First-person shooter

A first-person shooter (FPS) is a computer or video game where the player's on-screen view of the game world simulates that of the character, and there is a high percentage of combat involved. According to this simple definition, a game like Battlezone, or many flight simulators would be included. However, in the early 1990s, the term came to define a very specific genre of game with a first-person view, almost always centered around the act of aiming and shooting with multiple styles of weapons and limited ammunition. On-rails shooters are often viewed from a first-person perspective.

Related Topics:
Computer or video game - Battlezone - Flight simulator - 1990s - On-rails shooter

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The modern FPS genre emerged during the early 1990s, at the point when home computers became sufficiently powerful to draw basic 3D graphics in realtime. The breakthrough games were id Software's Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. The latter, in particular, defined the genre so emphatically that FPS games were commonly referred to as "Doom clones" for a significant period after its release.

Related Topics:
Genre - 3D graphics - Id Software - Wolfenstein 3D - Doom - Doom clone

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First-person shooters have been subject to substantial controversy due to the levels of violence included in some games, and the visual realism that can be more inherent in the shooting of things in a first-person perspective.

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