Fallout 3 is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game that can be played from either a first-person or third-person perspective. It is set in the Washington metropolitan area, years after a nuclear war left much of the United States decimated. The player controls a 19 year old character who leaves a fallout shelter in search of their missing father. Fallout 3 features a freely explorable open world, and the player can engage in combat with a variety of weapons. The player can also initiate conversations with non-player characters, and depending on their actions, can affect how other characters perceive them.