Shaky Cam (Concept)

Shaky Cam

CONCEPT

Shakey Cam is the use of shaking the camera in a game in order to give the feeling of chaos, disorientation or realism. It is usually used in action games when moving at fast speeds or when a large impact or explosion occurs.

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Overview

Originally appearing in cinema in the 1960s the shakey cam effect has become a widely used effect in 21st century video games. The Gears of War (Franchise) games are a series highly famed for the use of shakey cam, when characters sprint in the game the camera drops down close to the ground and shakes as they run to make their running appear more dramatic. Shakey cam is also repeatedly used in Fallout 3 (Game) where if the player attacks enemies using the VATS the camera switches into a third-person perspective and usually with some degree of camera shake shows the protagonist firing at their enemy or enemies. Some games use shakey cam as an integral part of the visual experience at almost all times; for example Need for Speed: Shift aims to inject a highly dramatic use of first-person perspective into its racing gameplay, using large amounts of camera shake to do so and employing a very violent camera shake when the car is crashed. The action free-running game series Mirror's Edge also aims to show a realistic first-person perspective, having the camera shake when the player runs or lands from a jump. Kane andamp;amp;amp; Lynch 2: Dog Days uses a visual style that makes it appear as though the game is being seen through the perspective of a hand-held camera and employs shakey cam as part of this technique, using it particularly heavily when the player sprints.

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