Video games provide us with many different ways to view the game world and these vary both across genres and within the same game—whether this is top-down perspective in a 4X Strategy game or changing between first-person perspective (1PP) and third-person perspective (3PP) in an MMO. The preference for 1PP and 3PP is interesting to explore because many games/genres allow players to pick or switch between the two.
From a game design perspective, switching between 1PP vs. 3PP can quickly run up against core game mechanics (e.g., the unfair advantage of peeking around corners if 3PP is allowed in a Shooter)—i.e., a game designer might have to make a choice between either 1PP or 3PP. So just how strong are these perspective preferences and how do they vary by gender, age, and genre?
The Survey Examined Perspective Preference By Genre
The Gamer Motivation Profile is a 5-minute survey that allows gamers to get a personalized report of their gaming motivations, and see how they compare with other gamers. Over 1.25 million gamers worldwide have taken this survey. The 12 motivations that are measured in our model were identified via statistical analysis of how gaming motivations cluster together.
See how you compare with other gamers. Take a 5-minute survey and get your Gamer Motivation Profile along with personalized game recommendations.
In an optional survey (N=9,585) we ran from February 2022 through January 2023 alongside the Gamer Motivation Profile, we invited gamers to complete an additional survey after they had looked at their profile results. In this survey, we first asked gamers to identify which game genres they most enjoy playing (up to 4 genres. Then, for each genre they selected, we asked them some genre-specific questions, including a question about the perspective they prefer using.
Shooter Fans Strongly Prefer 1PP. MMO Fans Strongly Prefer 3PP.
The main reason why we have to ask about perspective preferences within specific genres is because the norms of 1PP vs. 3PP vary a great deal by genre. We can’t just ask gamers about their perspective preference agnostic of genre.
For example, MMORPG fans are most likely to prefer 3PP (75%) whereas Shooter fans are most likely to prefer 1PP (82%). Across the 6 genres we explored, the vast majority of gamers in each genre have a preferred perspective. Shooter fans are most likely to have a preference—only 13% have no preference. Sandbox fans are most likely to have no preference (35%). Perspective preference is most split in the Horror genre and the Sandbox genre.
Female Gamers Are More Likely to Prefer 3PP.
Across the 6 genres we explored, female gamers are more likely to prefer 3PP while male gamers are more likely to prefer 1PP. The magnitude of this difference varied across genres—it’s strongest in the Action-Adventure, MMORPG, RPG, and Sandbox genres; and it’s more muted in the Horror and Shooter genres.
The breakdown charts also show that female gamers are more likely to have a specific perspective preference across these genres.
Female gamers are also more likely to have a perspective preference to begin with across these genres.
One potential explanation for this is that women are more susceptible to visually-induced motion sickness and 1PP tends to worsen this effect. Thus, women might be more likely to prefer 3PP to counteract this.
Older Gamers Are More Likely to Prefer 3PP.
Older gamers tend to prefer 3PP. This effect is most noticeable in the Action-Adventure, Horror, MMORPG, and Sandbox genres; and it’s more muted in the RPG and Shooter genres. For example, in the Horror and Sandbox genres, gamers who are 35+ are more than twice as likely to prefer 3PP compared to gamers who are 13-17.
Of note, older players preferring 3PP doesn’t always trade off neatly with younger players preferring 1PP. This does clearly happen in the Horror genre, but in the other genres, older players preferring 3PP is largely trading off against younger players who don’t have any perspective preference. One potential interpretation is that younger players are more open to different gameplay mechanics while older gamers are more particular and set in their gaming habits and preferences, but this doesn’t explain the specific preference among older gamers for 3PP.
Younger players may be more open to different gameplay mechanics while older gamers may be more particular and set in their gaming habits and preferences.
There Likely Isn’t One Main Motivation Driver for the Age Effect
We considered a variety of potential explanations for the age effect. Perhaps older gamers are also more susceptible to motion sickness? But the science seems to show that it’s actually young people under age 12 who are more susceptible. Perhaps older gamers care less about immersion and role-playing? We dug into the gaming motivation variables to explore this.
Because all the respondents who participated in this survey had also completed the Gamer Motivation Profile, we had their gaming motivation scores on hand. The following table shows the correlations between the 12 motivations and perspective preference in each genre, controlling for age and gender.
