The earliest forms of interaction with video games involved shooting and, while the medium has evolved in significant ways, pointing a gun at something and pulling the trigger remains an overwhelmingly popular method of playing in virtual worlds.
However, the way players shoot and how games react to that has diversified. The design principles that govern everything that happens from the moment a player pulls the trigger right up until the projectile sinks into a target varies from game to game. While most people don't think too much about how game designers and developers make shooting work, the subject is nevertheless interesting to consider--so that's just what we did.
In the video above Dave Jewitt delves into the technical side of firing a gun in games, exploring the different methods that designers have come up with over the years to make the mechanic work, and laying out how some of the most popular shooters of today do it.
Not only is this a cool peek behind the curtains of game development, but having this knowledge means you can also think about the way you play and perhaps adapt to improve your own performance. Maybe you'll even get that coveted Champion award in a game of Apex Legends.