How did more powerful computers make first-person shooter games possible?

Early electronic shooter games were limited by hardware, often restricting player movement to horizontal or vertical paths along the screen edges. Increased computer power enabled the transition to the first-person shooter (FPS) subgenre by allowing for the development of sophisticated graphics engines capable of rendering three-dimensional environments from the player's perspective.12

By writing advanced graphics engines, developers like John Carmack of id Software were able to depict game environments as the player would see them, moving away from static or limited-motion displays. This technological leap facilitated the creation of immersive, mazelike corridors and rooms where players could navigate and interact with adversaries. These advancements in processing power and rendering technology set the standard for the genre, eventually supporting complex features such as multiplayer networking and increasingly realistic game engines.21