--- key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-surveillance-cameras type: mechanic id: game-mechanics--gm-surveillance-cameras lang: en title: Surveillance / security cameras summary: >- A camera watches an area and helps detect the player. Its direction, state and response shape the conditions for sneaking past. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-surveillance-cameras/ jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-surveillance-cameras.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-surveillance-cameras.md aliases: - Security camera tags: - Game design techniques - Access & Security - Stealth sourceIds: - source-f3ed8d6e91e4574f - source-a8e82b933a95d670 - source-97a2e7fd6f41f7fe sources: - id: source-f3ed8d6e91e4574f title: 'Game Mechanics: Surveillance / security cameras' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras' verifiedAt: null - id: source-a8e82b933a95d670 title: Deus Ex (2000) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras/game/deus-ex' verifiedAt: null - id: source-97a2e7fd6f41f7fe title: Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 (2021) url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras/game/sniper-ghost-warrior-contracts-2 verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: game-mechanics id: gm-surveillance-cameras title: Game design techniques url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-surveillance-cameras categoryIds: - gm-category-stealth - gm-category-access-security supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Security camera description: >- A camera watches an area and helps detect the player. Its direction, state and response shape the conditions for sneaking past. image: src: images/mechanics/interaction-surveillance-cameras.webp width: 900 height: 499 game: Deus Ex sourceUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras' originalUrl: 'https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/deus_ex_surveillance_camera.jpg' credit: Ion Storm; image via GameMechanics.org rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: A camera above a door watches the approach alt: A camera with a green indicator is mounted above a passage in Deus Ex. markers: - x: 54 'y': 28 label: Camera lens above the passage - x: 50 'y': 73 label: Watched route beside the door tips: - Show the view sector or make it inferable from camera movement. - 'Distinguish observation, suspicion and an active alarm.' examples: - title: Deus Ex url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras' endsAt: null provenance: >- Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/game-mechanics --- # Surveillance / security cameras id: game-mechanics--gm-surveillance-cameras type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-surveillance-cameras lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-surveillance-cameras/ A camera watches an area and helps detect the player. Its direction, state and response shape the conditions for sneaking past. ## At a glance ![A camera with a green indicator is mounted above a passage in Deus Ex.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/interaction-surveillance-cameras.webp) [Deus Ex](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Camera lens above the passage 2. Watched route beside the door - Show the view sector or make it inferable from camera movement. - Distinguish observation, suspicion and an active alarm. - [Deus Ex](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras) ## How it works A camera's viewing field participates in detection and alarms. ## Variants ### How the technique works - A camera's viewing field participates in detection and alarms. ## Context and limits All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification. - [Game Mechanics: Surveillance / security cameras](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras) (id: source-f3ed8d6e91e4574f) - [Deus Ex (2000)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras/game/deus-ex) (id: source-a8e82b933a95d670) - [Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 (2021)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/surveillance-cameras/game/sniper-ghost-warrior-contracts-2) (id: source-97a2e7fd6f41f7fe) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors