Screen Shake

Screen Shake

function updateScreenShake(shake, dt):
    if shake.timeRemaining <= 0:
        return (0, 0)

    shake.timeRemaining -= dt
    magnitude = shake.strength * (shake.timeRemaining / shake.duration)  // decay
    offset = (randomRange(-1,1) * magnitude, randomRange(-1,1) * magnitude)
    return offset

function triggerShake(shake, strength, duration):
    shake.strength = strength
    shake.duration = duration
    shake.timeRemaining = duration

Screen shake works by applying a small, temporary random offset to the camera's rendered position, with magnitude decaying over time (here, linearly as timeRemaining / duration shrinks from 1 to 0). The randomness per frame gives the "shake" look; the decay envelope is what makes it feel like an impulse (sudden, strong, fading) rather than constant vibration. Swapping linear decay for a different curve (quadratic falloff, or decaying sine wave for a more rhythmic shake) is a common tweak once the basic version works.