Gaming Roots: A History of Cover Systems

TGE:
In today's modern gaming environment, most any shooter title, be it first-person or third, is nearly required to have some sort of cover mechanic. Only a few in recent memory, such as Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, have foregone the inclusion of a cover system, and those titles are far more the exception than the rule.

We here at The Game Effect, wanted to take a moment to examine the beginnings of this now ubiquitous mechanic. The origins behind the cover system can be traced back to 1975 and the now, near extinct, arcade.