How Realistic Is Too Realistic for Video Games?

Video Games have become much more realistic at depicting violence. Are we reaching a breaking point between realism and violence?

[Knightofelemia]

The more realistic the better in my books.

[jwillj2k4]

Do you watch surgery videos on yt?

[Huey_My_D_Long]

What?

[Azurite]

It's also fun/cool/whatever makes people interested in a product that will mostly decide what's worth making more realistic or not.
And sure, a future virtual and super realistic surgery sim using haptic gloves may become a reality.

[jwillj2k4]

@Huey_My_D_Long

Watching surgery videos on youtube is difficult (for me). Seeing the incisions occur and all the yellow fat, blood, guts being exposed makes me feel sick. I bring this up because I feel there is definitely a point where games can be too realistic. When a game really looks like real life in all aspects (not just hyper realistic environments) our actual emotional discomfort will start to kick in.

[gold_drake]

i second this

[YourMommySpoils]

"The more realistic the better in my boobs" fixed

[gleepot]

yeah, I play games to experience realism after experiencing realism in real life -- super fun!

/s

[Flewid638]

The FGC loves to fight me on this take.

[isarai]

How realistic is too realistic for films/shows?

[Smellsforfree]

Right!?!? We have a rating system already. M for mature can contain graphic violence. If you can't handle it don't buy games rated M.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

I think rape crosses the line for realism in a video game. If there is a rape scene in a game it shouldn’t be graphic. I’m all for dismemberment and gore but rape doesn’t sit well with me.

[DarXyde]

It wouldn't sit well with me either, but if everyone carved up depictions of violence according to their own sensibilities, there would be no violence in games at all.

Certainly, the suggestion to not be too graphic with rape is probably something everyone can agree on. Even Game of Thrones kept it relatively kosher. In reality, I suppose a depiction only needs to go as far as effectively communicating how evil/violent characters are. The article take about MK1, but I think that's always been what draws or repulses an audience to Mortal Kombat. The use of extreme violence in a game like The Last of Us actually works very well for narrative purposes. It really helped to immerse me into Part II where I despised Abby (until the end, I suppose) and really understood how batshit insane the Seraphites/Scars are. In the absence of that extreme depiction as a narrative tool, you get the sense that the world is sanitized and "inauthentic".

For me, it is exactly that extreme violence that gets me into the mindset that we're dealing with some truly reprehensible characters and you get to understand the extent of their evil.

Imagine Jigsaw as a character without the horrible deaths: you'd just think he's setting people up for failure. With that violence, there's much more precision in capturing the type of person he is.

Just my thinking.

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

That's fair. For me it depends on how it's depicted and what's the context behind the event.

[bunt-custardly]

"I'm all for dismemberment and gore but rape..."

Fuck sake, that is totally messed-up and the reason why we are here with this nonsense attitude towards anything sexual in games. Attempted rape scene in Tomb Raider 2012 game, which some outlets got all pissy about but none gave a crap about the many gruesome death scenes.

If a game is clearly marked as having extreme content, then all cards should be on the table (aside from any underage nonsense). It seems Japanese sex games include unwilling participants as a fetish. Not for everyone, I get that but rape is just too taboo in the West but killing someone is totally acceptable, encouraged even.

Fucked-up that is.

The biggest question that should be asked is. Do we actually need rape in games? Short answer NO. But if a dev wants to make a game that includes that then let them. Consumers can use their right to choose and NOT PLAY IT.

[Huey_My_D_Long]

Look it's really important how it's depicted. Now as much as I understand your point about murder. It's weird cause you aren't wrong, but most cases of murder in games is usually predicated on the fact that these enemies are attacking and trying to kill you so you are defending yourself so murder is most always worse than rape but you can have a justifiable reason for killing In defense, but there is never a justifiable reason to rape.
I agree with if someone wants to make it, but understand due to severity of the issue, people may not have like it and it's their right to voice their issue.

