First-Person, Second-Person, and Third-Person

[Biggy]

Currently me and my friend have been quarelling about Second-Person view in video games and although I have tried to offer him peace and to agree to disagree nothing will seem to stop him from blathering on and on about how I am always wrong and he is definatewly right and how no one agrees with me and how millions agree with him. So anywy, today I get on and hope to offer him peaqce but he is still being a dick and sent me a forum page were a debate was going on about the subject we were debating about now ther forum seemed to be split into three factions and they all seemed pretty equal but he was saying that this was the definitive proof and I had to admit I was wrong now and when I didn't he flipped. So in order to prove to him that many people do in fact aqgree with me I want you to explain to me your view of First-Person, Second-Person, and Third-Person. Personally I don't care how you explain it just make sure it gives people and idea of where the camera is positioned.

For me this is how I sees it:

First-Person- You are seeing through the eyes of the player such as Halo or Half-Life

Second-Person-You are seeing yourself through the eyes of someone you aren't in control of. Such as the sequence in Jak 2 where you are running from the tank and you are seeing what the tank sees but you are not controlling the tank. I think there was a Metal Gear game where this happened I just can't remember which one all I remember is switching to first person to shoot the boss I was facing and I was seeing out of his eyes. So basicallly First person out of the eys of a person you are not controlling. Also I guess Lifeline technically because you are supposed to be a guy inn a control right?

Third-Person-The camera is not relatively viewed through anyones eyes. Games such as Jak and Daxter or Resident Evil apply to this.

I make these judgements solely based on the reference between charecter and camera and how I would refer to the charecter in my control.

First-Person- "Hey, I just shot that zombie with my shotgun."

Second Person- Since their really isn't a second person game that I play I will leave this blank but I would use "you"

Third-Person- "Look at his shotgun. He just busted down that door. Look at her kick."

Ok you get the jist of it so go ahead I want your opinions.

 

[Black_Star]

You could've made that whole topic so much more easier by just just saying this.

First person = I
Second Person = You
Third Person = He or She

 

[masterchris]

Dude. I think you and your friend need some sort of counciling, or at the very least write in to some advice column where they will advise you to leave your friend.

Anyway, yeah, I agree with what you said on first, second and third person views.

 

[Frozen]

2nd person view is actually 3rd person view... they have just been using the wrong term all this time and people just use it.

Third person view would be when you are a true spectator and not really controlling a single person. An example of a third person view game is black and white.

Think of it like this:

1st person: This is me, Im seeing the game through my eyes. I wanna jump over that crate so I jump.

2nd person: Alright max payne. Yea, you in front of me. I am seeing the game through your eyes, but I am still controlling you. Thats right, you're my bitch. Now what I want you to do is jump over that crate.

3rd person: Look at these people. Erm... I have no clue who these guys are but I want him over there to go and get that crate and lets get her to jump over it. No damnit... dont play with the chickens. Ah jesus what are they doing now? Ew, are these people doing what I think they are doing. Damn, keep that in your own house... gawg. Actually screw this, im gonna just let these people do... that while I sit in the corner and watch these other guys build a house.

 

[Hellfire1014]

So what person, is where the camera is fixed on the walls.

or you can spin it around like in gta?

^.^

 

[Mortel3]

So what person, is where the camera is fixed on the walls.

or you can spin it around like in gta?

^.^

What the fuck is that meant to mean..aaaanyway, you 2 need counselling, or go on holidays. SEPERATE holiadays.

 

[Tyrranis]

Imagine a 'conversation' between you and your friend.

1st person: Seeing it through your eyes.
2nd person: Seeing it through your friends eyes.
3rd person: Seeing it through the eyes of that shifty fella in the corner.

 

[Haydi]

Just lose the whole second-person part and you should be ok. Second person isn't really any official view in gaming. Maybe saying something is from a second-person view, would assume that there is just two "people" to choose from. or maybe they really should be having a "conversation" or interacting all the time, but that wouldn't make a good game... It just isn't any official or clear way to explain any kind of view.

