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Video Game Design Foundations
Third-Person Perspective
Often called a spectator view, third-person perspective is the most versatile
view in video game design. In
third-person perspective,
the play is viewed by
a person who is not the player’s character or the player’s opponent, but rather
a neutral third person. This view shows both the player and the opponent.
This perspective also allows for multiple viewing angles. The player could
be viewed from overhead, behind, or any angle left, right, or forward of the
player. Most two-dimensional games use either the overhead or platform view.
Platform view
shows the character in profile and a side view of all obstacles, as
illustrated by the two examples Figure 4-4.
Overhead view
shows the character
and surroundings from a perspective high overhead, as seen in Figure 4-5.
Green Gamer
At school and in the office, paper helps people
communicate. Paper is used to take notes, write
reports, and countless other tasks. A “paperless
society” still creates many reasons to print rather than
to save information digitally. According to the EPA, the
average office worker in the US will use approximately
10,000 sheets of paper in a year. Consider how much
paper and ink or toner you use each year. How can you
conserve resources by providing your portfolio digitally?
Figure 4-3.
Happy Land Homerun
Derby is a second-
person perspective
game. You see your
character from the
view of the pitcher.
This game can be
played from the
perspective of either
the pitcher (first
person) or the batter
(second person).
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