Diorama (game perspective)
A Diorama game perspective can apply to games in which the entire playfield exists in a non-virtual 3D space. These dioramas data back all the way from ancient mans experimentation with automata,[1] but saw their first major emergence in the public sphere during the late 19th century, thanks to the emergence of vending machines, coin-operated testers / spirometers, plunger / catcher type games and shooting galleries.[2]
Dioramas can vary in the amount of detail they contain. Early coin-operated dioramas consisted of simple meter gauges (such as the Mills 'Owl Lifter'), whereas other fortune-telling machines attempted to bridge the uncanny valley gap. Probably the most creative though were the dioramas that utilized pins nailed onto a wooden board and sling-shot ball mechanics to give players a feeling of control but also a degree of unpredictability in the outcome (unlike mechanical testers, which had largely predictable outcomes). The most popular of these were Pickwick, Parlor Table Bagatelle, Log Cabin, and Clown Catchers. Dioramas are not to be confused with motion simulators, which also became popular around the same time.[3]