History of the headshot in games

[~~whimsy~~]

It may seem ghoulish to the outsider. It will seem essential to the gamer. One of the most popular things to do in video games is to aim for the head with a gun and fire. Who thought of that? And why do people like doing it so much?

Why Headshots Make Some People Happy

Let's go with the pleasure part of it first, before we get to the history lesson.

The headshot is one of those grisly gaming thrills. Its popularity fits so well with the fact that the creators of Doom — gaming's greatest first-person shooter and a game without headshots — was made by a company called id. No one's superego aims for the skull.

Separated from the consequence of real-world death and pain, the video game headshot is, to so many millions of players, a joy. It's common in many major shooters for players to be rewarded for shooting to the head. Enemies crumble when impacted by that toughest of shots.

Ask a gamer, as we have, why they like headshots and some will talk about the sound and the splat, the feeling of total domination of their video game enemy.

Ask a video game designer why headshots are so satisfying and they may start with a joke: "I guess that's because it's what we'd all like to do in real life," Paul Wedgwood, creative director at Splash Damage and top-flight shooter gamer, said glibly when asked that question a year ago.

Wedgwood was kidding.

The men and women who make headshots possible in their games seem not at all monstrous. Far from it, they are explorers of technology and — as it says on the business card, more or less — designers of games. Their interest is play. Balance. Rules. Strategy. Challenge.

Matt Hooper, designer of an upcoming id game, Rage, explained the satisfaction of scoring a headshot by imagining a common video game sniper scenario: "It can be this little story you're telling," he said, referring to the story-making abilities of the player, not the game creator. "It's this little micro-story: That guy doesn't know I'm there. I zoom in and he's looking around and doesn't know I'm there. And that's great visual feedback… a one shot kill instead of just unloading a clip. Maybe there was a little opportunity for stealth, depending on the game. The fact that you got him at a distance and that it takes some coordination — that whole risk-reward thing — works out really nicely."

http://kotaku.com/5625054/the-history-of-headshots-gamings-favorite-act-of-unreal-violence

 

[L3ggy]

I don't know why I like to do headshots, maybe it's the swift death, maybe it's the challenge, who knows.

 

[~~whimsy~~]

I like it because that is usually the part of a body in a game that goes squishy splat. If I can shoot off other limbs I often go for the legs.

 

[PornKhaos]

on that link on the first video, that guy reminds me of brucie from GTA4. Anyway headshots are just a necessity. In MW2 if your behind someone without them knowing majority of people will always go for a headshot. Shooting them anywhere else is just less fun.

 

[STDiva]

It's more points. That's why I do it.

 

[Blitz]

gears of war had some nice headshots very good splatters with the longshot, but the close range ones with the shot guns were the best.

have to add i loved the little ping sound in COD world at war when you get a head shot.

And don't forget unreal it would say Head-shot everytime which always brought a smile to my face.

Good Topic. like it

 

[The Spectre]

So loved that game! I can't wait till fallout New vegas comes out! :O

 

[DJCowboy]

I do it because head shots have a tendency to put your enemy out of commission faster than your typical limb shot and you definitely feel like a badass if you get a nice head shot streak building up

 

[nickerdeemes]

I like in FEAR with the shot gun in slow motion, the sound and all the blood is sweet.

 

[ForumModeregulator]

i always thought it would be inventive if a game included a very precise ohk box for the heart...

but headshots are awesome because they are the pinnacle of skill in fps...

 

[JayJohn85]

My what a hard nuggin'

 

[Bearded_Menace]

If you want a real challenge when it comes to headshots, go play any Unreal Tournament game. After you have managed to get quite a few headshots in that game, go back to another game and see how much better you have become.

 

[Digibeat]

If you want a real challenge when it comes to headshots, go play any Unreal Tournament game. After you have managed to get quite a few headshots in that game, go back to another game and see how much better you have become.

Very true, plus the voice announcing your total domination "HEADSHOT!" makes it pretty satisfying.

Other than that, i find that pulling headshots on red dead redemption is a pretty raw, and enjoyable experience IMO.

 

[vodkazvictim]

Headshots save ammo and eliminate an enemy instantly (negating any possibility of retaliation) but the best thing is the feeling of achievement; it wasn't easy, but I did it.
Remember Goldeneye on the N64? And Perfect dark? We played them so often that I could step round a corner with a pistol and get two guards with one each in the head before they'd even knelt to take a shot.

 

[Rane1071]

I like the "headshot" for the sound and the splatter effect, but mostly for the skill feeling when you have to lead an enemy or a snap shot that downs them instantly.... and it looks great too.

 

[bigskeeter]

my first memorable head shot game was:

Turok Evolution : for Nintendo GameCube

great action with the TekBow!!!