Realism in Video Games

[Alakaizer]

I was just reading this thread on GTA4 v. GTA:SA

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.194119-Poll-San-Andreas-is-superior-to-GTA4

when I saw somebody prattling on about GTAIV being more realistic than SA and therefore better.

I now have to ask myself "Am I the only one still playing games for non-realism anymore?"

Reality sucks! That's why I love video games. One minute you're a Lombax flying around from planet to planet blowing up anything that moves, next a growly-voiced guy zapping civilians in the balls with lightning to restore them to health, then flinging a boomerang that can slice through five different targets and still return to my hand no matter how far away I am. If I want realism, I'll go back to reality. The whole damn point of games is how fantastical they are. Realistically, getting any double-digit number of bullets put through you for resisting arrest is likely fatal, even if it happens right outside a hospital. In any of the GTAs, if you're wasted/busted with no money, there's no penalty. How is that even remotely close to realistic?

Expecting realism in video games is like expecting your dog to cook you dinner. It might be a really skilled dog with a culinary degree, but you're still going to have to suffer with the drool-covered remains of a half-eaten dinner.

 

[nick n stuff]

bullet drop sucks balls
flying out of a windscreen when you crash sucks
GTA IV sucks...Saints row 2 however awesome.

ergo...realism sucks
cos a pimp cane shotgun is not real

 

[delet]

Yes, people are far too obsessed with realism in games nowadays. I want a return to the lovely and inexplicable story lines that provided true fun instead of trying to be all serious and movie-like.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good, involving story in videogames, but I also don't want to be bogged down by hyper-realism. Like you said, if I want reality, I have real life to 'play'.

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

I don't mind realism to an extent, but I definitely do have my limits. Having to use the first sniper rifle in Bad Company 2 like a grenade launcher definitely isn't user-friendly towards a person who only sniped in COD games.

 

[Omnific One]

I like realism until it makes the game tedious or doesn't agree with the concept. However, I'm all for the removal of HUD on games.

 

[MetalDooley]

Realism is fine in things like sports sims,serious racers etc but I play the majority of games to have fun.SR2 was much better than GTA IV for me in that regard

 

[Palademon]

I like to play games with unrealistic concepts but with realistic physics etc.

I call it realistic unrealism.

 

[Marine Mike]

I like realism until it makes the game tedious or doesn't agree with the concept. However, I'm all for the removal of HUD on games.

I second the motion to remove the HUD... at least from the "realistic" shooter games. At least in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter they at least made it sound feasible.

 

[Sronpop]

There is a place for Realism and there is a place for more fantastical games, I enjoy both, provided they are done well. I prefer San Andreas to GTA4, for various reasons, one definately being the added realism in GTA4.

Realism being good or bad shouldn't be the question, it has it place, just like motion control, the question should be, which games should go for the realism approach. I might not like GTA4 as much, but the realism was a good approach as it gave a completely different feeling from the old ones, which was kind of needed, but at the same reason wasn't.

 

[De Ronneman]

There's nothing WRONG with realism, but realism is a vicious dog. It looks awesome, and might even be good to show on the pressrelease, but when you get to close to Reality the dog, it'll bite you in the ass.

I'll explain that a bit:
Realism in, say, CoD:MW is good, but not always fun to see. But in reality you would die. And dieing is ireversible. That would not make a good game. So they took to realistic weapons'n'stuff and graphics. Result: A pretty good gameseries.

However, realism in a game like Devil May Cry is essentialy not DMC. It's nothing. It's a good gameseries, but it's far from realistic.

In short: realism is good, but it depends on how you use it and how far you take it.

 

[daskat]

GTA IV suffers from a bad case of selective realism. The physics, i guess, are realistic. At the other hand police has a really weird case of amnesia, whenever the loose the sight of a felon for more than 15 seconds they forget about the suspect and everything that he did. Your character will get knocked out of the game for almost everything, but even if he when down in exploding car, being inside the car while a good amount of fire power was delivered to him, he can always come back in the nearest hospital.
I think GTA IV could be more realistic and would be a more challenging game. First time you get arrested your character gets sended to jail and for the amount of years he is in the pen you pass from GTA to GIS (grand inmate similutator). If instead he dies the game unistall itself and you get globaly banned from playing that game ever again.... yay realism.

 

[Marter]

I sometimes play video games to get away from reality. These games striving for realism are taking away from some of the fun that they are. Striving for realism also seems to be hurting the gameplay aspect of games.

 

[WorldCritic]

Realism restricts things too much.

 

[CowboyfromHell666]

Realism to me is welcome in certain games, or if the realism makes the game overall more interesting and fun. But once a line is crossed, fuck the realism and get back to shooting aliens with a gun that looks like something someone came up with on an acid trip to Jupiter. If I want pure realism, I'l go outside and live my life. If I want a no nonsense fun time, I'll pop in a video game.

 

[TheProfessor134]

Meh some games shouldnt have a realistic theme to them. Some should, er a least have a little bit more of a realistic feeling to them.

Example, perks in most of the fps out there. Yeah some are cool, others are just irritating. (cough juggernaut cough)

 

[Simalacrum]

Depends, really...

Realism can be awesome - if, say, you wanted to fly a plane, but couldn't afford tuitions or, well, a plane, then an ultra-realistic flight simulator with photo-realistic graphics might just be the next best thing. Furthermore, realism in a story can give us something to relate to - the story could, theoretically, happen in real life, which can create suspense.

That said, I do believe that a lot of game developers are going a bit too far with the whole realism thing - trying to cram it in where its not strictly necessary.

I think Rock Star made, and realised, that mistake in GTA IV - yes it was awesome, and full of hilarious political satire and whatnot, but many parts of it were lacking - no tanks! no paragliding! It was too much realism. Fortunately, they did go some way to rectify those mistakes with the DLC packs...

 

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Realism is awesome, but only to an extent. I did make a thread about my image of a good realistic shooter, and I will not post it again because the description was mad long. However, the unrealistic games are also fun. Both are great.

 

[Teddy Roosevelt]

There's nothing WRONG with realism, but realism is a vicious dog. It looks awesome, and might even be good to show on the pressrelease, but when you get to close to Reality the dog, it'll bite you in the ass.

I'll explain that a bit:
Realism in, say, CoD:MW is good, but not always fun to see. But in reality you would die. And dieing is ireversible. That would not make a good game. So they took to realistic weapons'n'stuff and graphics. Result: A pretty good gameseries.

However, realism in a game like Devil May Cry is essentialy not DMC. It's nothing. It's a good gameseries, but it's far from realistic.

In short: realism is good, but it depends on how you use it and how far you take it.

CoD tries to be realistic. Trust me, it isn't.

 

[TheFacelessOne]

Realism is O.K., but not to the GTA IV point.

Also, realism in sandbox games are not cool. Sandbox games weren't made for story, they're made so people can go around do whatever the hell they please, and having fun with it doing things impossible in life.

 

[C95J]

i generally like a realistic game if you expect it to be realistic, but if games are purposely meant to be non realistic, then thats fine too.