Why do some games think they need to be realistic?

[ShatterPalm]

One thing that has seriously pissed me off in the last couple years in games has been that so many games are trying to be realistic. Call of Duty, Battlefield, other similar FPS games. Am I honestly the only who's been thinking that realism is NOT the direction in which we want to take games? I mean honestly, what's the point? Don't most of us play games to ESCAPE the irritating quirks of reality? I'd rather live during a blight in Dragon Age than deal with the shit we have to go through on a day to day basis here in the real world. But then again, that really is just my opinion, as a number of my peers have been quick to point out if they don't already agree with me. So, I came here looking for some answers.

So what's your opinion on realism in games? Which games make realism work? Which don't? Is it a good thing that gaming is going in that direction, or should we stick to the stuff that makes games like God Hand and Zelda, among so may others, great?

 

[Vrach]

Strive for realism works in a lot of games, don't see the problem people have with it. Yes, there's such a thing as going too far, but to quote Stephen Fry:
"Well of course too much is bad for you, too much of anything is bad for you, THAT'S WHAT TOO MUCH MEANS!"

I can't think of many games that were ruined by realism. I can think of plenty of bad games that strived for realism, but then, I can think of plenty of bad games that didn't, so that's not much of a point.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Because there is a novelty to trying to bring these escapes from reality closer to reality, so that it almost feels like less of a transition or...something, I guess.

 

[tippy2k2]

Because I like realistic games. Realism is EXACTLY where I want my FPS's to go. There are plenty of arcadey shooters out, you are just focusing on the realistic ones because a few big name realistic shooters have come out just recently.

 

[b3nn3tt]

I don't think it's something that needs to be either avoided or strived for. It's one direction that developers can take when designing their game. Personally, I'm not wild about it, but there are plenty of people who enjoy realism in games. Each to their own.

 

[wooty]

I think it all depends on the games. If a fantasy game were too real, then it'd be pointless. But I agree with realism in military shooters or driving games, most people play them to experience something that they otherwise wouldn't. Realism is good in context for me, yes for modern day war games, no for other genres.

BF/MW would be awful in my opinion with no realism, may aswell go and play UT or Halo instead. But games like DMC or Zelda would be awful with realism, it all balances out in the end if you think about it.

 

[theonecookie]

Too much realism ? that's funny there tend to be way more unrealistic then realistic games you just need to open your eyes really Its the same when people ***** about all shooters being gray and brown most just aren't

 

[Vegosiux]

There's no way to make shooters "realistic" without also making them miserable and traumatic. Because that is the reality of warfare. But then again, I suppose people are just using the word too loosely, and don't actually mean it that way...

 

[AnarchistFish]

Realism brings grit to a game, and can help with immersion. It suits some games and doesn't suit others but shouldn't be dismissed or hailed to either extremes.

 

[Mr Jack]

"Don't most of us play games to ESCAPE the irritating quirks of reality?" The fact that Call of Duty, Madden and Fifa are some of the most popular franchises in existence is proof that many people enjoy games that attempt to emulate reality.

There are some games that benefit from realism, and many that do not. The drive for realism in games is not new, Battlefield and COD have been striving for this since their inception, and there is a large niche market for games that simulate car, train, street-cleaner driving, flying (civilian and military), sports and even cooking. Less realistic games have not disappeared, for shooters look at Hard Reset, the new Serious Sam game, and Painkiller. As you pointed out, Dragon Age was not an attempt to ape reality, and was made recently.

I doubt that the latest iteration of Zelda will deviate from the formula and attempt realism, I think it will stick to what made it great. Battlefield 1942 is by most accounts a great game, and was an attempt to create an authentic representation of combined arms warfare. Should Battlefield not also stick to what it's audience wants?

Bushido Blade is so far perhaps the most realistic sword fighting sim made, yet far newer games go for more spectacle and less realism. It is untrue to argue that realism is a new trend.

Some games think they need to be realistic because that is what some people want.

 

[Zen Toombs]

Realism is simply a tool - and you don't use a screwdriver to beat in nails. We have hammers for that. But at the same time we do need screwdrivers for some things, namely screwing in screws.

Don't deride the screwdriver for not being able to effectively drive in nails. Deride the worker for using a screwdriver when the hammer is right next to them.

 

[andreas3K]

Call of Duty is not realistic. It may look like it is, but the gameplay is no more realistic than Final Fantasy.

One of the best FPSs I've ever played is Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, which is pretty realistic. The realism is the best part, not for its own sake, but because it makes the gameplay really good.

Also, I think Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, two of the most realistic driving games around, are doing quite well.

Realism is good, but not everyone likes it, nor should everything be it.

 

[naam]

Semi-realism sells (see: CoD, BF)

 

[jthwilliams]

Yeah, Yahtzee sort of said this in the Bad Company 2 review. Not that many people listened though. There were still a bazillion comments saying "No! Realism is so good!". It's because some people (falsely) associate realism with a game being compelling. It can sometimes help, but it's not always the answer.

I would agree that not everything needs to be photorealism, but being so does have 1 level of compelling associated with it. It is not false. Being able to identify with the characters is definately a part of making something compelling and the character looking like you think you, your family and or your friends look like is definately part of being able to identify with someone. It is not the ONLY part. but it factors in.

 

[loc978]

Honestly, I don't think it's taken far enough these days. The original Rainbow Six had more realism in its proverbial pinkie than any Call of Duty game... and it was still pretty damn stylized, even if you don't take the dated (even for the time) graphics into account.

That said, I certainly don't think most games should strive for realism... but the half-measures that are popular these days really have me scratching my head. As far as I'm concerned, if a game world should be anything, that thing is internally consistent. Anything less breaks my willing suspension of disbelief rather quickly.

 

[TheScientificIssole]

Realism is a style of art and gameplay whether you like it or not. And you should like it, its just as good as a platformer syle

 

[daftalchemist]

I think it's funny how people want "realism", but don't actually play games that have realism in them. I was watching my boyfriend play the MW3 campaign last night, and he was in a high speed chase with a subway train, or something like that, and people call CoD "realistic"? Are you shitting me? In what way is going all commando against a SUBWAY TRAIN "realism"? Games with actual realism are things like Red Orchestra, and they don't seem to be as popular as other so-called "realistic" games.

 

[Dfskelleton]

Call of Duty isn't realistic. If it were realistic, you could have both of your legs blown off, survive, and have to lie on the ground for hours, moaning in agony until you bled to death. A realistic war game would essentially be reminiscent of the D-Day scene from Saving Private Ryan. Does that sound fun? No.
Captcha was: Laxin phelbitis.
That sounds like some sort of horrible sexually transmitted disease. Phelbitis...

 

[EvilPicnic]

What you're referring to is 'escapism', which coincidentally is the also name of this website. The implication in the name is that all games can be that escape from reality you describe. It's a matter of personal taste whether your escape is to fantasies of being an action hero or a wizard or a rally driver or an Eastern European immigrant, and demand will drive the supply.

But in my personal opinion modern warfare shooters are getting a bit tedious. That's why I don't buy them. There are tons of sci-fi/fantasy themed AAA FPSs out there if that's what you would prefer: Bulletstorm & Halo: Reach being two that pop to mind

And when it comes to gameplay realism, I think the zenith in shooters was reached with Operation Flashpoint in 2001. 10 years later and the only games following that trend are the spiritual sequels: Arma. COD and Battlefront are arcadey by comparison.