Honestly one of the worst scenes I remember (I've seen most of the supposedly violent movies, not naming them u can google them if ud like) was from a French film whose story was told backwards, so at the movies end (chronological beginners) it depicts a 12 minute rape scene. Realistic as fuck that I felt sick for seating through it.
I know some would say why on earth would a movie go that Realistic? What's the art in that?
Well when if a Realistic depiction can make me feel like shit, I don't even think I could imagine how terrible it actually is to go through and live with that experience.
I don't know if a game could do the same effect, to show rape in its true terror, not a bunch of short cut aways thats lessen the impact.but I guess if one tried and succeeded it'd be something.
Just Ya know, people should be at least warned either way.

[mkis007]

I am struggling to make an argument as to why I am ok with the most realistic gore you can have, but against rape in a game... I want gore because enjoy letting loose in red dead 2 or last of us 2; would never think about it in real life. There are people I assume who would say the same thing about rape in a game...logically I am a hypocrite...I understand this, but maybe rape crosses a moral line that gore doesn't in games and movies?

[derek]

@mkis, nah you are right to feel repulsed. I have seen tones of murder on film to no effect but the few rape scenes I've seen in film have always stuck with me in the worst way. No need to explain it you just know you don't want to see it.

[bunt-custardly]

You cannot get any worse than killing someone. No ifs or buts. There's no coming back from that. Rape on the other hand, a victim can live on, get over it even and rebuild to have a happy life. The dead person can't ever do that. There is no argument then really and therefore you are twisted rather than hypocritical if you accept killing over letting someone live regardless of what you put them through.

On the flip side we are talking about video games which traditionally had you killing for a righteous cause. To save the human race in Space Invaders, to beating the Germans in Call of Duty. Rape on the other hand can never have a righteous cause hence the taboo.

That is where the acceptance of killing and not rape stems from. The only issue is, who would have thought when Space Invaders launched we'd all be playing the kind of games we have now which have a obscene amount of detail in comparison.

[Pepsi_Man3000]

Yea I don't think one can make that strong an argument for it but for me personally rape is a prolonged thing. I don't wanna see a guy grossly pleasuring himself while the victim is either screaming, crying, or just shocked from fear or something. Even if a rape scene is implied and not shown I still know how it goes down and it'll still leave me feeling uncomfortable.

As for violence and gore, nothing ever shocked me that much cuz any hyper violence I've seen was in a nonsensical and silly kind of way like mk fatalities or mad world. Or in the case of games like gta, red dead or call of duty, even if I'm blowing someone's head of with a shotgun it goes by rather quickly and I move on to the next objective. I'd be more against gore and realistic violence if there were things like cutting a person's throat and watching them choke and gag on their blood while rolling all over the floor like a roach that got hit with raid. Or something like having to pull up on an innocent family, kill the parents while the kids scream in horror in a corner amd then kill them after. Or actual moments in games like the no Russian mission in CoD or shining lights mission in mgsv

Tldr: it depends on how it's depicted I guess?

[derek]

@Speak, I agree.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I don't agree, even though it's a pretty awful thing to happen, it's not uncommon or unheard of in movies, tv series, books, ect... Although, I don't know if I'd rate gore or dismemberment as any less traumatic or horrible. But we all have different levels of tolerance for what we can handle in media (I like to think I'm pretty hardy even though these things sometimes upset me).

As long as the ratings/warnings are appropriate and the consumer is warned of what content could be shown, I think it should be allowed. In Australia, we actually have a warning on our ratings that can include "high impact sexual violence", although I don't think the classifications board uses it correctly as it was a warning on Atelier Totori. We had the foresight, but not the board/people to correctly classify media.

[Binarycode]

If you want Rape in Video games, I'd suggest going to see someone. Something is off with. In fact any violence towards women, although men have been raped. Sets a bad standard for youngsters and yes youngsters play thing they should not.

Like knife crime these days, shot through the roof.

I don't know where you guys are from.

