Third-person shooter

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Third-person shooter (TPS) is a genre of 3D computer and video games in which the player character is seen at a distance from a number of different possible perspective angles, as opposed to the first-person model in which the player views everything in the game world as if through the character’s own eyes. Tomb Raider was an early third-person shooter which popularized the genre.^[1]

Leon S. Kennedy in Salazar's castle in Resident Evil 4

Owing to the general nature of the term, many games are placed outside of the third-person shooter genre because their styles are covered by more specific genre labels. Prior to Resident Evil 4, the Resident Evil series, though they incorporate both third-person gameplay and shooting, are not considered third-person shooters; because of the emphasis on fear and survival, they are called survival horror. In contrast, the GTA series from Grand Theft Auto III on has been labeled by some as third-person shooters, but also incorporates driving and RPG elements. Examples of traditional third-person shooters include MDK, Gears of War, Dark Sector and Metal Gear Solid 4.

Third-person shooters have advantages and disadvantages. A third-person perspective gives the player more awareness of the surroundings; however, this leaves the camera disconnected from movement, unlike in a first-person shooter. Poor camera control can cause the player to view the wrong area, having their line-of-sight obstructed by an object behind the character. Many solutions to these problems have been both proposed and implemented. For example, if the player positions the character with their back to a wall, the wall may become transparent to not obstruct the player's view. An example of this is in Warhawk, where structures and other players who come between the player's character and the camera will become translucent to give the player an easier view of the game. Another solution is to allow the player to enter a first-person view, should a situation arise where the third-person perspective becomes problematic, while allowing them to otherwise remain in a third-person view. Examples of this are in Star Wars: Battlefront, Gears of War, and James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.

The third-person perspective can also be used to add non-shooting or action-adventure elements to the game. Games such as Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Tomb Raider feature sections of puzzle solving and platforming sections which are made easier by this.

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