In this world, we can only experience reality through one set of eyes, one perspective–our own. I am a Caucasian female that has aged 37 years. There are a few things I can do to alter this identity, but for the most part, I am who I am, defined by and limited by the sum of my experiences.
From the very beginning of time, it seems as though narratives, books, stories have all attempted to immerse us in something “other” than who we are. We use first person stories to give us the feeling of another voice, of another skin.
I remember as a kid watching an episode of MASH wherein they put you in the shoes of one of the wounded soldiers. You experienced the camp and all of its quirky characters as though you were a part of the show. We never saw our own “face.” The entire episode was experienced in first person. As a child, I was intrigued by this technique. So few shows and movies ever attempt such a perspective. The Blair Witch Project and other “jiggly camera” movies are rare. Perhaps, thankfully, or we would all need to invest in Dramamine.
However, video games are one place where the first person view flourishes. From Doom to Wolfenstein to Bioshock to MW3, First Person Shooters claim a huge portion of the industry. Sure, they get a bad rap. Some “experts” claim that such games are too violent. They supposedly encourage killing. The genre is focused around shooting, looking through a site or down the barrel of some type of high powered weapon, and the objective is to “clear” a level of targets, enemies, bad guys, the ones who aren’t you.
Each FPS follows the same basic pattern–kill or be killed. It’s that simple. I did a quick search of other first person games, and they are fairly uncommon. Most often, you see your avatar–usually one you have selected or even designed yourself. But, in FPS, the choice is made for you.
What makes them so popular?
Is it because we can feel immersed in another world, we can see the world through another set of eyes, we don’t have to be reminded of what we aren’t by seeing the avatar in third person? Yes, FPS are fun because they help gamers blow off steam, but such an effect could just as easily be produced in the third person, couldn’t it? Why first person? Why does it succeed in this video game genre and not in other types of entertainment?
One could argue that first person narratives and FPS are kissing cousins in a way. They both relieve us of the burden of being ourselves and do the heavy lifting for us–we don’t have to project ourselves onto anything. We take on the sights and sounds of another identity. We can get lost in the thick jungle, lurk in a stealthy crow’s nest, or go back in time and cathartically dispatch Nazis.
I pull the trigger. I make my arms move. I inject the serum into my arms that births hives of bees or bolts of electricity. I reload and take aim.
What FPS offer us that few mediums can is the opportunity to be born into a digitized world with a new set of eyes.
For the space of a few hours, I can be I.