But carrying a knife should be automatic 5 years prison, and if you get caught again it doubles. It would soon stop.

[Abear21]

Don’t play TLoU2 then

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

I’ve already played it and beat it. I don’t recall a graphic rape scene but maybe I missed it. What scene was that?

[PRIMORDUS]

Unrecord using UE5 is the most realistic I seen yet. Almost mistaken it for real life footage 😁 https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

All the better if it gets more realistic. It's a video game. If people cannot tell the difference between real life and a video game then maybe that someone shouldn't be playing any kind of violent game.

[Barlos]

Keep the realism coming I say, but don't lose the impact in the process.

[ZycoFox]

More realistic graphics is fine for certain games, for the gameplay itself though? It can make the game more boring.

As for violence we all know parents are gonna let their kids play adult games no matter how realistic they look, goalposts shifted again from when they used to say they don't look realistic, to saying they're not real. Basically any excuse to let a game babysit their kid for them.

[Profchaos]

I found the ue5 demo of the warehouse cop shootout thing a little unsettling and I used to revel in gore I loved stuff like manhunt on PS2 but this made me think it's a bit much

[aaronaton]

Too realistic is dying in the game, and you having to go back to the shop for a fresh purchase.

[bunt-custardly]

Or forced Ironman modes.

[Stuart5756]

How realistic is real? Remember Jihadi John chopping peoples heads off on those facebook videos. And now we're dragging games & movies into the conversation after all these years?!?

On a side note however, Stray was a masterpiece that I loved, it also proved that nobody needs to have their throats slit to love a game. Jak and Daxter bounced around 'bopping' enemies and now we're torturing people in GTA5, I'm not complaining but I do see the landscape changing.

[derek]

@Stuart, I actively avoided watching those videos.

[Stuart5756]

me too, avoided like the plague, it was word of mouth how I found out they were been shared. i'm not on facebook, never have been

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I can't say i've ever watched those videos or ever wanted to, but there is plenty of rooms for all types of games of varying degrees of art style/tone/realism.

[neutralgamer1992]

Realistic is fine but too mucus realism isn’t. End of the day games are meant to be FUN. If a game feels like a chore to play than what good is realism?

I know I am going to get a lot of heat for this but prime example is RDR2. An excellent game but has way too much realism at the cost of fun

Long horse rides because the fast travel system is completely useless and broken

Long loot animations. Why can’t we walk over the body and auto pick up look instead each and every loot animation is 3-5 seconds long

Now if there was a fast travel anywhere you have visited before and loot is automatically picked up the game would be perfect because the story, characters and the world is truly amazing so few things sour the experience

[Andy_Dee]

If it tells a story that gets better or becomes more grounded in realism because of this I'm for it.

I want the developers to have free will to tell their story in the way they want to. If they want to give you a sense or feeling of some kind they should have the tools for it without compromising their vision.

As others have said.

Consumers can choose not to play this game then if it's too violent, sexual or gory.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Not any worse than any other media such as movies, they can be as realistic or whimsical as the developer wants to portray them.

[BrainSyphoned]

Historical and statistical representation of sex, race and gender in gaming is violence from what I hear so....yes realism is to realistic for gaming.

[Einhander1971]

Unfortunately that's the obsession with the gaming community "realism" most of the greatest video games ever certainly aren't realistic, just brilliant & fun to play.

[CrimsonWing69]

Why is this a question when films hit “realism” far more than any game can?

You consume entertainment according to the level of content you can handle. I don’t go into Texas Chainsaw Massacre and cry about how “realistic” the depiction of gore and assault is. It’s not different with games and never has a game done photo-realistic imagery or been uncomfortable to watch. They still look cartoony no matter how detailed the fidelity of the visuals.

Mortal Kombat for example, no matter how detailed the visuals are, it still feels unrealistic and over-the-top. Also, I think you have to have a maturity level where you can mentally differentiate reality from fantasy.

