player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen
instruction/prompt. It allows for limited control of the game character during cut scenes or cinematic
sequences in the game. Performing the prompted action improperly or not at all results in the
character's failure at their task and often in an immediate game over.
The term "quick time event" is attributed to Yu Suzuki, director of the game Shenmue which used the
QTE feature (then called "quick timer events") to a great degree. They allow for the game designer
to create sequences of actions that cannot be expressed through the game's standard control
scheme, or to constrain the player into taking only one specific action at a critical moment. While
some uses of QTE have been considered as favorable additions to gameplay, the general use of
QTE has been panned by journalists and players alike, as these events can break the flow of the
game and force the player to repeat sections until they master the event.
Contents
[hide]
1Mechanics
2History
4References
Mechanics[edit]
QTEs generally involve the player following onscreen prompts to press buttons or manipulate
joysticks within a limited amount of time. More recent games on consoles with motion-sensitive
controls feature QTEs requiring specific movements from the player. The prompts are often
displayed as a graphical image of the physical controller button; for example, games on the
PlayStation consoles may show any of the four colored face buttons (X, square, circle, or triangle) as
input for the event. Such actions are either atypical of the normal controls during the game, or in a
different context from their assigned functions. Whilst most prompts simply require the player to push
the appropriate button in time, some may require different types of actions, such as repeatedly
pressing a button a certain number of times within the time limit, or hitting the button with precise
timing.
History[edit]
Yu Suzuki is credited with coining the term "Quick Time Event" and popularizing their use in his
game Shenmue.
In the 1980s, Dragon's Lair (Cinematronics, 1983), Cliff Hanger (Stern, 1983) and Road
Blaster (Data East, 1985) were interactive movie laserdisc video games that showed video clips
stored on a laserdisc.[1] This gave them graphics on par with an animated cartoon at a time when
video games were composed of simple, pixelated characters, but left little room for more advanced
gameplay elements. Gameplay consisted of watching an animated video and pressing the correct
button every few seconds to avoid seeing a (circumstance-specific) loss scene and losing a life.
[2]
Compared to modern titles, games like Dragon's Lair would require the player to memorize the
proper sequence and timing of their input, effectively making the entire game one continuous QTE.
[3]
Such uses were also seen as giving the player only the illusion of control, as outside of responding
to QTE, there were no other commands the player could enter; effectively, these games were
considered the equivalent of watching a movie and responding every few minutes to allow it to
continue.[3] An improvement to the QTE mechanic was flashing the buttons that need to be pressed
on the screen, which appeared in the laserdisc games Super Don Quix-ote (Universal, 1984),[4] Ninja
Hayate (Taito, 1984), Time Gal (Taito, 1985) and Road Blaster.
Die Hard Arcade (Sega, 1996), Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage and most notably Shenmue (Sega,
1999) for the Dreamcast introduced QTEs in the modern form of cut scene interludes in an otherwise
more interactive game.[5] Shenmue's director Yu Suzuki is credited with coining the phrase "Quick
Time Event",[5] which were included in the game as to provide "a fusion of gameplay and movie" and
create cinematic experience to the player.[6] The game's manual called them "quick timer events", but
the phrase became popularized as "quick time events" since its release. [7][8] Since this period, several
other games on modern console and game systems have included QTEs or similar mechanics.
Quick-time events have also appeared in some sports games, such as the Wii version of 2010 FIFA
World Cup South Africa, where they are used to save penalty shots and free kicks aimed towards
the goal, or win possession of the ball after it is punted or corner-kicked. Failure to execute the
quick-time event in time would result in the opposing team scoring a goal or claiming possession of
the ball.