Overall, gamers who prefer 1PP tend to score higher on Destruction (i.e., guns, explosions, chaos, mayhem) and this effect is strongest in the Action-Adventure and RPG genres. Gamers who prefer 3PP tend to score higher on Story (i.e., deep narrative, interesting NPCs, relationships with NPCs) and this is strongest in the RPG genre.
At the same time, the table also makes clear that the motivation markers for perspective preference vary across genres. So gamers who prefer 1PP in the Action-Adventure genre tend to care more about Destruction. But in the Sandbox genre, gamers who prefer 1PP tend to care more about Community (i.e., teamwork, social interaction). And in the Shooter genre, gamers who prefer 1PP tend to care more about Competition (i.e., matches, duels, leaderboards). So there isn’t a single motivation factor or even a consistent set of factors that drives perspective preference across genres.
Motivation markers for perspective preference vary across genres.
Nonetheless, the chart provides some game design guidelines for specific genres. For example, an RPG with a deep narrative would likely benefit more from 3PP in terms of audience preference.
Of note is also what’s missing. The importance of world immersion and role-playing (tracked by the Fantasy motivation) doesn’t vary with 1PP vs. 3PP preference. This was a surprise to us during the analysis as it seemed like it would be the most “obvious” explanation.
Two Other Possibilities
It’s also important to keep in mind that we’re looking at age in a snapshot manner rather than longitudinally, so the age cohort effects may be generation effects rather than genuine age differences. For example, perhaps older gamers played games with very different design philosophies in their formative years and those preferences have persisted even as the game market itself has changed.
And while the motivation correlations point at some potential explanations, many other potential, and perhaps more relevant, factors were not explored in the survey.
Have Your Preferences in Perspective Changed As You Got Older?
What about you? Do these findings align with your own preferences between 1PP vs. 3PP? Have you started to prefer 3PP as you’ve gotten older? Do you have any ideas for other reasons for these differences that we haven’t considered in this post?
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When I started MMORPGS with EQ in 1999 I was already “older.” But I preferred 1st person because it put “me” inside the game’s world. But to be successful in a raid, you need a very wide 3rd person perspective. The same is true in WoW, and in Elder Scrolls Online where I have been since beta. As game engines became more powerful, environmental clues became more essential to survival.
So I can no longer “live” in the game’s world, but I do get an amazingly rich visual experience. Even at almost 80 years of age (though my reaction time is really too slow for raiding these days).
I prefer 3rd person. Every genre. I’m immersed when controlling a character. I’m not immersed by a pair of raised hands.
The only exception here is vr.
I have preferred 3PP since video games came into existence. Part of that preference is the ability to see more easily what is going on around me/my character, which may be related to my PTSD and hypervigilance. The 3PP also creates some separation between me and the character. I personally don’t like guns, chaos, killing, etc. and if a game requires a player to do that I don’t want to do it in 1PP.
I agree with both Mari and Linda, especially with Mari’s comment on environmental clues. 3PP gives the option of using geographic or furniture features to maximise gameplay i.e. a narrow gap in geography or a doorway inside/outside minimises the number of mobs that can get to you. And there may be hidden objects or clues in the environment that you’ll simply miss in 1PP.
I also sympathise with Mari’s comment on reaction times, and mine is also reduced by the lag from the adaptive hardware I have to use due to disability. And, like Linda, I’m not fond of guns, chaos or killing. For me it’s all about exploration and crafting, and the killing is an apparently necessary evil to get to the mats I need or to advance the story. I’d much rather use diplomacy ;-)
I get motion sickness very quickly, and it makes it pretty much impossible to play any game with 1PP. 3PP tends to work better for me, though it can sometimes still give me motion sickness. I wonder if female and older gamers tend to get motion sickness more often. Especially for older gamers, who didn’t grow up playing games and getting used to looking at a 1PP simulation.
I’ve been playing games since I was 5 years old, now being 24 I can’t say my preferences have changed all that much, not noticeably anyway, I definitely feel open to different gameplay mechanics like stated above, but it does depend on the experience I’m looking for. For example, if I want to compete against others I may be more likely to choose a 1PP game while when I want a solo experience to connect with a story I am more inclined to choose 3PP.