[kayoss]

You know whats crazy?
Games are becoming more realistic where they are using real actors to capture the realism. However, movies are going the opposite direction. They are using CGI to replace actors.

[z2g]

There is zero evidence that video games cause violence so that part is a nonissue. To me, AAA games are supposed to be immersive. The more realistic, the more immersive it feels imo. If you can’t handle realistic simulated violence, play different games.

[Abnor_Mal]

All I know is I had a big shit eating grin on my face when that golf club connected with Joel’s head, with the slow head nod.

Rape in games I don’t think I’ve come across much, but the odd one here or there wasn’t repulsive if it fits the narrative of the story. I don’t need to see the actual deed being done in game but the struggle and idea of what’s about to happen with a slow pan away works for me.

[Escamotage]

Because it's so much fun, Jan! Get it!

[gleepot]

The more realistic a game is, the less I care about it.

[mjchitown]

depends . but i like realistic but also unrealistic too

[SeTTriP]

Photo realistic is great but 1to1 with real life really don't know how I'd feel about that.

[Blaze929]

Ratings exist for a reason, bring it on. Mature is Mature why should they have to hold back.

I do believe the AO rating is a joke and needs to be removed. Probably why most games be scared to do "TOO MUCH"

[Magog]

How realistic is too realistic for movies? Do you see now how dumb that sounds? 😂

[bunt-custardly]

I am a big fan of realism in the sense you cannot carry infinite items, ammo and weapons. You have to make gameplay choices to ditch a weapon for another, or if you run out of ammo have to find something else to use. Not the nonsense you might see in Cyberpunk 2077 for example!!!

[mastershredder]

How many video games are too many video games?

Desperation for clicks. Makes basic inquiry that has been done a billion times. Yawn. N4G should just auto-repost older articles on-topic when these amazingly creative writers decide to revisit these topics over and over again. The horse is essentially a fine powder at this point.

[SouljAx360]

Having actually skimmed through the article, it seems this is more about children then just realism in general. They said something about if you don't have kids then you won't understand where I'm coming from. I don't have kids and I sure don't. Actually I do a little, I just don't have that problem. I was playing games that depicted violence and gruesome killings as a child. And it didn't effect me one bit, because it was just a game. Or a movie, or show. I knew it wasn't real, I knew it was bad to do IRL and it was just fun to watch on video. My Mother made sure that I knew by talking to me about it.

Of course with all that said, they're not supposed to have access to mature games, I am. And I think you shouldn't face backlash from angry parents because your mature rated game has murder and sex in it. I personally find excessively long gore scenes, or any full on sex scenes to be distasteful. I skip sex scenes, implying that something has happened between them is enough for me. But I wouldn't want it banned, because there are others who are okay with it.

[anast]

What is this "breaking point"? What happens when the point breaks? if it does break, whatever this point is, people won't care enough to fix it.

There needs to be more realism in games in which realism is an inseparable element. Something like Mario does not need realism, but something like Last of Us does.

As far as kids are concerned, don't let them play games like GTA and don't teach them to be ignorant violent a$%h&%$#, but this of course is not going to happen because, once again, not gives a "#$% enough to fix social sicknesses, let alone think about the future.

[ManMarmalade]

I still haven't even played all of the PS1 and SNES games I've wanted to ever since I was a kid. The graphics mean nothing to me, honestly. Big game companies have become so infatuated with having celebrity voice actors, orchestras and microtransactions. Let me finished what I never got to finish 20+ years ago, pls n thx. Gaming now has become so oversaturated with products. If games were still being made for PS1, N64, SNES etc. I would happily buy and play them. There's no need for the realism.

[moomoo319]

I thought TLOU2 was overboard… I’m like they somehow made humanity even more depraved?… very pessimistic game

[zachyBROosevelt]

Been waiting for “realistic”

[crustcate]

Game doesn't need a remaster, it's only a few years old, adjusting a couple of sliders and charging £60 would be a slap on the face of all PS fans.