Nichols

Talcott Nichols
Professor Rines
UWRT 1101
26 April 2015
Genre Analysis First-Person Shooter Video Games
Different genres come about over time when the need for them arises. The genre of firstperson shooter video games is no different. As the age of technology came about and progressed,
a new platform of entertainment was formed. Just like writing, audio, and video, the computer
was a new media in which genres started to form. Through this essay I will focus on the genre of
first-person shooter video games, its features and how like all genres, this genre has evolved and
is continuously evolving.
In order to better see these changes over the years, a bit of video game history must be
known. As all genres are formed, the genres of video games come from years of evolution. From
the very first video game, the genres have been dividing and evolving as the consumers demand
new things. The first-person shooter game was one of those genres that had emerged.
Originally stemming from the game Maze War (1974) a game in which players could move
forward and backward, turn left and right in 90o increments, searching for other players in a 3D
maze. In this game the maze was just simple lines with white walls, and other players were just
seen as eyeballs.
Later came Wolfenstein 3D (1992) which was a significant game in this genre.
Wolfenstein 3D was one of the first that was deemed first-person. It not only incorporated
color graphics, but it showed the characters forearm/hand and weapon in use. These added
features changed the viewpoint allowing the player to see through the eyes of the character

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they were playing. Both of these games had the same basic gameplay, although as technology
progressed, more and more was added to the genre. Unlike writing, where everything is created
in the readers imagination, video games progress and become more realistic as technology
allows.
The addition of the characters forearm/hand and weapon in use was a rather small change
but it is the kind of change that proves that this genre has evolved. The first-person perspective
was only the first change. Immersion is enhanced through a first-person perspective. (David
32). Playing as if looking out through the characters eyes makes it seem more realistic than if it
was third-person perspective. The first-person perspective is portrayed by showing the characters
arm or hands and also the weapon they are using. There is sometimes extra information on the
screen like player health, equipped weapon name, current weapon ammunition count, and a radar
or mini-map of the battlefield.
The function of these video games is to entertain the player and give them the feeling of
being inside of the game. In order to accomplish this there are a couple of features that remain
constant across the genre.
Due to the genre having a focus on combat with the majority of the weapons being guns,
there is typically a military theme to the first-person shooter video game. This theme is usually
solidified with lexis of military code phrases and call signs. These two combine to help reinforce
the combat feeling when the player is running around with a gun and his/her teammates are
shouting things like Frag out! when they throw a grenade.
First-person shooter (FPS) games usually have a single player mode in which the player
plays either a single character or multiple characters, playing as both the protagonists and
sometimes the antagonists, through a preset story line. Along with the single player story line

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there is usually an accompanied online multi-player mode in which players can go up against
other players across the world.
Common discourse modes in FPS games are obviously interactive as well as narrative
and instruction. Interactive is almost the core of video games due the fact that games require
player input to function. Narrative is used during single player mode to unfold the story line.
Instruction is used during the tutorial phase of play in which the player is taught how to
maneuver and shoot.
Taking a look at a couple of examples, I will describe how these games have introduced
new features to the genre which will show how even now the genre is evolving. First off is the
oldest of the examples, Americas Army.

In 2002, the US Army as an installment of the U.S. Armys recruitment and

PR/propaganda efforts released Americas Army. (David 32). Americas Army (AA) is an
interesting example of first-person shooter video games. Since the game was intended to be a
recruitment tool, they strived to provide as much realism as possible. The game starts of as if the
character just left boot camp, and the player must complete training before joining the ranks in
battle. The player must learn things like first aid, vehicle recognition, and how to use different
weapons. The information in this simulated classroom environment is so real that two different
players have reportedly used their training to save a life as a first responder. (Americas Army
News)
Not only is this a first-person shooter, but it also has many heavy aspects of a roleplaying game (RPG). RPGs are generally games in which the character can grow and change as
the player plays the game. Once the player completes the initial training, they may either play

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single player missions or go online to play against others. As it is a recruiting tool, it is partly
aimed at a teenage audience and so violence and gore have been significantly toned down.
(David 32). This game had a slightly different function than the typical first-person shooter but
still remains in the first-person shooter genre because it only added features never seen before in
a FPS game.

