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The First-Person Shooter (FPS) is a popular game form, with examples appearing on many different platforms. The genre has an almost two decade history and is represented by hundreds of commercial titles. While there has been extensive study of the FPS genre, this has tended to focus on particular games, or at best a limited set of examples. In order to provide a wider context for such work this paper surveys 566 separate FPS titles, across a range of platforms. The titles are compared by year of release, platform and game setting. Characteristics of avatars within the surveyed titles are also examined, including race, gender and background, and how these vary across platform and time. The analysis reveals definite trends, both historically and by platform.
In this paper, rather than examining a particular aspect of FPSs through a limited number of examples, we attempt a wider (and admittedly relatively shallow) analysis of the basic characteristics of the form. We present a quantitative survey of over 550 FPS titles. While this is not exhaustive, in that we do not claim every FPS title is included, it does appear to be a more than significant fraction of them. We present basic data on the platforms on which the games were available, release dates and some basic characteristics of the player avatars, such as gender, race and background. How these vary over time and platform are also considered. This allows us to answer some basic characteristics about the development of the genre, including
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While space in this paper prohibits investigation of the consequences to the answers to these questions, they can give both a context to other work and illuminate opportunities for future investigation.
On the basis of the given characteristics roleplaying games that enable a first-person perspective are also excluded from the study. Roleplaying games are usually considered to form their own genre, with distinguishably different characteristics and gameplay to those listed above. For example, a roleplaying game will usually allow all of the following: character development, open world navigation (as opposed to distinct levels which cannot be returned to once completed) and extensive non-violent interaction with NPCs. For example, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Bethesda, 2000) employs a first-person perspective, but fits the short definition of a roleplaying game just given and is not included in the survey. On the other hand, System Shock 2 (Irrational Games, 1999) is considered a FPS for current purposes, as it lacks extensive dialogue interaction with NPCs. Deus Ex (Ion Storm, 2000) is also included here, as its world consists of distinct levels. For more discussion of the definition of a roleplaying game used here in deciding whether or not to include certain games, see (Hitchens, 2008).
The number of titles included in the survey does not count expansion packs which require the original game. Information from those is combined with the original game. Stand-alone sequels are counted separately. Also not included are mods, free open source ports and non-commercial releases. Finding exhaustive information on these would be prohibitively difficult and, as many non-commercial releases are never truly finished, it would be problematic to decide which to include. Free to play multiplayer FPSs are included, if those games include some commercial element, such as micro-transactions.
In collecting the survey data, and in compiling the results, no account was taken of sales figures for games. Admittedly, this means that obscure titles count for as much as million-plus sellers. However, the alternative is not altogether clear. Weighting the results by sales figures is impossible, as the necessary data is not available for many titles. It is difficult to know how to interpret any results from such an approach. Another possibility would have been to only consider games which managed to sell above a certain cut-off. However, again limited data prevented this approach, and any such choice would be potentially subjective. A commercial release represents a notable contribution to the genre, and hence was decided upon on as the criteria for inclusion.
In effect, and not accidentally, the limitations give games in the style of Catacomb 3-D and Wolfenstein 3D. A player avatar, which is essentially the physical body of the avatar, moves through a virtual space under the control of the player. Movement is free and contiguous or at least as free as the virtual space and the limits of technology allow. Combat is the central, though not necessarily exclusive, game play mode. This is not to say that the games excluded are uninteresting. However, in the interests of space and logistics the limits imposed appear to be useful.
The early choices in a survey of this nature concern the sample size and how the data is to be gathered. A smaller sample allows more detail, but risks statistical anomalies due to accidents of chance in the sample taken. In some fields where similar surveying, such as motion pictures, has been attempted the possible pool of data is so large that exhaustive surveying is logistically impossible. For example, in a survey of smoking in movies from 1960 to 1990 (Hazan et al., 1994) two films per year (for a total of 62) were considered to be sufficiently representative. This is a very small percentage of the number of films that could have been examined. By restricting the study to a single type of game, the FPS, the chance exists to include a much greater percentage of existing titles. By extensively searching we hope to have included at least half, if not a much greater proportion, of the possible titles.
