A computer game, ThreeDeeGameApp, played in 3D from a first-person point-of-view, in which you shoot stuff. Like Doom, QuakeThreeArena, CounterStrike, or DarkWatch. Not like Myst, Manic Miner or Bad Street Brawler.

It could be said that the FPS development community is largely responsible for both driving the development of ever-zippier 3D graphics engines and also for bringing these engines to desktop PCs. The sales of 3D graphics cards by companies such as Nvidia, 3dFx and Matrox are reliant on the popularity of such games (it doesn't take a lot of graphics card muscle to run Age of Empires or Who wants to be a millionaire? on your PC).

All in the name of making a quick buck from teenagers' pocket money while conditioning them into psychotic killers with excellent hand/eye co-ordination.

A worthy mission. -- CraigP

''Many game category terms (level game, shooter game, [mortal combat style fighting?], turn-based strategy game) are relics of obsolete programming modes. Super Mario Brothers, the run-and-jump game, was "level based" because you view your character from the side, frolicking in FlatLand. Nowadays the distinction just means where the camera is - over the hero, or in a gun, etc.''

''So FPS lead the 3D charge because animating an invisible character in visible rooms is slightly easier than completely animating a moving character with weapons, attributes, effects, etc.''

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That conditioning stuff is nonsense. If it were true, all of us who grew up playing PacMan would still be wandering dark hallways munching pills and listening to repetitive music.

''My friends and I grew up playing PacMan and still wander dark hallways munching pills and listening to repetitive music. Only, now it's called a NightClub, the pills are ecstacy and the music is 'Dance'.''

See now, this is what we like to call StraightFace.

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All media is propaganda. Due to the absence of National Service in most western countries, today's teenagers are instead being prepared for war through FPS computer games and WWF Wrestling.

''I can see why Bush wants to reduce the US involvement in UN peace-keeping missions. They are unlikely to find many camp guerillas wearing skin-tight lycra, pretty-boy make-up and mullet hair-dos!''

That's what they want you to think.