Origins of the First Person Shooter by Alexander R. Galloway highlights the subtle interconnection between the cinematographic technique of the subjective shot and its use in gaming. The author of the article begins with drawing a distinction between the notions of the point of view (POV) and the subjective shot as used in filmmaking. While he deems the first to be more general, aiming at representing the exterior of the character’s standpoint, the latter focuses on “the exact physiological or emotional qualities of what the character would see” (Galloway 41). Illustrating the examples of the subjective shot in films, Galloway comes to the conclusion that it doesn’t really express the character’s inner world, but is associated with “some type of negative vision” that hinders adequate perception of the film (Galloway 46).
Applying the technique of the subjective shot in gaming has spurred the genre of first-person shooter (FPS), which established a distinctive camera vision of space in video games. As players are free to manipulate their characters’ actions within the gaming environment, it is of highest importance to construct “a complete space in advance that is then exhaustively explorable without montage” (Galloway 64). Interestingly, gaming managed to grant the subjective shot with a new aesthetic vision, compensating for its dubious cinematographic effects. Most importantly, FPS games have offered a wholly new approach to the subjective shot, which made it possible to see it technically upgraded to the dynamic peculiarities of gaming action.
On the whole, the article outlines a historical perspective of FPS games that focuses on the filmmaking technique of the subjective shot and its subsequent adoption in gaming. His special attention to how the subjective shot is implemented in filmmaking and gaming helps the reader realize that it is the latter that brought the notion of the subjective shot to success, both commercial and conceptual. Galloway tends to put forth his ideas in a leisurely pace, often repeating them in order to introduce something new. At the same time, he seems to be persuasive in his words, engaging the reader’s attention till the end of the article.
Works Cited
Galloway, Alexander R. “Origins of the First-Person Shooter”. Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minneapolis Press, 2006. 39-69.
