Value of a Games Graphics
As technology advances our hobby of choice is looking better
and better with each new title released. Companies are spending a lot of
resources and time on crafting visually stunning and immersive worlds. Two
games in particular that I am very much looking forward to Star Wars: The Old
Republic and Battlefield 3 appear to be taking great care in designing the
graphical boxes we play in, but the approach each is undergoing are quite
different and present a completely different end result.
The Cartoon Look
It started with World of Warcraft and continues today in
many games. The concept of throttled back graphics to make a game more
accessible is not uncommon. Blizzard purposefully lowered the graphics on their
game so that they could grab a larger audience and the game came out looking
more like a cartoon than real life. SW:TOR appears to be headed in the exact
same direction as the game has more of a look and feel one gets when watching
the Cartoon Network than say living the real life of a Jedi Knight.
When looking at graphics we must also break it down to back
drops and interactive pieces. A mountain side in the distance is not the same
as a tree that a player runs past. Trees and other movable objects in games are
often limited in the detail or interaction they are capable of. Often times
these items are not very animated by developers for the same purpose of
creating a less burdensome system. So if
developers are willing to lesson the graphical reality of their environments,
the question begs to be asked. Just how important are graphics to the overall
enjoyment of a game?
Realism vs. Playability
The Battlefield series of games, like most shooters, has
always tried maintained a high level of graphical detail. Giving the player a
feeling of realism is very important to a game in this genre, as they are often
done in the first person setting. Battlefield 3 is stunningly beautiful and
boasts some of the most interactive environments available in games. Each map
in BF3 is completely destructible and looks as if it were real. Buildings can
have holes blown out in them or they can be completely demolished. Other
objects like trees, cars or fences are real looking and also completely
manipulative. Watching a tank explode in a large ball of fire and flying
shrapnel adds to a player’s enjoyment upon scoring the kill. If that same tank
merely turned black and stopped working, the impact of the kill would be
lessoned dramatically.
Details like paint on
the wall, grass growing in cracks and windows broken out add to the detail of
the environment and enhance a persons feeling of realism. However with each
addition to the graphical overlay the system required to run the game
increases, thus shutting out some potential customers. Game developers are
always attempting to find the right balance between realism and playability.
Value of Graphics
It would be improper to say a game with lesser graphics can
not be successful or entertaining. Some people love Minecraft, a game with
graphics that are sub-par to today’s standards. But for the majority of games,
a well designed and graphically beautiful environment is very important if not
essential for a games desirability and immersion. Some game developers have
decided to give their customers a choice in which level of detail they want
like in Lord of the Rings Online which now offers a choice between a high
quality game client and a lesser toned down version.
When we look at MMORPG games in particular, the look of the
game world can be very important to the overall enjoyment of the game. When we
spend large amounts of time in a virtual world we want it to be as inviting and
enjoyable as possible and often the way a world looks can be very important to
fulfilling this need. World of Warcraft was by no accounts breathtakingly
beautiful, but what it was able to capture was players imaginations. If the
game was released with lesser graphics, a player may not be as enraptured with
it as they could be and may be turned off by the break in immersion they may
suffer.
Pixilated Love Fest
Any way you look at it a games graphical appearance is often
important to how much we enjoy the game. Some games are able to get away with
less than stellar graphics, but they must provide a gaming experience that is
both entertaining and has an element of game play that surpasses its graphical
short comings.
For me a games quality of graphics can play a significant
role in my ability to enjoy a game, but it is not always required. If a game is
able to provide a fun and entertaining experience with out the need for high
powered pixels than I am just as likely to try it out. Just don’t expect me to
be wowed by a game trailer if it doesn’t look good.
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