Chapter 4 Perspective, Scene Design, and Basic Animation 93
opponent or an intermediary, Figure 4-2. Some
sports games use second-person perspective.
Imagine a baseball game where your character
is at bat and the view, or perspective, is from
the pitcher throwing the ball. See Figure 4-3.
The pitcher is the second person involved in the
action, making this a second-person perspec-
tive. This perspective does not work very well in
shooter and combat games. The player would be
given a view of their character from the point of
view of the person the player is attacking.
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 over-
head, behind, or any angle left, right, or forward
Action takes place
on this screen, which
the player cannot see
Action is seen
from this person’s
perspective
Directions to player
Figure 4-2. This is a unique concept for a second-person
shooter game from kongregate.com. The person in the
chair tells you where you are and what you are doing. You
have to shoot the monster without seeing the screen. Here
is an implementation of second-person dialog (speaks
directly to you) in gaming. (www.kongregate.com)
Opponent character
Player
character
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 (fi rst person) or the batter (second person).