View Structure

Term

Belongs to the term

Ludic View Structure: The Ludic View Structure orders what is perceivable in a game: what is perceivable for whom from where - visible or hidden, near or far.

Stack

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cards

The cards

VC-01 Subjective The camera is inside the focus entity – the image shows what the entity itself would see. The agent looks through the character's eyes. The entity itself is invisible (at most hands, weapon, tool at the bottom of the frame).

VC-02 Proximal The camera follows the focus entity at close distance. The entity is visible – typically as back, shoulder or slightly side-on. The agent accompanies the figure as the "closest witness"; the binding to the entity stays tight.

VC-03 Distal The camera observes from afar. The focus entity is visible but small relative to its surroundings. The agent has a wide overview and sees more context than with proximal. The entity is an actor in a larger scene, not the sole centre.

VC-04 Decentralised The camera is not bound to an entity but to a place, region or abstract coordinate system. Entities move through the camera image, but the camera does not follow them. The agent observes a space, not a figure.

VC-05 Low Angle The camera is below eye level and looks upward. Objects and figures appear larger, more powerful, more threatening. Rarely a permanent perspective, often a dynamic device for individual moments or cutscenes.

VC-06 Eye Level The camera is at the same height as the focus entity or scene. The most natural perspective – matching the human gaze in a conversation. No vertical distortion; objects in natural proportions. The standard choice for immersion and identification.

VC-07 Mild Elevation The camera is slightly above eye level (~15–30°). Shows the entity from above at an angle – the agent sees the figure and some of the ground ahead of it. The most common elevation in third-person games: natural enough for immersion, raised enough for orientation.

VC-08 High Angle The camera looks down from a markedly raised position (~30–60°). The ground becomes the dominant image element – entities recognizable, but the space between them visible. Tactical information dominates over emotional closeness. Typical of action-RPGs and tactical games.

VC-09 Steep / Top-Down The camera looks almost straight down (60–90°). The ground becomes a map, entities symbols on it. Spatial depth almost vanishes – the world becomes a two-dimensional plan. Maximal overview, minimal immersion. Typical of strategy, puzzle and some retro genres.

VC-10 Behind The camera is behind the focus entity, looking in the same direction. The agent sees the figure's back/shoulders and at the same time what lies ahead. The dominant horizontal orientation in third-person games; the agent shares the figure's gaze direction.

VC-11 Side The camera looks at the focus entity from the side – the agent sees the figure's profile and its movement along a horizontal axis. The scene unfolds mainly left-right. The defining perspective of the side-scroller and classic 2D platformer; a "stage feel".

VC-12 Front The camera is in front of the focus entity, facing it. The agent sees the figure's face and the scene behind it. The entity moves towards the camera – or the camera retreats. Rarely a permanent perspective, powerful as a device (endless runners, rhythm games).

VC-13 Omnidirectional The camera can be freely rotated around the focus entity or scene – no fixed horizontal reference. The agent actively controls from which direction they view the scene; requires dedicated input (right stick, mouse, touch) and active camera management.

VC-14 Perspective Objects get smaller the further they are from the camera – just like human vision. Parallel lines converge on vanishing points. Creates the impression of spatial depth on the flat screen. The "natural" projection – standard for 3D games.

VC-15 Orthogonal All objects have the same size regardless of distance to the camera. Parallel lines stay parallel – no vanishing points. The world looks "flat" and diagrammatic, even when it holds 3D data. Exact size ratios readable everywhere. Typical of strategy, builder and many 2D genres.

VC-16 Isometric / Dimetric A special case of orthogonal projection in which the three spatial axes are shown at specific angles. Isometric: all three axes equal (~30°). Dimetric: two equal, one differing (common in games). Creates the characteristic "diamond grid" aesthetic with a 3D impression without true perspective.

VC-17 Extreme Close-Up The frame shows only a fragment – an eye, a hand, a key, a clock face. Maximal focus on a single detail. Rarely a permanent perspective, but powerful as a dynamic tool: pointing to important objects, emotional intensification, a puzzle hint.

VC-18 Close-Up The frame shows the focus entity down to the torso or head. The surroundings are visible but blurred or at the edge. The entity dominates the image. Facial expression, gesture and emotional states are clearly legible. Common in dialogues, cutscenes and emotional moments.

VC-19 Medium Shot The frame shows the focus entity at full size with immediate environmental context. The entity is clearly recognizable, its relation to the surroundings visible. The "all-rounder" – enough closeness for identification, enough context for orientation. The standard distance for most gameplay.

VC-20 Wide Shot The frame shows a broad scene – the focus entity is recognizable but small relative to its surroundings. Several entities, spatial structures and environment elements visible at once. The agent surveys a situation, not a figure. Typical of strategy, exploration moments, opening sequences.

VC-21 Extreme Wide Shot The frame shows the maximal spatial extent – the entire landscape, world map or system overview. Individual entities are tiny or invisible. The agent sees the game as a whole. Rarely a gameplay perspective, powerful as an opening/closing moment and a strategic planning tool.

VR-01 Classic First Person The camera is the figure. The agent looks through the character's eyes into a 3D world. The figure itself is invisible – at most hands, weapons, tools at the bottom edge. Maximal immersion, minimal overview. The standard for shooters, horror, exploration.

VR-02 Immersive First Person Like classic first person, but emphasizing interaction with the world rather than reflexes. The camera becomes an investigation tool (picking up objects, reading documents, manipulating mechanisms); a dynamic shift to detail/close on inspection. The space as a readable system full of hints and possibilities.

VR-03 Cockpit / Vehicle First Person The agent sits in a vehicle/machine and looks through windows, visor or windscreen. The cockpit interior frames the image and forms a permanent diegetic interface layer (instruments, gauges, wheel). Subjective immersion + operating a machine.

VR-04 Over-the-Shoulder The camera hovers just behind and above the focus entity's shoulder. The back and shoulder in the foreground, the world behind. The dominant configuration of modern action-adventures and TPS – combining identification, context awareness and character presence.

VR-05 Cinematic Third Person The camera follows the figure, its behaviour changing by context: tighter in combat, wider in exploration, close in emotional moments, panning on surprises. The game steers elevation, distance, azimuth dynamically – like an invisible cinematographer.

VR-06 Chase Cam The camera follows a fast-moving entity (vehicle, mount, flying object) with slight lag and speed adaptation: faster = pulled further back (overview, sense of speed), slower = closer. Camera inertia in curves creates a physical sense of speed.

VR-07 Free Orbit Camera The agent controls the camera actively and freely: rotation around the entity, zoom (optional), elevation (optional). The camera can be moved to any position around the focus entity. Maximal agent autonomy over perception; requires a dedicated input channel.

VR-08 Side-Scroller / Platformer The camera looks at the game world from the side – the entity moves mainly left-right, with jumps up-down. The space is a stage, the agent the audience. The clearest and oldest configuration; pixel-perfect position legibility.

VR-09 2.5D Side-View Like a side-scroller, but with depth layering: parallax layers create an illusion of spatial depth. Modern: 2D gameplay in a 3D-rendered world with depth of field and lighting. The gameplay stays 2D-precise, the visual experience gains atmosphere.

VR-10 Endless Runner / Frontal The figure moves towards the camera (or the camera retreats). Obstacles "come" at the agent; the direction of threat is inverted (behind rather than in front of the figure). Creates permanent forward dynamics and urgency. Defining for endless runners and rhythm games.

VR-11 Classic Isometric The camera looks at the world from a fixed diagonal angle (~30°). The diamond grid shows ground plan and facades at once. No vanishing points, no perspective distortion. The defining configuration for CRPGs, ARPGs, builders since the 1990s.

VR-12 Free Strategy Camera The camera floats freely above the world – zoom (distance), rotate (azimuth), tilt (elevation), pan across the map. No entity binding: the camera follows the agent's focus of attention. The most powerful overhead configuration, but also the most demanding.

VR-13 Pure Top-Down The camera looks straight down at the world. The space becomes a plan, entities become symbols. No depth, no occlusion, no perspective distortion. Maximal abstract clarity – the world as a diagram. Typical of arcade, top-down stealth, tactical puzzles.

VR-14 Point-and-Click / Scene Camera The camera shows a scene – a fixed framing with a predetermined angle and composition. The entity moves within the scene; the camera does not. On a scene change the camera jumps to a new fixed position. Each scene like a painting or a theatre set.

VR-15 Tactical Overview The camera offers tactical overview of a battlefield/arena, with zoom onto individual entities. Overview mode: raised + wide (all units visible); action mode: slightly raised + medium (on attack/ability/movement). The dynamic zoom system-level↔entity-level is the defining feature.

VR-16 Visual Novel / Dialogue View The camera shows characters in a mostly static scene – figures side by side or facing each other before a background. Focus on dialogue, emotional expression and decisions, not spatial navigation. Character portraits, text boxes and choice menus dominate.

VR-17 Fixed Cinematic Angles In each room section the camera is fixed at a set position – placed by the designer like a film director. The agent steers the entity through the room; the camera cuts hard or fades on room transition. Each position is a deliberate composition. The game controls what the agent sees.

VR-18 Surveillance Camera The camera is mounted at a fixed position and observes a room section – the agent can often switch between several cameras but cannot change a position. The surveillance aesthetic (noise, green tint, timestamp) is its own design element. Core gameplay from information fragmentation.

VR-19 Puzzle Inspection The camera orbits a single object or a compact scene – the agent can rotate, tilt, zoom and view it from all sides. The space beyond is irrelevant. The whole game world is the object of inspection. Typical of physical puzzle games.

VR-20 Dimension Shift / Meta View The view itself is the gameplay mechanism – not the interface one plays through, but the thing one plays with. Perspective/dimension/projection switches become a play action. It exists as a dynamic switch between other configurations, where the switch is the challenge.

VR-21 Minimap A second, small view from above in a corner of the main view: it shows the surroundings, one's own position and often where others are. The players look into two views at once.

VR-22 Split Screen The screen is divided, each person has their own view - and can look into the others'.

VR-23 Perfect Information Everything that makes up the game state is perceivable for everyone - nothing lies hidden.

VR-24 Hidden Information Part of the game state is hidden, and not everyone knows equally much - each person knows something the others do not.

VR-25 Unknown Information Something is hidden from all, but everyone knows the range of values - the face-down pile from which one draws.

VR-26 Memory What is hidden is briefly revealed and hidden again - whoever has seen it must remember it.

VR-27 Fog of War Visible is only what one's own elements currently perceive; where they no longer look, the last seen state remains or disappears.

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