It makes sense that when I want a story game with customisation I prefer 3PP such as Assassins Creed or Dark Souls. I want to see my characters progression, which is highlighted by this perspective. When I want to be completely immersed, I choose 1PP such as Skyrim, Metro or shooters like CSGO. I feel much more connected in this perspective.
My first reaction to a reason why the majority of players prefer third person for Action-Adventure, MMORPG and RPG, comes from my understanding of autonomy. Allowing players to make meaningful choices such as customising their avatar which provides the player with a visual sense of progression, which first person often lacks as progression is tied more to intrinsic skill.
For the Horror and Shooter genre preferring 1PP, I would say they both have very similar reasons. Horror could be preferred in 1PP because players want to immerse themselves in the avatar, that nothing is in-between them and the virtual world. They want to be scared (to incite stimulation) and I believe 1PP allows for a better emotional presence so they feel the weight of the horrifying elements more, thus increasing stimulation. For the shooter genre, I find 1PP incredible for flow-state inducing moment to moment gameplay. You feel the speed in fast-paced FPS games with 1PP which adds to the excitement and adrenaline rush.
I think the simplified connection here is that 1PP enhances our core senses and emotions, we turn more inward into the character. While 3PP places us outside, allowing us to feel more at ease and calm which may make it easier to absorb a story.
In terms of age and with the current state of the world, is it possible that young people want more escapism through strong flow-state inducing 1PP games? And older people prefer to see more of their surroundings? Observing the detailed environment like the writers mention above, enhancing feelings of stability, and with older age comes less of a need to escape and more of a need to connect emotionally through relationships or with the environment which 3PP games such as MMORPGs can offer.
That’s all I got, thanks for sharing, loving the research!
I wouldn’t be surprised if the TPP preference among female gamers was, among other things, due to the fact that the majority of game protagonists are male. If the illusion of “me, but in the world of the game” is already harder to achieve, first person perspective might seem less enticing. This is just a theory, of course; personally, as an AFAB gamer, I don’t care much about the perspective. I do have my preferences, of course (although I wouldn’t say that I necessarily prefer TPP over FPP), but if the game is really good, I won’t care about the perspective, even if I have to get used to a less liked option (e.g. close-distance TPP – I remember when it used to be associated mainly with the Gears of War series, but these days it’s usually called “over the shoulder” or something along these lines).
I find this whole study fascinating and find myself yet sitting on the sidelines of “does not fit well into the norm” because I do not have a preference and never really have tbh. I may have slightly leaned toward 3PP when I was really young (9/10-ish), but I don’t have any recollection past that of caring much what perspective I was playing in. It doesn’t help that the female study is only solidifying my mentality that I am just not like other girls :’) Plus, I’m super into destruction in games. Not that I’m that way irl. I can barely hurt bugs, let alone kill them lmao. But there’s just something satisfying about killing and maiming pixel worlds. I don’t think I could ever explain it proper tbh. If I had any skill above a 12yo in shooters, I’d be a complete menace ;v;
At least in my case (M50), the 3PP has been my preferred perspective since I had a choice in the matter. My reasoning, for the most part, is that it best simulates the field of view of an actual person, nearly 220 degrees. Whereas, a typical 1PP will produce barely 90 degrees field of view. Anything more on a normal screen will produce severe distortion.
I have always strongly preferred third-person perspective. With very few exceptions, I experience debilitating nausea with first-person games. There are a few exceptions, such as Left 4 Dead, that do not make me sick, but these are so few and far between that I typically write off any game that is in first-person unless I can demo it beforehand.
However, for people who are not susceptible to motion sickness, I wonder if there could be a nostalgia or familiarity factor. When I was a child, first-person games were more rare than they are today. I grew up on a diet of simulation games (such as SimCity), RPGs (such as Baldur’s Gate), strategy games (such as Civilization), and platformers (such as Donkey Kong Country). Is it possible that older people tend to prefer games that resemble the game they played as children? Perhaps the Minecraft generation, for example, will prefer first-person games as they age.
Completely anecdotal, but the slight preference for third-person perspective in games rings true for me (F, 33).
I avoided playing first-person games, particularly FPS games, until I was about 19 or 20 (even though I’d been regularly gaming since about 14).When I was a teen, I assumed all first-person games were dumb shooters without interesting stories, featuring dull, masculine characters that didn’t appeal to my interests. In any case, that’s what industry conventions and marketing at the time (over 10 years ago) told me to believe about FPS titles.
