Silicon Knights’ Blog: Point of View in Video Games

Too Human

Dr. Barry Grant, Professor of Popular Culture and Film Studies at Brock University and consultant to games maker Silicon Knights, recently updated the Silicon Knights blog over at IGN to discuss the connections between camera movement, point of view, and involvement in games. In this first part, he discusses the changes that have occurred as a result of the coming of cinema in the 20th century, and how this works in video games.

Cinema changed the way people viewed the world, because through it, we were introduced to seeing things outside our point of view.  Whereas we normally see things only from one direction, the point of view in cinema is mobile. The advent of cinema meant that our point of view could shift anywhere, at any time, and act in reference to different elements on-screen.

At the same time, filmmakers also wanted to immerse people in the experience of the film they were viewing. This introduced the concept of keeping continuity in films. Through various editing techniques, viewers were treated to seamless displays of new worlds, and of stories and experiences.

If that sounds familiar to any of us, it’s because that’s one of the main premises of video game creation today.

Dr. Grant mentions the use of these same techniques in different games. For instance, the usual first person view we live with every day was adapted for use in first person shooters. While there aren’t any perfect transitions from the genre of cinema to video games, the same rules do apply. To involve the gamer, and immerse them in the world, game makers have to make gamers identify with the world and the characters they’ve created. That is the same philosophy Dr. Grant is using for the creation of Silicon Knights’ Too Human.

While the differences between video games and cinema lie mostly in interactivity with the medium, it definitely does make an important point about how we play our games these days. Whether it’s something as silly as Katamari Damacy or as intense as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, we want to feel as connected to the game we’re playing as we can. With consultants like Dr. Grant working to help make Too Human, we can be sure that Silicon Knights’ latest outing will be something worth waiting for.

Via Silicon Knights Blog

Too Human

Dr. Barry Grant, Professor of Popular Culture and Film Studies at Brock University and consultant to games maker Silicon Knights, recently updated the Silicon Knights blog over at IGN to discuss the connections between camera movement, point of view, and involvement in games. In this first part, he discusses the changes that have occurred as a result of the coming of cinema in the 20th century, and how this works in video games.

Cinema changed the way people viewed the world, because through it, we were introduced to seeing things outside our point of view.  Whereas we normally see things only from one direction, the point of view in cinema is mobile. The advent of cinema meant that our point of view could shift anywhere, at any time, and act in reference to different elements on-screen.

At the same time, filmmakers also wanted to immerse people in the experience of the film they were viewing. This introduced the concept of keeping continuity in films. Through various editing techniques, viewers were treated to seamless displays of new worlds, and of stories and experiences.

If that sounds familiar to any of us, it’s because that’s one of the main premises of video game creation today.

Dr. Grant mentions the use of these same techniques in different games. For instance, the usual first person view we live with every day was adapted for use in first person shooters. While there aren’t any perfect transitions from the genre of cinema to video games, the same rules do apply. To involve the gamer, and immerse them in the world, game makers have to make gamers identify with the world and the characters they’ve created. That is the same philosophy Dr. Grant is using for the creation of Silicon Knights’ Too Human.

While the differences between video games and cinema lie mostly in interactivity with the medium, it definitely does make an important point about how we play our games these days. Whether it’s something as silly as Katamari Damacy or as intense as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, we want to feel as connected to the game we’re playing as we can. With consultants like Dr. Grant working to help make Too Human, we can be sure that Silicon Knights’ latest outing will be something worth waiting for.

Via Silicon Knights Blog

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