In this essay I will make a distinction between the specific category of Iron Sights, the specific category of Holo Sights, and the broader category including both of Aim Down Sights, or ADS. Iron Sights are physical components of a gun, often made of metal or another solid, opaque material. Holo sights are also components of a gun, but place a holographic reticule on a glass window. ADS is a mechanic in video games that allows the player character to steady their aim using the sights on their gun or some component of their heads up display.
ADS is a beloved and nearly industry standard feature of video games. But most video games implementing ADS using iron sights suck. Other mechanics like ADS through the HUD, as seen in Halo 5, are more fun. In military games offering a choice between iron sights or holo sights, most players will pick holo sights, and for good reason. The implementation is bad.
The reason iron sights in games suck is simple: Your real life eyes have three abilities that a video game’s camera lacks. Here they are.
First, you have two eyes. One of your eyes is looking down the sights of the gun, and much of its field of view is obscured by the gun. But your other eye has a perfectly fine view of the battlefield without the gun in the way. If video games were more accurate, your gun would be translucent when you aim down sights.
Second, your eyes use perspective view; nearer objects look bigger. Games usually implement guns through orthographic view when you ADS. In real life, the rear sights of the gun are closer to your eye and look bigger, and so does the window you’re looking through. Less of the narrow view is obscured, and you can see more. In games, the rear sights look smaller and obscure more of the narrow view, so it’s harder to track an enemy as they move. You can’t see half their body.
Third, your eyes have the ability to zoom in a 3D environment. You have more colour receptors in the middle of your retina, and your brain can exclude the outer field of view from your attention. Many games only implement zoom with scoped weapons, in an attempt at realism. This is wrong. Realistically, when you ADS with any weapon your attention and focus will zoom in. Games that zoom in with iron sights are more realistic.
If a game implemented all three of the solutions here, it would be more realistic and iron sights wouldn’t suck.
References:
https://qr.ae/pKpmz5
https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/iwihjb/the_real_reason_why_iron_sights_are_bad_in_all/