I didn’t enjoy an FPS game until I played Star War Republic Commando at 16. My love for SW superseded my bias against FPS games. However, playing them readily didn’t really click until I played BioShock — a game with a superb story and world building.
Back to my rationale for playing and preferring 3rd person games. 3rd person always felt more enjoyable when I was younger because often times the characters were more fully-realized and better integrated into the world and story. Although many designers have argued that FPP is ‘more immersive’ I’ve often felt the opposite. I rarely care about characters that don’t have a defined personality. And often feel attached to the character and immersed in the environment when I’m ‘looking out for them’ in the TPP.
10-20 years ago, a lot of FPS style games featured masculine, mute protagonist which did not seem appealing to me. BioShock fits that trope, but I learned that the excellent world and story more than compensated for playing as a silent, blank-slate protagonist.
Today, it’s not uncommon for FPS games to have fully-realized characters, too. Think of the interesting, complex personalities for BR games like Apex and arena shooters like OW. Heck, even modern CoD – which traditionally leaned into silent, masculine protags — has shifted to fleshing out the playable characters and the operators in the online modes.
As the games industry continues to lean into player fantasy, which often includes “being someone else, somewhere else” I wonder if we will see these preferences further diminish as more players seek out both FPP and TPP games, as it’s now more common for both FPS and TPP to lean into this.
It would be rather useless to state that I prefer first-person because that’s what the best games use. Why? Because there must be a deeper reason why those games resonate so well with me. I was contemplating the effects of perspective on navigation, but there’s more there regarding the differences between second and third dimension games. See Sonic Robo Blast 2! Perhaps, I shall never know… Nevertheless, hand-mapping seems much better when playing first-person games, but that may merely be a result of the added complexity and “necessity” of such.
I feel like I usually prefer 3PP. I’m a 27yo female. The only games I can think of where I purposely choose 1PP was Fallout and Elder Scrolls games. And even then it takes me a bit to get used to. 1PP often makes me feel disoriented or dizzy. I also like to see my character and what is going on around my character.
Sim sickness gets worse with age. I’m a male who just turned 46 yesterday. I played some DOOM and Quake back in the ’90s. Now I avoid first person camera games at all costs. Less than half an hour of play can ruin my entire night with headaches and digestion issues. There is no time to find an alleged settings permutation that may let me play. I’m already sick by then.
[…] Foundry, the team behind the Gamer Motivation Model and the modern gamer profiling test, put out a dev blog at the end of January homing in on first- vs. third-person perspective. According to the model, which is based on […]
My (F, 27) strongest motivation to avoid 1pp is to avoid causing violence. When I play (for example: Skyrim), playing in 1pp makes me feel awful, because I feel like “I” am causing the pain to the other creature. When I play 3pp, I can roleplay more as that “the character I’m playing” causes the pain. This motivation was stronger in my youth, but it is still strong. I cannot stop feeling empathy. I also score very very high in the fantasy category. I believe this combination of female empathy, being deeply immersed + 1pp violence is what causes me to avoid 1pp.
My second motivation to avoid 1pp is motion-sickness. In my youth I often just ignored the consequences of motion-sickness, since my overall health was more robust, but as older I get, the more I value avoiding motion-sickness.
I use 1PP when possible but fall back to 3PP when i feel like needing more environmental awareness, want to see myself doing stuff for a while or feel motion sickness coming (happens when i play too long, experience lag or frame drops, or just move too erratic too much).
For myself (M, 33), the idea of having a preferred perspective in the first place feels a tad bit weird, because the often the gameplay of the genre would determine which perspective is better suited for it – sure, you could try to turn the mainline Mario games into a first person experience, but what effect would that have on the gameplay and the ease of play?
I think that Rowan’s comment about the field of view enabling you to see more at once in third-person view and Mari’s comment about first-person view making you feel like ‘you’ are in the world (or experiencing things from the point of view of the in world character) both capture indirectly this sense of the perspective matching the genre’s purpose (I’ll also note that in MMO’s that there’s little point in designing one’s avatar to capture the look one wants to present themselves as, but then restricting the perspective so that they can’t see the character that one has put time into designing the look of)