Bethesda: People Who Say Graphics "Don't Matter" Are Usually Lying

[Madkipz]

Wow has had the same graphic style for 6 years and it has attracted more active subsciptions than call of duty has players.

Graphix matter fuck all when compared with style, Instead of having gaming chase the next mona lisa they should focus on building rome.

That does not excuse having shitty graphix or a bad engine though.

 

[WorldCritic]

They don't matter as much as other factors in a game like gameplay and story. I'll only praise a game for graphics it they look really good, and I'll only criticize a game for bad graphics if they are obviously below what the console is capable of.

 

[chunkeymonke]

To people saying
"well look at minecraft it has bad graphics and its fun!" that is one example
do you really think you would enjoy a game if it looks like shit? do you think any rpg could immerse you if you were a 16 bit block of pixels that you couldn't make out? of course graphics matter guys just as much as good gameplay and story

 

[Darkauthor81]

Rogue-likes, Minecraft and an entire movement of creative game design on a low-budget may disagree with you there, Pete Moneybags.

BTW, denial is usually the first symptom of an issue, Pete, my boy...

Thumbs up. I'll take a game with bad graphics and great game play over a game with great graphics and sucky game play any day. That's why I'm a big fan of Nippon Ichi games. Simple 2d graphics, 100+ hours of over the top game play.

 

[alfawx]

Graphics are important to immersion, but I honestly feel like the biggest problems are usually clipping issues and hi-larious ragdoll poses. If I shoot someone, they should not have their head stuck between their legs and get stuck in a wall when rolling down a hill.

 

[SanguineSymphony]

They're right.

Graphics are a part of the experience as much as everything else is. Kind of like those idiots who say that all that matters in a game is the gameplay. Everything else is fluff.

Well, I played games have EXCELLENT gameplay but I hated them for the graphics and especially for the story. Other M being a shining example.

I wouldn't consider Other M's Gameplay to be Excellent. Slightly above average at best... I WOULD say the art Design on that was damn good. Story was shit but so are most 8 Bit Hold Outs. Mega Man, GNG, CV, Mario etc all have imbecilic stories. I still love the franchises though.

To people saying
"well look at minecraft it has bad graphics and its fun!" that is one example
do you really think you would enjoy a game if it looks like shit? do you think any rpg could immerse you if you were a 16 bit block of pixels that you couldn't make out? of course graphics matter guys just as much as good gameplay and story

how many 16 Bit games were so cluttered you couldn't make out your characters? Sounds like more an issue with the Designers than the actual Graphics. I still play CT, and FFVI every so many years...

 

[BrunDeign]

There is a difference between great graphics and a great art style. In some games the graphics may be top notch but if it's all different shades of brown everywhere it won't matter.

I point to two examples - Nintendo and Minecraft. Nintendo as a whole because they immerse players through great story and art direction. Minecraft because it is literally nothing but blocks but people love it nonetheless.

The only time graphics really mean anything to me is in stuff like the recent Battlefield 3 trailers where the game's level of realism is raised because of the graphics. That is a special case though, since it is very realistic.

 

[Lullabye]

They matter...


Gameplay and story just matter more.

....judging by FF13 sales, I would say not.(sadly)


they game i can think of most clearly when graphics were a HUGE part of the experience is Shadow of the Colossus.
I remember my first glance at a colossus. A sense of awe crept over me. Simply put, graphics matter because how you visually experience things has an affect on you. If SotC was done in 3D dot Hero graphics, it wouldn't have come across half as awesome.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

The Escapist really needs to do a few articles on the distinction between graphics from a technical standpoint and graphics from a aesthetic standpoint, and most importantly from a communicative standpoint.

Technical - Being the nuts and bolts, 3D, lighting, effects, and how they work in the context of the game.

Aesthetic - The art style. Covering basically how the game looks. Minecraft for example is not a technically advanced game visually but it has an extremely coherent style that fits it perfectly.

Communicative - That is, visual elements that are designed to communicate something within' the confines of the game, usually through menus, buttons etc. but also through various other visual elements. For example in Starcraft 2 (and many other RTSes) clicking on the ground will cause a 'trail' to appear showing the path your unit is trying to take to get to it's destination. While the design of course is aesthetic with regards to the specific game, its primary function is as a visual aid.

There's more to it than that, and all these of course interplay with each other.

You just saved me an arseload of typing. Well done.

 

[Digikid]

Here is the PROPER method to what matters in a game.

STORY > IMMERSION > GRAPHICS

Sorry Pete Hines but you sir....are FULL of it.

 

[teh_Canape]

snip

eh, to be honest, I thought Fallout 3 (and New Vegas, for that matter) had sweet graphics

but the animations

oh GOD the animations

everytime I switched to 3rd Person it looked like I was a muppet rather than a human survivor

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

I agree with them 100%. Even if they say they don't think graphics matter, part of them KNOWS they are lying.

 

[RadicalDreamer90]

Presentation is important no matter what you do, but it's only a front to better compliment what your truly showing. Personally, I think mine craft looks worse then a NES, game and is exceptionally dull. I play games by developers that want to deliver a cutting edge experience, or just get me to have a little fun, and mine craft does neither for me. Graphics won't win you over in a job interview, but they will surely get you in the door. In an age where artists are everywhere, I see games with horrid graphics as lazy and I don't support those developers. Conversely developers who think good art, can solely pull a good game I shun far worse.

I can still play games back from the NES and SNE era just because they were entertaining, and presented well. You don't need God of War 3 cut-scene graphics; they don't need to be the top of the line, but they surely need to be presentable. Not everyone can afford a $3000 suit, but everyone for the most part can at least look presentable in 20$ shirt and tie.

 

[internetzealot1]

Thanks for clearing that up, Pete. I had never realized that I wasn't immersed when I was playing Ocarina of Time, Deus Ex, or

Spoiler

Morrowind

 

[Nooners]

Here is the PROPER method to what matters in a game.

STORY > IMMERSION > GRAPHICS

Sorry Pete Hines but you sir....are FULL of it.

Switch story and immersion around, and then you've got it. The old Mario and Sonic games, heck, even Pong and Space Invaders, ran on getting players immersed in the game mechanics rather than the story. And certainly more than the graphics.

 

[Chal]

It looks like I'm in the majority here when I say graphics don't factor in to my judgment of a game's quality.

However, I still agree with his statement: "People who say graphics don't matter are usually lying."

For instance, a great number of users here are championing Minecraft. I wonder how many of them gave Dwarf Fortress a miss.

This is true. Think of how many strategy lovers have passed Dwarf Fortress with nary a second glance.

*Nods*

Speaking of the Elder Scrolls, whatever happened to that Daggerfall LP?

 

[HealthyMateus]

Amen.

A bad game has great graphics, but confusing or clumsy gameplay. Not to mention beauty of graphics versus a mess of advanced graphics. A game with beautiful rendering and impressive graphic design plus engaging gameplay is always a winner for me.