Gibs

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In computer games, gibs (pronounced /ˈdʒɪbz/; occasionally pronounced with a hard 'G' sound, /ˈɡɪbz/ short for giblets^[1]), are variably-sized body parts or fragments produced when non-player characters or game players are damaged or killed. Adrian Carmack has been credited for coining the term "gibs".

Contents 1 Use in games 2 Notable gibs 3 Criticism 4 References 5 See also

[edit] Use in games

Gibs feature prominently in many shooter games where gameplay generally focuses on killing large numbers of enemies. One of the first games in which gibs appeared was Smash TV (1990),^{[citation needed]} although they were also a feature of the pioneering first-person shooter Doom (1993) and have been a mainstay of gaming titles ever since.

The use of "gib" is reserved for instances when a game character has been killed with such force that their body is reduced to a slurry of flesh and blood. In some games, the resulting gibs disappear after a short period to improve game performance by decreasing the number of objects that the game engine must render.

As well as describing the fragments as gibs, the word may be used as a verb, and killing a game character in this manner is to "gib" them. "Gib", and the related term "frag", are most commonly used in multiplayer deathmatches, where human player characters primarily kill one another rather than non-player characters. Introduced first in Quake, some games feature an Instagib gameplay mod or mutator in which a hit on an opponent results in instantaneous "gibbing". When a "gibbing" happens in the past tense it is know as being "gibbed," "he got gibbed!"

There has been a decline of the use of simple gibs in games due to the development of ragdoll physics, which is better able to represent the effects of high-powered attacks. Many modern games that retain gibbing use dynamic ragdolls that can separate bodies into gibs that the physics system can then control. Some games even include jointed limbs as gibs to add to the dynamic effect of gibbing.

[edit] Notable gibs

• Smash TV (1990) was an early game to include gibs. When enemies that are equipped with explosives are killed by the player they would be gibbed. Similarly, when the "Rapid Fire" power-up is used, all enemies are immediately gibbed when hit.
• Doom (1993) was one of the first games to use gibs within a 3D environment. Enemies in Doom had sprite animations that would ordinarily crumple to the ground when killed. However, attacks that cause significantly more damage than what would've been required for a simple kill, most often explosions, would break apart enemies (or the player) into bloody chunks containing identifiable parts such as a space marine helmet. A slushing sound effect accompanied the animation.
• Quake (1996) was the first FPS game where polygonal gibs were literally flying in all directions when an enemy is mightily shot.
• Quake II (1997) allowed the corpses of friends and foes to be gibbed. This introduced tactical advantages in certain levels since one enemy, the Strogg Medic, could fully resurrect the corpses of its fellow Stroggs. Gibbing the corpses before the Medic could reach them was the best way to prevent enemy resurrections. A mod for Quake II also introduced Instagib gameplay.
• State of Emergency (2002) allowed the player to pick up the limbs of a gibbed enemy and to use them as a weapon.
• F.E.A.R. (2005) uses gibs commonly depending of the impact of the weapon used.
• Team Fortress 2 (2007) A player will gib when killed by an explosive weapon. The player's body parts are often labelled on his deathcam, e.g. "Your spleen!".
• Unreal (series) The instagib mutator provides all players with a modified shock rifle that upon impact reduces whatever it hit to gibs.
• Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins, Rise of the Triad: Dark War (1994, 1995) was the first 3D game to feature flying gibs, flashing a prompt at the upper left corner of the screen that proclaims "Ludicrous gibs!" whenever an enemy is badly gibbed.
• Gears of War, Gears of War 2 (2006, 2008) Gibs are very commonly displayed in both titles. Often the result of a close up shotgun blast, grenade, mortar, and many more. It is actually very uncommon to see a player die and not have a "gib" take place. Also notable is the physics engine, as stated above, that allows the chunks of persons be moved with the momentum of the occuring strikes.
• Fallout 3 (2008) Normally, repeated shots to a body part will cause dismemberment of that part. With the Bloody Mess perk, most enemies when killed will be gibbed into anywhere from 3-12 parts, depending on the size of the enemy.
• House of the Dead III (2002) Because of the use of a shotgun enemies can be blasted into mush even after the target has been killed.
• House of the Dead: Overkill (2008) using powerful wepons, the shotgun in particlar mutants can be reduced to pools of blood or have their arms and legs sent flying across the screen.

[edit] Criticism

Gibbing in computer and video games, mostly in first-person shooter titles, has raised legal issues for child protection and led to titles being age rated in accordance with video game content rating systems. In most games containing gibs, the ESRB rating is an "M" for Mature, and is recommended only for audiences aged 17 and above. In Britain, some games featuring gibs are rated 15, but more realistic ones are rated 18.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Instagib
• Headshot