Is Too Much Emphasis Placed On Graphics?

The current hardware generation has allowed for the creation of worlds that are almost photorealistic and developers have leapt upon this with reckless abandon, continually pushing the boundaries of what is graphically possible. But is this really the best move?

[Wizziokid]

"Is Too Much Emphasis Placed On Graphics?"
this gen? yes

[dangert12]

I go on as if i love graphics but the games ive played the most this year are disgeae, terraria, minecraft, project zombiod, socom 4 and GTA III

[princejb134]

i feel like developers spend more time making the game look pretty than making the game fun to play
ill take gameplay over graphics any day

[TheFirstClassic]

I'm pretty sure Dice said that bf3 wouldn't have split screen co op because the graphics would take a hit. Don't know about everyone else, but I would rather have the local co op even if it didn't look as pretty.

[BX81]

@Wizziokid, I disagree. With todays tech there should be a heafty view on graphics. Not to say there aren't fun games that don't look up to standard. I think for the most part gamers want games that play/look well than games that play well and look bleh.

[Pozzle]

To be fair, graphics have always been pretty important to developers. Even during the PSone/N64 days, games like Final Fantasy VII-IX, Metal Gear Solid and Super Mario 64 were really pushing the limits of graphics at the time of their release.

[The Meerkat]

The way I see it.

Graphics sell games.
Frame rates keep people playing them.

[ArchangelMike]

It's really about the immersion, higher graphical fidelity usually increases the level of immersion in a game. For example, go and play some of your favourite PS1 games now. There will inevitably be a lower level of immersion than when you first experienced those games. It's just natural progression of technology and expectations.

[AntBoogy90]

Idk bro, Final Fantasy 7 had me.

I was sucked into that Lifestream vortex.

[Tapioca Cold]

Nope.

[ECM0NEY]

nope

[KingPin]

lmao how are you getting disagrees. lol

can people not see its a double negative.

[Quagmire]

Yes. Of course no one these days wants to play games which look like PS2 graphics, however there is WAY too much focus on game graphics.

[AntBoogy90]

I'd say.. yes.

Not many people worry about gameplay.. i certainly do. I agree with it factoring into immersion.. but that could be at the cost of gameplay. Games like Rage, for example.. I got it, thinking it was going to be a nice twist of the post apocalyptic genre.. i was wrong. At the cost of the beautiful graphics.. was mediocre gameplay. Not a bad game.. but not the best.

I've seen recently some gameplay of Skyward Sword, and the comments on it were ridiculous.. "These graphics suck".. and i felt like i was the only person worried about how the game would play.

[MasterCornholio]

Yep like RAGE for example. It could have used a little more work in the gameplay department.

XperiaRay

[vandal GAB]

id have there own style either you love it or hate it. I love rage just wish it was longer.

[MasterCornholio]

It's games like Uncharted and Arkham City that bring a good combination of great visuals and great gameplay to the table. In my opinion all games should do this.

XperiaRay

[LightofDarkness]

There has been. This is historically a problem with games from every gen, though.

The good news is that we're at a point in this generation where everyone's engines are more than optimized for each platform, so developers can concentrate more on the game itself rather than concentrating on making it look good and fighting with unknown hardware.

I don't know if anyone's noticed, but almost every big release this year has been an 8.5+, meaning the actual GAMES are getting better, because the focus on graphics has been lessened. It's the same with the last gen, many of the later games were the best of the generation (GOW 1/2, SOTC, MGS 3, Halo 2, RE 4). We're seeing the same happen here with Uncharted 3, Gears 3, BF 3/MW 3, Batman: AC, Dark Souls, Skyrim, Skyward Sword etc.

[novaspire]

yes they are, and for one main reason, people dont understand what graphics means. Graphical power is just the amount of triangles you can use for models and backgrounds. Its all to do with textures and the choice of colour range, and i dont care if its as photorealistic as possible, as long as it looks good and plays well, which is how games were, and how they should be now.

[LightofDarkness]

"Graphics" describes everything that's rendered on that screen, textures and all. It's just an umbrella term to describe the images your computer is spitting out, or in a broader sense, any visual presentation on a surface (wall, screen, etc)

[VampiricDragon]

graphics are the least important important thing in making a good game

And this gen gameplay has suffered beyond repair

skyward sword is the most interesting game visually coming up.

the rest are just boring

@below

your completelty off base

a game with amazing gameplay and not great graphics can still be an amazing game

A game with great graphics but bad gameplay is broken and will always be terrible.

graphics are the least important part of immersion. Characters, story, ect are all far more important in that aspect.

[LightofDarkness]

I have to disagree, it's probably the second most important thing in most genres. Gameplay is slightly more important, but graphics can go a LONG way in making a game feel and play better, or in immersing you into a game world. They are vitally important to a game.

They don't have to be photo-realistic or hardware intensive, but giving your game the right look is crucial.

@above: not at all "off-base". Characterisation and story are only enhanced by better graphics as they can be presented more effectively. These are VIDEOgames; the importance of visuals in their being is reflected in the very name used to describe them. Tell me: would you rather play a text-based dungeon game on an old Apple II or Skyrim/Witcher 2? Do you think the story would be more effectively delivered? Improved facial animation and detail can only ENHANCE characterisation. Animation in games like Half-Life 2 and RAGE can really bring characters to life because they more accurately convey body-language. These subtleties are very important in making your characters seem alive.

[KingPin]

i think there is too much emphasis on graphics.

Recent example - Uncharted 3.
90% of comparisons are graphical.
ive not seen not one new comparison of gameplay. i dont know what new things one can do in U3 that we cant in U2.

oh and 90% of the comparisons between GT5 and Forza4.

nevermind that, take BF3 for example. its all about the Graphics. not how gamplay differs between the PS3 and x360 given the different controllers.

[pucpop]

Graphics are crucial. If devs kept pumping out their games with poop textures/lighting, people would cease to invest their time and money. I like to be seduced by BOTH gameplay and beauty.

[Dojan123]

Easy for a game with good graphics to flop. Hard for a good game with bad graphics to make it. Only a few pull it off.

[earbus]

Real life has poor graphics the jaggies ugggh.

[RevXM]

I wouldnt say there is too much focus on it, but overall I think a lot of devs or some of their games lack in the polish department.

There is some games that run like shit, have problems like bugs glitches. And many games could have had better gameplay as well.