Shooter game
A subgenre of action games focused on ranged combat.
Shooter video games, also called shooters, are a type of action game centered on the player using ranged weapons—typically firearms or other long-distance arms—to defeat enemies. These weapons can be paired with tools like grenades for indirect attacks, armor for extra protection, or accessories such as telescopic sights that alter how the weapon functions. Common resources in these games include ammunition, armor, health, and upgrades that improve the player's weaponry. Shooters challenge a player's spatial awareness, reflexes, and speed, whether in single-player campaigns or networked multiplayer matches. The genre covers many subgenres, all sharing the core activity of an avatar fighting with a weapon against computer-controlled NPCs or other players' avatars.
**Subgenres**
**Shoot 'em up** Shoot 'em ups, or shmups, let the player move up, down, left, or right across the screen while typically firing straight ahead. They are often grouped by viewpoint. Fixed shooters, like *Space Invaders* and *Galaxian*, take place on a static screen. Scrolling shooters, such as *Xevious* and *Darius*, scroll mainly in one direction. Top-down shooters, sometimes called twin-stick shooters, use an overhead view, as seen in *Bosconian* and *Time Pilot*. Rail shooters, like *Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom* and *Space Harrier*, automatically guide the player along a fixed forward-scrolling path. Isometric shooters, including *Zaxxon* and *Viewpoint*, use an isometric perspective.
**Bullet hell** *(No additional facts provided in the source.)*
**Rail shooter** *(No additional facts provided in the source.)*
**Run and gun** Run and gun games are 2D scrolling action titles where the protagonist fights on foot, often with the ability to jump. They can use side-scrolling, vertical scrolling, or isometric viewpoints, and may allow multidirectional movement. Top-down run and gun games, like *Commando*, *Ikari Warriors*, *Shock Troopers*, and *Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad*, show the action from an overhead camera angle. Side-scrolling run and gun games blend elements of shoot 'em ups and platform games, with characters moving, jumping, and firing various guns and long-range weapons. These games emphasize maneuvering and jumping, as in *Green Beret*, *Thexder*, *Contra*, and *Metal Slug*.
**Twin-stick shooter** *(No additional facts provided in the source.)*
**Shooting gal
- subgenres
- Shoot 'em up, bullet hell, rail shooter, run and gun, twin-stick shooter, shooting gallery, light gun shooter, first-person shooter (FPS), boomer shooter, third-person shooter (TPS), arena shooter, he
Lore & Background
Shooter games originated as arcade titles such as Space Invaders and Galaxian, which are fixed shooters where the player moves up, down, left, or right on a stationary screen. Over time, scrolling shooters like Xevious and Darius introduced single-direction scrolling, while top-down shooters (twin-stick shooters) like Bosconian and Time Pilot offered an overhead viewpoint. Rail shooters such as Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom and Space Harrier guided player movement along a fixed forward-scrolling path, and isometric shooters like Zaxxon and Viewpoint used an isometric perspective. The term 'boomer shooter' originated after the release of Dusk (2018), coined by fans of that game. Arena shooters like Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament pioneered the genre.
Reader's Guide
Shooter games have evolved into numerous subgenres, each with distinct mechanics and perspectives. First-person shooters (FPS) like Doom, Quake, and Halo place the player in a three-dimensional space from the character's viewpoint, emphasizing agency and movement. Third-person shooters (TPS) such as Fortnite, Tomb Raider, and Gears of War display the player character fully in the environment. Light gun shooters, including Duck Hunt and Time Crisis, use gun-shaped controllers and often limit movement. Shooting gallery games like Cabal and Wild Guns involve aiming at moving targets on a stationary screen. Arena shooters like Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament focus on fast-paced multiplayer combat in limited maps. Hero shooters are a variation of multiplayer FPS or TPS where players form teams. Boomer shooters, a term coined after Dusk (2018), refer to newer FPS games designed to emulate 1990s styles, with titles like Wolfenstein: The New Order, Doom (2016), and Doom Eternal repopularizing the approach. The genre's legacy includes influencing immersive sims like Half-Life, Deus Ex, and System Shock, which combine shooter gameplay with narrative or role-playing elements.
Did You Know?
- The first light guns appeared in the 1930s, following the development of light-sensing vacuum tubes.
- The term 'boomer shooter' originated after the release of Dusk (2018), coined by fans of that game.
- Shooting gallery games are distinguished from rail shooters and first-person shooters by their stationary screen and target-based gameplay.
- Arena shooters like Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament pioneered the genre and peaked in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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