What was the original first-person shooter? Two largely forgotten computer games from the 1970s ushered in the genre
The games created a new way of experiencing video games by building a 3D world in which events could unfold beyond the player’s line of sight.
The earliest first-person shooter game is generally considered to be "Maze War," developed at a NASA research center in 1973. Another early FPS, "Spasim," debuted a year later at the University of Illinois. Both games used vector graphics, which allowed developers to create a 3D world for players to move through. In "Maze War," players could move smoothly down hallways and turn in 90-degree increments, while "Spasim" used a slower, jump-based movement system.
Both games featured single-player and multiplayer modes, with danger lurking around corners and enemies shooting from behind, making them unique compared to earlier shooting games. Although they lacked modern aiming capabilities and realism, "Maze War" and "Spasim" pioneered the genre of first-person shooters, fundamentally changing the way players experience video games.
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