
For example, in a first-person game, if you want to know whether an enemy is hiding around a corner, you can't check this without exposing yourself around that same corner. This affects how you interact with the game world in a lot of ways. Your only option for looking around-say, to see what's directly behind you-is to move your character's entire view. As a first-person story tells the tale through "I" statements, a first-person game lets you see exactly what your character sees.īecause of this, there's no "game camera" that you can manipulate to get a better view of the world around you.


See our comparison of 2D and 3D games for more details.Ī first-person game is one where you play through the perspective of your character. While you could technically consider 2D games third-person, it's not really the same as a third-person camera in 3D titles. Keep in mind that first-person and third-person views mainly apply to 3D games, as 2D games typically feature a static camera angle. Because video games can be vastly different, we'll speak in general terms these may not apply perfectly to every game. To start, let's look at the basics of each visual style. What Are the Differences Between First-Person and Third-Person? Let's examine the differences between first-person and third-person camera setups in video games, including how they affect the gameplay and common genres in each style.

And while the main differences between these styles are clear, there are a lot of nuances between how first-person and third-person games work. All video games need to show the events of the game to the player in some way, and most do this with either a first-person or third-person camera view.