While this significantly decreases the chances of statistical anomalies, it is not possible to play that many games for a single study. For the greater part reliance was placed on secondary sources for information. The most important of these was www.mobygames.com, which includes images of many of the game boxes (front, back and, where applicable, inside covers). While not a primary source we consider them to be useful and reliable. Also consulted were reviews, from magazines such as PC Gamer and PC Powerplay, online sites such as www.gamespot.com and screenshots, hosted at various online including those already mentioned.
The accuracy of these secondary sources was verified by comparing them to first-hand information about a selection of the games. 63 games were played in whole, while a further 15 in part and the findings compared to the secondary sources. In no cases were any errors found in the secondary sources, giving a high level of confidence in their accuracy concerning the remaining games.
The games surveyed ranged from 1991 to 2009 (figure 2). As the time of writing is part way through 2010 complete information for that year is unavailable. We are addressing trends on a yearly basis so it was thought best to omit what 2010 data was available as including it would give an incomplete picture of that year. The reader is asked to note the low number of games found for 1991 (one) and 1992 (three) and to bear this in mind when considering the results for those years in later sections. The small numbers lead to some apparently anomalous results for those years. While those years could have been omitted from later analysis, it was thought best to include it with the just given proviso.
After the release Catacomb 3-D in 1991 the number of games found rises rapidly. This may result from multiple game developers and publishers seeking to exploit opportunities in the newly popular genre. The fall in the sample data between 1995 and 1996 can perhaps be explained by the increasing graphical sophistication required of FPSs with the release in the later year of games such as Quake (id software, 1996). The increased development time and budgets required may have served to thin the number of games coming to market. Another possible factor is the decline of non-IBM PC computer platforms as FPS platforms. In 1995 seven FPS games were released for the Amiga and one for the Atari ST. In 1996 that shrunk to two titles, Alien Breed 3D II: The Killing Grounds (Team17, 1996) for the Amiga and Marathon Infinity (Bungie Software. 1996) for the Macintosh. After 1996 only four more FPS titles were found that have been released for a non IBM-PC computer platform without a corresponding IBM PC version. These four titles were all for the Amiga and were released in 1997 and 1998.
From 1996 to 1999 the IBM PC reigned supreme as the platform for FPSs. Of the 87 titles released in that period, only 13 were not available for the PC. This is 85 percent of titles playable on the PC versus the figure of 76 percent for the period 2000 to 2009. The overall figure from 1991 to 2009 is 80 percent. Of the 74 PC titles, 45 were available solely on that platform while 29 had versions on other platforms. Included in the latter figure are a number of well-known games which could considered PC games but were later widely ported, such as Quake, Quake II (id Software, 1997) and Half-Life. Only seven titles in this period were home console-only.
The dramatic impact of the mobile phone can be seen in the console only series from Figure 3. 18 titles which can only be found on mobile phones are included in the survey. Of these four are from 2008 and, as mentioned above, 11 from 2009. Given the more ephemeral nature of the mobile phone game market it is possible that the survey has missed a significant number of such games, but their inclusion would only further highlight the trend away from the IBM PC.
FPSs have appeared on many different platforms (table 1). The second column gives the number of titles released for each platform, the third column gives the number of those titles released only for that platform and is a subset of the second column. The historically dominant role of the IBM PC in the FPS world is immediately obvious. The figure is perhaps a little misleading, as it includes all games available on any version of Microsoft DOS or Windows. Many games were released for both DOS and Windows and individual sums for each version of the Microsoft operating system were impossible to determine. Perhaps fairer is to combine version generations of console systems. The closest to the IBM PC are then the Playstation family, with 149, and the Xbox family, with 146. These totals count titles released for a number of members of a family only once, so do not quite match the totals by adding the entries in table 1.
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