In computer gaming, a headshot is the projectile-induced injury to the head of an enemy, often resulting in increased damage or instant death. It is most often attempted in sniping.

Context

Within and without the context of video games, a headshot usually signifies a shot of particular skill - the head is one of the smallest targets on the body to hit; and is therefore one of the most difficult to shoot. However, it is also the most desirable target, as headshots are almost universally and instantly fatal. Many first-person shooters such as Counter-Strike, Resistance: Fall of Man, Unreal Tournament, Call of Duty series, and Halo reward players for headshots on this basis, with such a shot inflicting more than the normal amount of damage, usually proving lethal. In Counter-Strike a normal bullet from an assault rifle or SMG can produce anything up to 50HP damage on an opponent leaving them with 50HP, whereas a headshot can produce anything up to 150HP damage, and in cases with the Accuracy International AWP Sniper Rifle, a player can score well over 400HP damage with a single headshot. In multiplayer Delta Force 2 and other games in NovaLogic's Delta Force series, shooting an opponent in the head will score double points, due to the increased difficulty of the shot. Many boss fights in the Syphon Filter series require headshots to be defeated as they are usually wearing body armor, though any person can receive one -- even the main character. Gears of War also offers players to make instant deaths from headshots. When doing so, it is extremely graphic and realistic compared to some other games.

Rarely, players will score a long streak of headshots, either through a phenomenal display of skill or through luck. One of the higher displays of skill is in attaining multiple headshots with a sniper rifle, since the difficulty of tracking a moving target through a scope and scoring a headshot requires much finesse. Due to this, such an extraordinary feat is often attributed to cheating. This accusation originates from programs or modified game files known as 'aimbots', which permit players to instantly score headshots upon seeing a target. Additionally, some weapons in games are dubbed as "headshot machines" due to their recoil pattern having the innate effect of rising the point of impact up towards the head after a burst of fire.

Many games also have specific "death animations" to signify a headshot such as the popular Halo: Combat Evolved, where a player will spin and fall to the ground. Many other games feature the head exploding or being torn apart such as Conker: Live & Reloaded and Gears of War or other similar signs to show that a headshot has been performed, such as flames surounding the head in Unreal Tournament 2004. In Urban Dead, zombie hunters can buy the "headshot" skill to incapacitate the zombie players they kill. In most games featuring ragdoll physics animation, a headshot will result in an instant ragdoll effect, simulating the complete loss of brain input to the body, causing the body to react in a ragdoll movement.

In Team Fortress 2, the only class capable of inflicting a headshot is the Sniper. Though other classes can shoot at the head, only one with the Sniper Rifle will register as an actual headshot. Players who are headshot by a Sniper will take triple the damage the shot would do to the body, and if killed, be launched several feet from the shot. An additional point is given on top of the kill for the headshot. Other classes can score a "Critical Hit" or even several, but this is not related to a headshot, rather it is awarded based on a background calculation that takes into account damage caused and style of play. The stylized models in the game allow for different classes to have markedly different-sized heads, making a headshot on the already slow-moving Heavy much easier to achieve than a Headshot on the fast-moving, small-headed Scout.

Popularization

The term's use in videogaming circles was increased by its appearance in Unreal Tournament, in which the game's announcer would loudly proclaim "headshot!" whenever one was achieved by the player. In 2004, the term was used in an episode of the Pure Pwnage series, wherein the pro gamer FPS_Doug would himself shout "boom! Headshot!" after scoring a headshot against his opponents.

Many gamers have made simple mods to get the announcer from Unreal Tournament (or FPS_Doug) into other multiplayer games, mostly in Counter-Strike and other Half-Life mods, either due to popularity or the ease of doing so, or both. The game Timesplitters: Future Perfect has the option to switch on a "commentator" during death matches who will also use this phrase.

Most people find that headshots take a large amount of skill to pull off, so players who achieve repeated headshots are often admired by the gaming community, or in some cases verbally abused due to the disbelief of the victims that a player can achieve such success without cheats or incredible luck.

See also

• First-person shooter
• Third-person shooter
• Gibs

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Headshot"