Judging from the multi-billion dollar sales of FPS franchises like Call of Duty and Halo, it’s safe to say that we gamers love our guns. Every gamer knows that there’s nothing more cathartic than blowing holes into hundreds of faceless bad guys.
Guns, like most things, don’t work nearly the same in fiction as they do in reality. Shotguns, for instance, are given an effective range of about 10 feet. Meanwhile, dinky little pistols are powerful, versatile, and easy to aim from half a map away!
There is some truth in the way that most games portray shotguns. For example: it’s totally true that shotguns work better at close range than they do at long range. But for the most part, everything about shotguns from their firepower to their handling is totally different to accommodate for game balance.
Shotguns Aren’t Actually Weak At Long Range
Every game that includes shotguns balances them by making the bullets have the stopping power of a light summer rain if they make contact anywhere past sneezing distance. While it’s true that Shotguns are much more effective at closer ranges, that’s not because they magically lose all their stopping power (or in some cases phase out of existence). It’s because they are less accurate at long ranges.
First, it’s important to define what “long range” actually means. The effective range for a real life shotgun equipped with standard buckshot is between 60 feet to 130 feet (which is comparable to standard issue non-customized handguns). With the proper rounds, that range can spike to upwards of 300 feet or more.
That’s still not that far when compared to AK’s that can shoot accurately past 1000 feet. But even if someone is hit with a shotgun projectile outside of the effective range the pellets will still have more than enough stopping power to turn any hit target into swiss cheese if they manage to connect.
Pump Action Vs Automatic
What’s more badass than watching your ‘roided up space marine pump his shotgun and blow a gigantic hole into an alien baddie as the used shell *clinks* onto the ground? Nothing, that’s what.
But as cool as they are, pump action shotguns are totally inferior to automatic shotguns in every way possible in real life. This runs contrary to most games where automatic shotguns are generally weaker to compensate for the quicker firing.
But at the end of the day, there’s no point putting 80 guns into a game if only five of them see use because they’re objectively better than the rest. Plus, pump action is cool! So let’s let this one slide.
Shotgun Recoil is Brutal
Recoil is the backward force a gun exerts on the user when it’s fired. This force is proportional to the amount of power behind the gun. Shotguns obviously have a huge amount of power behind each slug, so the stress put on the user’s body is pretty strong.
Luckily, well-trained shooters know how to lower their center of gravity and lean into each shot. But even with training and practice, a day of shotgunning can still leave some pretty nasty bruises and scars on the arms and shoulders of the gunner.
Obviously FPS games shouldn’t become bruise management simulators, who’d want to play that? But the power of the recoil begs the question, how are players able to run and shoot massive fifty pound monstrosities at the same time?
Shooting a shotgun while stationary is hard enough. If you tried to shoot anything but the lightest shotgun while running forward (or god forbid jumping) you’d end up sprawled out on the floor in a really embarrassing position. Also, don’t even try shooting anything except bb guns while running backwards. That is, unless you like concussions.
Oh, and games where you can use shotgun recoil to jump higher by aiming downwards are hilarious.
So Games Are Unrealistic, Who Cares?
Now no one is saying that games have to be 100% true to reality to be good. Hell, the fact that video games tend to fly in the face of real world logic is what makes most of them so awesome in the first place. Think about it, what fun would it be if everyone in the next Call Of Duty picked the shotgun because it could turn anyone into a red mist at any range?
There may be ways to add more realism to shotguns without causing an imbalance. Maybe they could be given more range and power but must be shot while walking or standing still for instance.
Whatever the case, good game developers never sacrifice good gameplay for realism. Could you imagine how much of a flop Tomb Raider would be if Lara had to stop every 30 minutes for a Clif Bar to keep her blood sugar high due to all that jumping around?
It’s still important to make the distinction between real world stuff and game stuff for those that don’t know. After all, nobody wants to see some kid get knocked on his butt because he tried to jump and shoot a 12 gauge at the same time. Though..that might be kind of funny…