So you've all got first-person correctly: Through the characters eyes.

Third-person means controlling the chararacter from an external view. Think Tomb Raider. (Please do, nobody remembers Lara nowadays...)

This Black&White issue is not really about views. Your character isn't really those creatures you control, but the "god". So you technically control the "god" from 1st-person and observe the creatures as an external being: in third person. Let's just call this the "God-view" or "observer-view" to make it comprehensible (big word, but I think I nailed it...)

Now this situation when you look out from some other persons view and can't control it. That isn't either about views, since you are looking from this non-playable characters 1st-person and seeing yourself as a 3rd person. It isn't any important gameplay type, so maybe it also should have a separate name. Maybe I'll call it "uncontrollable observer-view"... Bad name, but it sure isn't called 2nd-person view either.

I may be breaking some rules by using other names, but I hope this makes sense to someone. Just forget there ever was a second-person...

 

[Simsy]

You know what I just realised, then?

SM64 was actually all in 2nd-person perspective. Remember the whole Lakitu cameraman? You could actually see him in the room with the mirrors, too! The camera was actually a secondary character!

 

[masterchris]

Honestly, to tell the truth I had never heard of second person view before.
To me, third person view would be a game like Silent Hill.

So what person, is where the camera is fixed on the walls.

Like in RE2? Still third person as far as I know, but with a shitty camera
Pre-rendered backgrounds my ass. Silent Hill > RE2 if only for that.

 

[Frozen]

People, I know Im right. This is just one of the random things that I know. Even dictionary.com agrees with me.

<games> In computer games, the virtual position from which
the human player views the playing area. There are three
different perspectives: first person, second person, and third
person.

First person perspective: Viewing the world through the eyes
of the primary character in three dimensions. e.g. Doom,
Quake.

Second person perspective: Viewing the game through a
spectator's eyes, in two or three dimensions. Depending on
the game, the main character is always in view. e.g. Super
Mario Bros., Tomb Raider.

Third person perspective: a point of view which is independent
of where characters or playing units are. The gaming world is
viewed much as a satellite would view a battlefield.
E.g. Warcraft, Command & Conquer.

As I said, the industry just has been using the wrong term for all these years and it just stuck. In games like tomb raider and max payne you are in second person, it is like you are the cameraman that just tells em whatever to do.

 

[masterchris]

People, I know Im right. This is just one of the random things that I know. Even dictionary.com agrees with me.

Well good for you.

You even said yourself the industry has been using the wrong terms.. but isn't it industry that sets the standards and creates the jargon?
Regardless of what you and Dictionary.com say, until someone punches me in the face over it, I will always consider TR and SH games third person.
This is just one of those random things I believe.

 

[Frozen]

Im not saying that you should stop calling third person third person, I call it that myself. Its just that this topic was about the differences between the three and I am telling you guys.

 

[Biggy]

Wait I am confused. Isn't a spectator role a third-person role? Earlier this year in our English class when explaining points of view our teacher explained as this.

First-Person- Speaker
Second-Person- Adresse
Third Person- Spectator/Other
(I know I mispelled adresse)

Well anyways that is what I wrote down. I know that grammar and video games are two different subjects but camera views derived from this so wouldn't be safe to say that games like Resident Evil and Tomb Raider are a Third Person camera? Because your view is that of the spectator and not that of the character?

 

[Frozen]

Yea, that description on dictonary.com is kinda confusing since a person is a spectator if they are watching the action. But I can see why they used spectator in second person. With third person your view is independent, so you dont have to pay attention to the action if you dont want to. In second person view you are always looking at the main character so you have no choice in being a spectator.

But yea, that is pretty confusing if you think of it that way. I might be easier if you just think about it the way you interact with the main character because a behind the camera view can be in third person if you arent controlling them directly.

 

[StreetFighterRyu]

I still don't understand what 2nd-person view is. Is the exact same thing as 3rd-person. So the camera is different. Is the same crap.

 

[White_Rabbit]

Let's not forget about the top down view!