Why are shooters so popular?

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I have a pretty simple explanation for why multiplayer shooters are so popular; they boil down to fancy games of tag, king of the hill, and capture the flag -- and who doesn't like playing those childhood classics, especially enhanced with new mechanics?

As for singleplayer shooters, who knows? Maybe a lot of people have similar taste; I know I grew up on the things, starting with Wolfenstein 3D.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Why were classic adventure games so popular before shooters? I don't know but I suspect mass public acceptance and cultural shifts.

 

[II2]

MP Shooters: Sports for geeks.

SP Shooters: Adventure gaming with direct, violent, problem solving.

[sub]REALLY simplifying here, but it's *basically* true.[/sub]

 

[Netrigan]

Shooters have always been popular, starting with Space Invaders.

Even before video games, shooters were about the most popular past-time of kids with Cop & Robbers, Cowboys & Indians, and every other made up game involving you going "phew, phew" at your friends and them falling over pretending to be shot.

 

[EternalFacepalm]

I can't believe people on the escapist think they're the only ones who hate cod :/. I'm indifferent to it, but i see so much cod-hate here it's unbelievable.

I've always hated CoD, and I know many people hate it, not only escapists.
Yet, as I've stated before, my hate for it is (almost) purely multiplayer, because it's so badly balanced, and ends up being an MMOFPS. Which is silly, considering there is no PvE, making it almost impossible to level up as they don't set you up on matches based on your level. This makes it hard for beginning players to get into it.
And I've also heard several CoD-players state that "it isn't fun until you get a high level," which just isn't right for a multiplayer shooter.
Yet the industry keeps doing this. And the players keep buying, despite the repeated mistakes.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

Because shooters cut the bullshit and go straight to the fun parts. Here's a gun, go shoot that guy. You don't have to work at having fun in TF2 or CoD like you do in a heavy RPG or strategy game. The latter may leave a more lasting feeling of satisfaction, but the former is quick and easy.

So basically:

-Lower barrier to having fun
Look for a server. Find server. Proceed to shoot people.
-Tangible accomplishments
That guy's dead. That tank is a smoldering hunk of metal. You use the dead guy's gun to kill him again.
-Fast-paced and stimulating
Everything is active, so you have to keep invested. I can play some games with one hand while reading a book with a movie on in the background (especially TBS, JRPGs, most MMORPGs, and Bioware games.) Shooters require my full attention.

 

[Pearwood]

I don't really like them but sometimes the gameplay is exactly what you need - simple and fun. Mass Effect 2 is my favourite example, also the Dead Space, FEAR and Uncharted games.

 

[TheTinyMan]

I enjoy an FPS for the following reasons:
- They're competitive, and allow me to compete with other players (or just NPCs) in a fun and engaging way.
- They're fast-paced and twitchy, giving some of the same feelings as playing in a sport without any of the elements that cause the fun to slow or stop.
- They're strategic, at least a little, giving you the opportunity to exercise your brain and, if you beat your opponents, to feel smarter.
- Penalties for dying are usually minimal, removing any moments of not-fun caused by retracing your steps or staring at a load screen.
- They are, due to the violence combined with the twitch factor, a harmless way to release aggression that isn't in any way destructive or damaging. I wouldn't call it a "need to kill," but when I'm angry, I do slip into some bloodlust when playing.


Of course, none of that answers why FPSes have sucked so hard for the last six years

 

[Hop-along Nussbaum]

I think it has a lot to do with the "first person" aspect of the game, not necessarily the shooting part.

By way of example, take a look at the Elder Scrolls series. Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion were all first person games, but not "shooters" in the true sense of shooting a gun or other weapon. Elder Scrolls, you could shoot magic, shoot a bow, or wield a sword, hammer, axe, etc.

Just my two copper pieces.

 

[jamesworkshop]

gaming is competitive and uses violence as a primary conflict resolution
guns are the mainstay weapons of the times

 

[V8 Ninja]

Because they're an easy way to make a game. In terms of goals and adding tension, there's not a whole lot to do. In shooters, you shoot at people and people shoot at you. Every multiplayer death-match shows those two basic ideas being put to use. Now, I'm not ragging on shooters as I like a lot of them, but I'm just saying that they're much easier to work with than other genres.

 

[BodomBeachChild]

Where else can you get home from work, pick up a gun, and start thinking about your coworkers while mowing down every enemy you see?

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

Violence is Relaxing...


Im not allowed to shoot the assholes that cut me off or bump me w/ their shopping cart @ Xmas time...

So when I can shoot some jerk...its...relaxing

Grand Theft Auto?!!?

Thats a whole different level of fun....nothing like a cooldown of someone rolling across my hood...also Niko sometimes reacted the way I did

 

[MercurySteam]

Because killing other people with guns is just so entertaining. It's like we're hardwired to do it or something.

 

[zehydra]

Killing and hunting are satisfying, particularly to the male brain, my guess is due to evolutionary instinct.

 

[DanDanikov]

I think it's the simplicity. Guns are very direct mechanisms and you often are only balancing a few resources in your head (health vs. ammunition), if at all. There are some complicating factors around mobility, cover, teamwork (in... most games these days) but they're all very intuitive when it's all about people holding, pointing and shooting at each other. Combined with well-designed maps, the gameplay flow (even in multiplayer) can be quite tightly crafted to have a very compelling pacing, leading to a very compelling experience. First-person shooters, by virtue of being first-person, tend to be the most immersive, giving them the biggest draw.

In addition to this, shooters are easily augmented with additive addictive factors, such as random item drops, experience gains and progression, etc. which have become practically ubiquitous in modern online shooters. Going beyond game mechanics, the core gamer demographic are males who statistically are interested in explosions, guns, and such things, so it becomes a bit of a self-reinforcing thing- developers make 'safe' games for the core demographic, which in turn makes it more likely to convert non-gamers from that core demographic rather than outside of it.