Game Cameras

The best camera system is one that you never notice is there. Here are a couple of talks on the history of game cameras and some tried and true methods for making them great.

50 Game Camera Mistakes

Source: GDC 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7307qRmlMI, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020460/

A presentation with many examples of the camera work from Journey. It also covers some basic principles of cinematography like the 30-degree rule or the rule of thirds.

If you are making a game with a third-person camera then this is a must-see.

Juicing Your Camera (Screenshake)

Source: GDC 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu-Qe66AvtY, http://gdcvault.com/play/1020460/50-Camera

If you want to add some screenshake to your game then watch this first. It gives a very nice overview and some practical tips on how to implement a dynamic camera shake system that can stack multiple events.

The presentation also includes a section on Voronio split screens and on averaging the motion of player tracking cameras.

How Cameras in Side-Scrollers Work

Source: GDC 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdvCO97jOQk, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1022243/Scroll-Back-The-Theory-and

This one covers the history of side-scroller cameras from Mario up to Hyperlight Drifter. The examples are a bit dated but the lessons in there are timeless and worth a watch.

Animating Cameras for Games

Source: GDC 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP1Vz70WouE, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020967

This one is all about cinematography and how to use the camera to convey meaning.

Asset Recommendations

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