Do You Have a Preferred Perspective for Games?

[Architecture]

I'm curious. Have at it.

[Gaizokubanou]

I have none.

[mikemariano]

This poll should be even more pedantic and include FOV options!

[elmuerte]

Depends on the game.

[Vulpes Absurda]

I prefer first person, but I don't have anything against third person, and prefer it for things like Dark Souls and Bayonetta.

[Ben X]

It depends on genre, really. Generally, for example, 1st person for action and 3rd for platformers.

[SuperBiasedMan]

Where's the option for 2D sidescrolling!?

I don't think I even play enough 3D stuff these days to express a preference.

[osmosisch]

I prefer the feminist perspective.

[clyde]

It depends on the game. I hate first-person platforming because I can't see my feet. Over the shoulder-cam when shooting guns makes it harder for me to aim.

[Mawd]

If it's a shooter I would like first person.

If it's an RPG I specifically want the camera from Dark Souls 2. Or the old Infinity Engine perspective.

[Gottfrid]

It mostly depends on what type of game I'm playing.

 

But I sometimes struggle with motion sickness while playing in first person, so when I get to choose I mostly go with the third person option.

[Griddlelol]

First person, unless there's any melee combat.

[Sno]

I don't really have anything to add to this conversation specifically, because i honestly don't really have any clear preference, but the question just reminded me of Nier and how it takes its action RPG mechanics and spins them through a variety of genres simply by adjusting the perspective. It can go from third-person to side-scrolling to top-down. It even turns into an isometric dungeon crawler for one area. It's a very playful and cool design, love that game.

[Bjorn]

First person, unless there's any melee combat.

 

Zeno Clash says you're wrong.

 

 

 

Isometric. 

[elvaq]

I prefer Orthographic to Perspective, myself

[syntheticgerbil]

I have a really hard time dealing with games that are in first person view. I guess it's snobby of me, but all I can think about the whole time is I'm basically just controlling a 3D camera. Unlike most people who are convinced they are immersed in the world simply because they are controlling a 3D camera, I get really taken out of it because all I see is lack of budget or in some cases skill. The team was not able to model or animate a character to look at and all I see are disembodied legs and arms, usually holding on to a gun, which bores me to death.

 

And of course I know that skill and budget are not often the case and it's usually just a decision, since a lot of AAA games are first person and have plenty of NPCs who were modeled and animated. But because of this decision I miss out on the animation and nuance of the main character and that takes me out of the story since nonverbal animations are a major thing when it comes to acting.

 

But if there is no story, I guess it doesn't matter so it can be whatever view. I would rather look at a cool character though.

[Erkki]

I would like to say first person, as many of my favourite games are first person: Thief, Far Cry 2, Deus Ex, Half Life 2, Stalker, Amnesia, Miasmata etc. But then there are awesome third person games I've loved as much: Outcast, The Witcher, GTA Vice City, Red Dead Redemption, FlatOut, most RPGs and adventure games. I kind of have a special interest in first-person games lately, but I wouldn't say that I would prefer most games to be in that perspective.

[SecretAsianMan]

All things being equal, I prefer first over third.  There are definitely exceptions, platforming being a big one.  Cover based shooters I also feel have a valid reason for third person.  In general I feel like I have more control and precision in first person, whether or not that's actually the case.  Plus I really dislike it when my character takes up enough of the screen that it's actually blocking stuff from my view.

[Reyturner]

In writing in 2nd person as I'm quite enjoying To Be and the Sorcery! games.

[Gwardinen]

In writing in 2nd person as I'm quite enjoying To Be and the Sorcery! games.

 

What is To Be?

 

Also you might like the selection from Choice of Games. They're on iOS and (I think) Android, and some are on Steam - you can even often play the first chapter or so for free in your browser.. They're basically just choose your own adventure games but some of them are genuinely pretty well written. The Heroes Rise series is seen as kind of their shining star, I believe.

[Reyturner]

What is To Be?

 

Also you might like the selection from Choice of Games. They're on iOS and (I think) Android, and some are on Steam - you can even often play the first chapter or so for free in your browser.. They're basically just choose your own adventure games but some of them are genuinely pretty well written. The Heroes Rise series is seen as kind of their shining star, I believe.

 

I guess it's technically called Ryan North's To Be or Not To Be, a Choose Your Own Adventure style game where you play through Hamlet as a selection of characters, with art by Kate Beaton amongst others.

 

I'll have to check out Choice of Games! Thanks for the req. 

[Roswell47]

I think a combination of animations and controls makes a lot of third person games feel and look awkward to me. Especially shooters and platformers, which I guess covers a lot of games.

 

Exceptions that are fresh in my mind are Dark Souls, albeit not a shooter but still very actiony, which has very precise and "correct" feeling controls.

Grow Home which procedural animations really gives it life and personality and if it was in first person it would have been a very different game.

[miffy495]

Given that my favourite games tend to be centred around really good traversal mechanics, I usually prefer third person. Much as I love Mirror's Edge, so few first person games are able to get the fluidity of movement that I crave right. I love making a character do ridiculous things while flipping and soaring around a world, and those games are nearly all third-person.

[sclpls]

I prefer first person, but I wouldn't call it a strong preference the way people can have a strong aversion to first person perspective games.

[Cordeos]

I prefer third person since it is better at simulating how much a person can see as well as situational awareness. There are so many mechanics in FPS games that are trying to simulate what is just part of a third person perspective.  I would be interested in how differently GTA5 plays between first and third person.