How First-Person Games Trick Our Brains By Creating Monstrosities: Firewatch Edition

One of the clever tricks of video game development is convincing our brains that scale and perspective match real-world equivalents. When we’re playing a first-person shooter, we imagine someone that looks and is proportioned like us. Sometimes we’re reminded that it just isn’t so.

You have seen this comic by John Kleckner that paints a humorous (and disturbing) picture of the monstrosities of FPS design we rarely see:

The truth isn’t terribly far off. Campo Santo artist Olly Moss shared clips of in-production Firewatch animation on Twitter that reveals Henry (the protagonist) to be a deformed, double-jointed freak.

Firewatch animation in third person reveals a nightmare human carbuncle. pic.twitter.com/lqVyH84xP8

— Olly Moss (@ollymoss) February 11, 2016

Go home, Henry. You're drunk. pic.twitter.com/Mu00PcCxKG

— Olly Moss (@ollymoss) February 11, 2016

Walking simulator. pic.twitter.com/PWsbSgX6Zc

— Olly Moss (@ollymoss) February 11, 2016

We had to cut this Henry reveal. pic.twitter.com/rw1VsYB89r

— Olly Moss (@ollymoss) February 11, 2016

With the realization that Henry is a hulking, giant-handed, troll, we agree with Moss. The next Smash Bros. game must offer up a little Firewatch love.

For more on Campo Santo’s debut game, check out our review. If you happen to playing on PlayStation 4, know that a fix for the frame rate issues is on the way.

[Source: Olly Moss on Twitter, John Kleckner (Comic Image)]