History Main / FirstPersonShooter

As for the genre per-se, it was first popularized by Creator/IdSoftware, via the TropeMaker ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' (1992) and especially the TropeCodifier ''Videogame/{{Doom}}'' (1993); indeed, [[FromClonesToGenre before the genre's name finally crystallized]], many [[FollowTheLeader following games]] were referred to as "Doom Clones"; these games boast full freedom of movement. Another game that's proven to be quite influential during this time was Creator/ThreeDRealms's ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', which ditched the ASpaceMarineIsYou theme of ''Doom'' and replaced it with a more Earth-like AlienInvasion; it also introduced environmental interaction that went way beyond the doors that opened with cards as well as vertical aiming and movement. But it wasn't until the advent of actual 3D game engines with ''VideoGame/QuakeI'', also from Id Software, in 1996, and especially Creator/ValveSoftware's ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' that the genre took off and its possibilities were expanded well beyond what's possible. Id's game introduced and popularized the "mouse look", being able to aim with the mouse while using the keyboard to control movement, and popularized both {{game mod}}ding and online play, while Valve's offering introduced setpieces, [[WreakingHavok physics-based puzzles]] and friendly allied [=NPCs=], and proved that it's possible to have a FPS with an intrincate and complex story, as well as more grounding in realism. Other games such as ''VideoGame/SiN1998'' and ''VideoGame/StarsiegeTribes'', while not as groundbreaking as the previous mentioned games, introduced and/or popularized other commonplace features such as [[VehicularCombat vehicle driving sections]], while ''VideoGame/UnrealI'' not only introduced the world to the ubiquitous Unreal Engine, but also popularized the SecondaryFire feature and pulled off the genre from its cramped spaces and into the open world, with its lush environments paving the way for more games to follow its footsteps.

And all of this doesn't count the countless innovations in the multiplayer side. While ''Doom'' and ''Quake'' made significant contributions to it, CompetitiveMultiplayer wouldn't explode as a scene until the release of ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'', a GameMod for ''Half Life'' that put two squads in realistic environments with diverse objectives in round-based matches. The mod featured localized damage; unprotected shots to the head usually put an end to any player's avatar, and a buyout section where players could buy weapons, ammo and items. It paved the way for more reality-based shooters to come along, among them the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series.

!!Examples of this genre:

At the same time, while the genre was dominating the PC world, two games paved the way for the console market: Creator/RareEntertainment's ''VideoGame/GoldenEye64'' ([[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames one of those games]] that ''{{defied|Trope}}'' TheProblemWithLicensedGames and showed how well an FPS could work on console) and ''especially'' Creator/{{Bungie}}'s ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'', which finally found a way to make CompetitiveMultiplayer work in these machines and also left the door open for the flourishment of the genre.

The First-Person Shooter is a subgenre of shooters, and a really popular form of them. Its basic style of play is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly what the name says:]] the perspective is through the eyes of the player character, and the action revolves around shooting within a three-dimensional environment.

This is a game genre that was first widely popularized by Creator/IdSoftware, via TropeMaker ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' (1992) and especially TropeCodifier ''Videogame/{{Doom}}'' (1993). Indeed, [[FromClonesToGenre before the genre's name finally crystallized]], many [[FollowTheLeader following games]] were referred to as "Doom Clones".

It actually had two potential sets of progenitors:
* There were games such as ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' (1992), ''Videogame/{{Doom}}'' (1993), and ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' (1996), which had full freedom of movement but used it solely to let you shoot everything and proceed to the end of the level. These games have origins in flight {{Simulation Game}}s, dating as far back as Creator/{{Sega}}'s ''[[https://segaretro.org/Jet_Rocket Jet Rocket]]'' (1970), the UrExample of the genre.
* There were games with a first-person, but not quite 3D because it was rendered in discrete steps, view of the surroundings, typically a dungeon, and which had sensible and consistent worlds, NPC interaction, relatively few artificial restrictions, plotlines, and puzzles. These games were typically RolePlayingGame or AdventureGame titles. Several games of this type were full 3D with freedom of movement, notably ActionRPG titles ''[[http://www.giantbomb.com/star-cruiser/3025-2826/ Star Cruiser]]'' (1988) and ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld'' (1992).

Game designers went with the latter for a while, but as technology advanced, the genre has begun to shift towards having more interactive surroundings, setpieces, friendly {{NPC}}s, [[VehicularCombat vehicle driving sections]], [[WreakingHavok physics-based puzzles]], [[TakeCover cover mechanics]] and RPGElements with games like ''VideoGame/SystemShock'', ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' or ''VideoGame/HalfLife''.

This is a game genre that was first widely popularized by Creator/IdSoftware, via TropeMaker ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' (1992) and especially TropeCodifier ''Videogame/{{Doom}}'' (1993). Indeed, before the genre's name finally crystallized, many [[FollowTheLeader following games]] were referred to as "Doom Clones".

* ''VideoGame/GetEven''

* ''{{VideoGame/Black}}''

* ''VideoGame/{{Judas}}''

* "VideoGame/AvatarFrontiersOfPandora"

* ''VideoGame/AlienBreed 3-D: The Killing Grounds''

* ''VideoGame/{{Chrome}}''

* ''VideoGame/GloomAmiga'' - and ''Gloom 3'', no there isn't a ''Gloom 2''. Not to be confused with a [[Videogame/{{Gloom}} 2017 game with a similar name]]

* ''VideoGame/SilentHill: The Escape''

* ''VideoGame/PostScriptum''

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' (Also {{Western RPG}}s)

* ''VideoGame/HistoryCivilWarGames'' -- yes, the same TV network just made a collection of {{Edutainment Game}}s that teaches about the Battle for the Pacific and American Civil War while allowing you to shoot Confederate soldiers in the face

* There were games such as ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' (1992), ''Videogame/{{Doom}}'' (1993), ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' (1996), and ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' (1996), which had full freedom of movement but used it solely to let you shoot everything and proceed to the end of the level. These games have origins in flight {{Simulation Game}}s, dating as far back as Creator/{{Sega}}'s ''[[https://segaretro.org/Jet_Rocket Jet Rocket]]'' (1970), the UrExample of the genre.

Game designers went with the latter for a while, but as technology advanced, the genre has begun to shift towards having more interactive surroundings, setpieces, friendly {{NPC}}s, [[VehicularCombat vehicle driving sections]], [[WreakingHavok physics-based puzzles]], [[TakeCover cover mechanics]] and RPGElements with games like ''VideoGame/SystemShock'', ''VideoGame/UnrealI'' or ''VideoGame/HalfLife''.

* ''VideoGame/ShrakForQuake''

* ''VideoGame/XMenTheRavagesOfApocalypse''