Spoiled? A Little.
Timing had made me think of something that I probably don’t reflect on enough. Revisiting the world of classical gameplay for our final, while simultaneously working to complete my 3D modeling animation, something which I had thought about before, but maybe never really appreciated occured to me- When it comes to visuals, the next generation of gamers is completely spoiled.
You can argue the point, but there is a definite trend. Today’s graphics are tailored to the point of indistinguishable realism, or so highly stylized and polished that they become hyper-real (think Soul Calibur). And this really is where the stress is. In fact, I’m not so sure that video games would carry the same appeal if not for the massive, yet sublimminal influence that visual art and style carry. Many times, the initial appeal that draws players into a game is the visual quality. In fact, gameplay and visual aethetics are intertwined now, as many will feel that poorly rendered graphics create for a very ugly and painful gaming experience.
Why the next generation and not us? We’re a special case. While many of us are definitely getting more and more demanding regarding visuals, we’re just old enough to have seen the major evolution in gaming take place and the transition from the super-deformed character sprites traversing their 2-Dimensional landscapes to the highly stylized, highly realistic, 10,000+ polygons character models moving freely within a 3D space. Even in the limited scope of first person shooters (limited due to the single view) the transition between games like Wolfenstein to Goldeneye to Halo are vast.
Are we right to be so demanding of gaphical content? It’s a personal issue I suppose. I have absolutely no problem booting up my copy of Final Fantasy VII or Chrono Trigger, despite their lack-luster visuals by modern standards. I’m also the first person to complain after 10 minutes of Goldeneye that my eyes hurt from the low rez textures and the angular scenery (granted, it could just be that I suck at Goldeneye…). Still you have to wonder if the gravitation towards the real or hyper-real realm is a good thing for games.
You have to wonder if we’re not hurting ourselves as well? How often too have we seen games like Heavenly Sword. Stunning graphics and coreography and 5 hours of gameplay? In fact, as newer games are released, and the stress for looking the best becomes a necessity, especially to compete on the next-gen consoles, are developers sacrificing game play for graphics? Should graphical content be so indicative of good game play?
My personal belief is yes. But I think that it is up to gamers to set the standard, not the industry. We should be willing to pick up a game which maybe isn’t top of the line visuals. And I think for the most part, our generation is. Releases of games like Alien Hominid and its favorable reception is a good example. Look at its artistic style- it’s practically downright ugly. Yet as far as gameplay, it’s more than enjoyable. But you don’t see a lot of younger kids being that receptive. And that’s where we are being damaged. Developers clamoring to create stunning visuals to appeal to the growing younger generation gamers are sacrificing quite a bit.
Is this always the case? Not by any means. The Final Fantasy series, Assassin’s Creed, the Metal Gear Series, and many others are good examples of how games can have stunning graphics and can be an equally amazing gaming experience.
As with all things, there needs to be balance. And as gamers we need to work with the market and show them it’s okay to blow us away with gameplay and not graphics.
