is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of an antagonist or protagonist which is armed, and then controlling the player character in a three-dimensional space. The genre shares common traits with other shooter games, and in turn falls under the action game genre. Since the genre's inception, advanced 3D and pseudo-3D graphics have challenged hardware development, and multiplayer gaming has been integral. The first-person shooter genre has been traced back to Wolfenstein 3D , which has been credited with creating the genre's basic archetype upon which subsequent titles were based. One such title, and the progenitor of the genre's wider mainstream acceptance and popularity, was Doom , often considered the most influential game in this genre; for some years, the term Doom clone was used to designate this genre due to Doom's influence. 1998's Half-Life—along with its 2004 sequel Half-Life 2—enhanced the narrative and puzzle elements. 