Quick Time Event

Lore & Background

The term 'quick time event' is attributed to Yu Suzuki, director of Shenmue, which used the QTE feature (then called 'quick timer events') to a great degree. QTEs allow game designers to create sequences of actions that cannot be expressed through the game's standard control scheme, or to constrain the player into taking only one specific action at a critical moment.

In Their Own Story

The sand swirls around his boots as the Vizier's guards close in. A prompt flashes on the screen: a symbol demanding an immediate strike. The Prince does not hesitate; he twists his wrist, parrying the blade with a metallic ring that echoes through the palace hall. Time slows briefly for the finish.

Reader's Guide

QTEs generally involve the player following onscreen prompts to press buttons or manipulate joysticks within a limited amount of time. Games on motion-controlled systems may implement QTEs with appropriate gestures. Prompts are often displayed as a graphical image of the physical controller button. Actions may include pressing a button in time, pressing buttons in a certain order, repeatedly pressing a button a certain number of times, or hitting the button with precise timing.

Did You Know?

• The origin of QTEs is often attributed to interactive movie laserdisc video games like Dragon's Lair, Cliff Hanger, and Road Blaster, which required the player to press the correct button every few seconds to avoid a los
• An improvement to the QTE mechanic was flashing the buttons that need to be pressed on the screen, which appeared in laserdisc games Super Don Quix-ote, Ninja Hayate, Time Gal, and Road Blaster.
• Shenmue's director Yu Suzuki is credited with coining the phrase 'Quick Time Event'; the game's manual called them 'quick timer events'.
• QTEs have received mixed reactions from players and journalists; they can be used effectively to enhance cutscenes but are also considered a weak addition that breaks the flow of the game.