The difference between a first-person shooter and a third-person shooter

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What is the difference between First person shooter (FPS) and Third person shooter (TPS)? Can a game be both FPS and TPS?

Best Answer

In a first person shooter a player sees through the eyes of his avatar. In a third person shooter a player sees through a camera over the top of his avatar.

In some games, you play from over the top of the character (3rd Person), and then when you sight down your weapon zoom into the characters eyes (1st Person). This can also reverse as in Halo where you spend the majority of your time in first person until you enter a vehicle and gain a third person perspective.

First and third person also have some variations:

  • In some first person views, you can see your avatar's arms and feet when you look around, while others do not.

  • Two main variations in third person views exist. The position of the camera; over head, over the top, over the shoulder, etc. and the cameras mobility; stuck in position, or rotatable around the character.