Cutscene facts for kids
A cutscene is like a mini-movie that plays during a video game. It's a moment when you stop playing and just watch something happen. Cutscenes help tell the game's story. They can show characters talking or explain what's going on.
Sometimes, a cutscene just shows something important happening in the game. For example, it might show a boss enemy appearing. It could also show a spaceship taking off or a building falling down.
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Different Kinds of Cutscenes
There are many ways cutscenes can be made. Some are very simple. They might just show pictures with text, like a slideshow. Other cutscenes are animated, like a cartoon you watch on TV.
In-Game Engine Cutscenes
Some cutscenes happen right inside the game engine. This means they use the same graphics and characters as the game itself. It feels like the game is still running, but you are just watching.
Prerendered Cutscenes
Many newer games use something called prerendered scenes. This means the scene was created and saved as a video file when the game was made. These videos are often very smooth and detailed.
Prerendered videos can be recordings of things done in the game engine. But sometimes, they use Computer-generated imagery (CGI). CGI is like special effects made with computers. It often looks even fancier than the game's normal graphics. CGI prerendered scenes are often used for a game's intro video.
Live-Action Cutscenes
A few games use live-action video footage. This is filmed like a real movie or TV show with actors. Sometimes, live-action footage is mixed with CGI. This can make the scenes look very realistic.
Images for kids
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Screenshot of a pre-rendered cutscene from Warzone 2100, a free and open-source video game
See also
In Spanish: Cinemática (videojuegos) para niños
