This week in class, we talked about perspectives in video games. Fullerton describes the different perspectives seen in video games, such as top down, isometric, side view, first-person and third-person. Each perspective has its own gameplay elements. Top down perspective provides a fixed overhead angle where the game is played. An example of this type of perspective is Bloons Tower Defence, a tower defence game where you can place structures and defend from incoming balloons. The camera is fixed on the map, and the perspective doesn’t move, which will allow the player full use of the play space. Side view is self explanatory, a side camera perspective that is used a lot with puzzle or platform games. Side-scrollers, like the 2D Mario games are an example of this perspective as the camera allows the player to see either side of the character.
Isometric perspective allows more of a top-down point of view, but doesn’t show the entire play space. This lets the player move the camera around the play space. Games like League of Legends use an isometric perspective to show a limited space around the player’s character. It also allows the player to freely spectate the map, which can be helpful to see how your teammates are doing or where the enemy is. First-person perspective is the point of view of a character from their eyes. This greatly restricts the view of the player’s surroundings, but it allows for much more detail and precision aiming. Counter Strike is an example of this perspective and requires precision aim to shoot opponents. Third-person perspective is the over-the-shoulder view of a character. This allows the player to see more of their environment and the actions their character performs. Assassin’s Creed uses the third-person perspective to show when the characters are hidden, allows the character to face forward while looking behind them, and it shows a more comfortable view of the parkour mechanics. These mechanics would not be as successful with a first person perspective. Mirror’s Edge tried to use a first-person perspective for a parkour game, and although it works, it’s not as easy to look at compared to the third-person perspective.
Sources:
Fullerton, Tracy. Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, 4th Edition. 2019
I think isometric view games also provides an easier way for the eye to discern terrain than a straight top down view, where sometimes terrain of different color can be misinterpreted as a wall instead of something one can pass. In a game like League of Legends, where certain characters have skills that work around the terrain, particularly with wall objects, it is useful when the camera view makes it easier for them to discern whether something is a wall or not.
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