Invideo games,third-person (also spelledthird person) is agraphical perspective rendered from a fixed distance behind and slightly above the player character. This viewpoint allows players to see a more strongly characterizedavatar and is most common inaction games andaction adventure games. Games with this perspective often make use of positional audio, where the volume of ambient sounds varies depending on the position of the avatar.[1]
There are primarily three types of camera systems in games that use a third-person view: the "tracking camera systems" in which the camera simply follows the player's character; the "fixed camera systems" in which the camera positions are set during the game creation; and the "interactive camera systems" that are under the player's control.
Simple tracking cameras follow the characters from behind, and were common in early 3D games such asCrash Bandicoot orTomb Raider since it is very simple to implement. However, the player is unable to move the camera to resolve occluded views or focus on areas of interest,[2][3][4] and may jerk or end up in awkward positions if the character is near a wall.[1]
Fixed camera systems are defined by the developers during the game creation. The camera views will not change dynamically, so the same place will always be shown under the same set of views. Games that use fixed cameras includeGrim Fandango (1998) and the earlyResident Evil andGod of War games.[5] Such a system allows designers to use thelanguage of film, creating mood through camerawork and selection of shots.[6]
Interactive camera systems still track the character, but can also be moved by the player. Fully interactive camera systems are often difficult to implement in the right way;[citation needed]GameSpot'sJeff Gerstmann argued that much of theSuper Mario Sunshine's difficulty comes from having to control the camera.[7] Conversely,IGN's Matt Casamassina calledThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker's camera system "so smart that it rarely needs manual correction".[8] One of the first games to offer an interactive camera system wasSuper Mario 64.[9][10]
Many games with fixed cameras usetank controls, whereby players control character movement relative to the position of theplayer character rather than the camera position;[11] this allows the player to maintain direction when the camera angle changes.[12]
Onvideo game consoles, interactive camera systems are often controlled by ananalog stick to provide good accuracy, whereas on PC games they are usually controlled by themouse.