Battlefield 4 was released in 2013, as the latest game in the Battlefield series which
started in 2002. This game is once again set in the present time, playing as a US soldier. Pushing
immersion even further, this games graphics are miles ahead of Americas Army from 2002.
With new technology, characters look even more real with some even modeled after
recognizable actors. When players walk around, the screen tilts back and forth to mimic the
human gait, or natural walking motion. When players run through the battlefield and vault over
obstacles the camera does something interesting. It shows the characters hand placed on the
obstacle then moves to see both legs jump up and clear the top, then the view fluidly return to the
horizon to keep running. The realism is this game is incredible! Battlefield 4 has immense online
arenas where typical games are 32 vs. 32 players. Since these battlegrounds are so large, there
are many vehicles placed in the game, anywhere from jeeps, to tanks, to airplanes and
helicopters. When players enter vehicles, it shows the steering wheel of the jeeps, and the cockpit
of the airplanes. As the player turns the jeep left, the character in the game turns the steering
wheel left. This simulates as if the player were actually there in the game steering the vehicle.
Also, as players use different guns during play, they gain experience, which allows them to
unlock even better guns, adding aspects of role-playing games. This game is a prime example of
the overlap of many genres like first-person shooter, role-playing, and simulation games. The

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Battlefield 4 game has introduced many aspects since the release of Americas Army. The aspect
of simulation games in the control of vehicles is just one way the first-person shooter genre has
adopted features from other games to further its own genre.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, released 2014, is the latest in the Call of Duty (CoD)
series, which started in 2003. This game is set in the near to distant future, in which the player
again plays as a soldier. This game also has a single-player storyline as well as an online
multiplayer mode. The typical number of players in a game is 6 vs. 6. Call of Duty: Advanced
Warfare (CoD:AW) is a faster paced game than Battlefield 4, relying less on strategy of the team
and more on individual player skill.
In this latest installment of the CoD series, the exo-suit is the biggest addition. The
exo-suit addition allows players to double-jump, boost short distances, go partially invisible,
hover in mid air for short periods of time, as well as many more customizable options. These
abilities shift the game from the more typical horizontal gameplay to more vertical and
horizontal. In horizontal gameplay everything happens around the character, typically at eye
level. Vertical gameplay introduces aspects that force the player to look up or down. Much like
Battlefield 4 where the player must look up to shoot down opposing air support.
The exo-suit as well as the relatively small battlegrounds make this game very fast
paced. Like Battlefield 4, this game has a big portion of role-playing game features. Instead of
gaining experience on an individual gun basis, the character gains experience and unlocks guns
has he levels up. The player can also unlock other items like clothing and different looking exosuits to make the character appear how they want. As this game was only released 1 year after

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Battlefield 4 the addition of this exo-suit was a relatively major change in the first-person shooter
genre.

Like all genres, I strongly believe this one is changing as well. As more and more games
are produced, developers try new additions to their games, whether it be for profit, increase
realism, or just experiment. Every new game that emerges, even from other genres, affects the
subsequent games produced.
One newer piece of technology, soon to be available to the general population in a cost
effective form, is virtual reality. This will definitely have a deep impact of the gaming world,
especially for games like first-person shooters, which utilize that perspective. Virtual reality will
eliminate the space between user and monitor/TV simulating realism even further.
There are so many behind the scenes attributes of games that I believe get overlooked.
For instance, the addition of rewards in games increases a players drive to obtain them and
therefore play longer. There are so many parts of a game and to focus on one aspect, especially
to classify its genre, wouldnt be right. Ive come to learn that there is a lot that goes into genre
classifications, and that its a controversial topic because one text, game, or video might be a
certain genre to one person, but a different genre to another person.

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Works Cited
Americas Army News. Americas Army Medic Training Helps Save a Life. Published Jan 17,
2008. Web. http://news.americasarmy.com/americas-army-medic-training-helps-save-alife/
David A. Clearwater. What Defines Video Game Genre? Thinking about Genre Study after the
Great Divide Loading The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association 5.8
(2011): 29-49. Web. 22 Jan. 2015
Dominic Arsenault. Video Game Genre, Evolution and Innovation Eludamos. Journal for
Computer Game Culture 3.2 (2009): 149-176. Web. 22 Jan. 2015
EA Digital Illusions CE. Battlefield 4. Electronic Arts Inc., 2013 Computer Software.
Sledgehammer Games. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Activision Publishing Inc., 2014
Computer Software.
United States Army. Americas Army: Operations. United States Army, 2002 Computer
Software.