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The camera vibration applied on impact, explosion, or heavy action to amplify feeling of force.
Screen shake is free juice. A few frames of camera-noise after an explosion or big hit adds impact without asking the animator to redo anything. The tradeoff is motion sickness, which is why modern games increasingly expose screen-shake intensity sliders. The craft is layering scale: small shakes for bullets, medium for grenades, reserved enormous shakes for set-piece moments.
Example
Downwell's tiny screen shake on every bullet defined a generation of indie game feel. Vlambeer games (Nuclear Throne, Luftrausers) are legendary for screen-shake use. Modern AAA games tie shake to haptic controller rumble for multi-sensory impact.
Why it matters
Screen shake is a cheap, high-impact juice tool that separates games that feel great from games that feel flat. It is also a prime example of how accessibility settings have become a standard engineering requirement for modern releases.
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