In gaming, FPS are an important criterion, which is often emphasised in game reviews. Unlike other types of media such as film or television, where the frame rate is already determined during rendering, a computer or console game constantly recalculates the images, for example when a character moves through the game world.
As a result, the frame rate fluctuates in games and does not remain constant at one value. If the environment changes frequently in a game and has to be reloaded quickly, for example in a racing simulation, this recalculation effect can lead to jerking if the FPS is too low.
Other criteria like latency are also improved by a higher FPS rate. This means that the input via controller, keyboard, or mouse is also processed more frequently in an output image with more frames per second. As a result, input is more direct and is not first calculated on a post-rendered image.
This is a pivotal factor, especially in games like first-person shooters, because it improves the aiming. In practice, a higher frame rate, for example 120 FPS, leads to more accurate shots. This is one reason why especially high frame rates are used in e-sports — triple-digit FPS are the order of the day there.