A Brief History of the FPS

Visceral, fast-paced and full of action, first-person shooters - or FPS games - have long been the choice for video gaming's elite. Forget mainstream multi-million sellers like The Sims or Super Mario Brothers; FPS titles are the most talked-about and highly anticipated releases on gamers' radars. Self-respecting players wear their FPS accomplishments on their sleeves. Speed runs through Goldeneye, you say? Been there. Completing Half-Life 2 using only the crowbar and the gravity gun? No problem. What other video game genre has fans who've launched developers - socially awkward programming wizards who enjoy math and have an uncanny ability to avoid natural sunlight – to rock-star status? What is it about the first-person shooter that elicits such a fervent fanbase?