THE VIRTUAL FIRING RANGE

Every shooter worth its salt should come with a practice range.

- Morgan Park

One of the best game design trends in recent years is, practically speaking, a little boring. I can’t stop thinking about the firing range – an old staple of videogame tutorials that, in the age of the service game, has taken new form as a reactive training ground for beginners and veterans alike.

We’re in the middle of a competitive shooter golden age, and I’d argue one crucial indicator of a developer that really ‘gets it’ is a fully-featured firing range. If your practice range is little more than a few plywood targets with a bullseye, you’ve messed it all up. The best videogame firing ranges are closer to training compounds, packing Willy Wonka levels of extravagant features and doohickeys purpose-built for experimentation, fact checking, and aim training.

In 2023 it’s increasingly common for shooters to come with useful firing ranges, but there is one that stands above the rest.

THE GOLD STANDARD

Despite being one of the newest faces in the FPS scene, Riot’s competitive FPS Valorant comes stock with one of the greatest shooting ranges I’ve seen. The gun range includes not just stationary dummies to shoot at, but a timed reflex test, moving target, and replayable bot scenarios that teach the basics of checking corners and planting the Spike.