Poll: Are graphics in games more important then the soundtrack?

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NoOne852

The Friendly Neighborhood Nobody
Sep 12, 2011
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I began to think about some of my favorite games and asked myself which of the two do I think made the game more enjoyable? The graphics give an appeal to the surroundings and can being stunning in their own way. Whether it is pixel art or 3D modeling, the graphics of a video game are looked at as sort of a main support for a game to function and largely affect how we look at the game's universe.

But what about the soundtracks? If it is ambience or a cinematic orchastra, the music in a video game probably affects how we perceive the scene more then anything. There could be a joyous event occuring in game, but the soundtrack can turn it into a depressing scene. The score can easily make or break gameplay in how it makes the player feel.

I think that was a basic run down, so what do you guys think? Are the graphics or the is the soundtrack more important to a game? Or are they equally important?
 

evilneko

Fall in line!
Jun 16, 2011
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Considering I often turn off or turn way down the music in a game... yeah, I'd call graphics more important.

It also depends on the game. In Fallout 3/NV for example I pretty much always have the radio turned off unless I'm just in the mood for it, though I don't have the atmospheric music turned all the way down. In Mass Effect, I leave it on since it has so little music anyway and I like the subtlety. In, say, a Need For Speed game... I turn that shit off.

It also depends on the music itself. NFS games mostly have music I would avoid normally so why the hell would I listen to it in-game? I specifically stopped and turned the music back on in Saints Row 3 when I did the final mission, because I NEED A HERO!

Music in games is just one of those things I can take or leave.

OTOH, I don't often listen to music even outside of games, so maybe I'm just weird that way.

In any case, the gameplay is so vastly more important than either graphics or music that those two are just irrelevant next to it. If a game is fun I don't care if the graphics are 8-bit sprites and the music is a looped chiptune. All the graphics and sound in the world can't save a shitty game, either.
 

aPod

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Jan 14, 2010
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I think the soundtrack is more important.

I find the visuals in games pretty forgettable, yet a great soundtrack sticks with me forever. I still hum tunes from my old Pokemon Red and i was like 10 when that came out.
 

The Wykydtron

"Emotions are very important!"
Sep 23, 2010
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If the game has a attractive aesthetic then i'd say it's about on par with having a good soundtrack.

As always having a good soundtrack is infinitely better than having good graphics. I could link you to any one of the Cornered themes from the Ace Attorney games and Take That! Case closed Your Honour!.

But I won't. I'm trying to cut down with the random music spam. Even if it is sort of on topic this time XD
 

Zhukov

The Laughing Arsehole
Dec 29, 2009
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These topics are silly.

It's like saying, "What's more important in a painting? Red, blue or green?"

Or how about, "What's more important in a book? Words or punctuation?"
 

Dandark

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Sep 2, 2011
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I find music to be much more important especially since graphics age really quickly. I also just like a good soundtrack more, I play old games with crappy graphics all the time so I could care less about them but I will nearly always appreciate having good music.

There is already a thread up about gaming music if anyone is interested.
 

Cowabungaa

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Feb 10, 2008
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Zhukov said:
These topics are silly.

It's like saying, "What's more important in a painting? Red, blue or green?"

Or how about, "What's more important in a book? Words or punctuation?"
I love that analogy, it's absolutely true.

Both a game's graphics, or to put it better it's art style, and it's music are tools to create a certain atmosphere in a game. It's up to the developer to decide how much they use either tool.
 

Raognerrrm

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Apr 2, 2011
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Both are important, but I'd rather have an excellent soundtrack than excellent graphics.
Partially because I'm a snobby music collector, and partially because you can have bad graphics yet still have a good art style (like Cave Story, which also has a wonderful soundtrack).
 

spectrenihlus

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Feb 4, 2010
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You know what I am going to with graphics for this one. After all they are called Video games for a reason.(video from the latin to see). I mean a deaf person can play a video game a lot better than a blind person can.
 

Erana

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Feb 28, 2008
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Soundtracks are nice, but they absolutely are not necessary to create a great game.
Sound design, on the other hand? They're a critical part of making the good into the great for a whole lotta games.

Sound design is to soundtracks as art design is to graphics more or less.
 

LilithSlave

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Sep 1, 2011
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I think they are equally important.

That is, they're both non-gameplay aspects that enhance your experience.
 

SwagLordYoloson

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Jul 21, 2010
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I have to choose Graphics. But a brilliant Soundtrack is infinitely better than perfect graphics. Graphics is more fundamentally important to the game design as it is generally needed, unless you play a game that is like a text adventure which reads to you and then lets you attempt to talk back with some text to speech software or something. Where as a Soundtrack can be completely ignored, which makes it all the better when a perfect one is pulled off.
 

everythingbeeps

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Sep 30, 2011
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Most game soundtracks I end up tuning out simply because of their repetitive nature. So gotta go with graphics.
 

PotluckBrigand

No family dinner is safe.
Jul 30, 2008
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If I may sound like a total hipster for a moment (and I may... this is the Internet. Who's to stop me!?), I would consider them both equally unimportant. The main focus for me when I play games is either going to be Gameplay or Story (preferably both). Everything else is gravy, though delicious and fatty gravy to be sure.

Of course I prefer my games with good soundtracks and nice graphics if they are available, but neither has ever been a deal-breaker, and I have enjoyed the hell out of some pretty shitty-looking and sounding games in my time. Graphics and music are, to me, not much more important than what font the developers choose to use on the menus.

(Though I suppose is pressed I would take music over graphics, but I fucking LOVE music.)

But then again:

spectrenihlus said:
You know what I am going to with graphics for this one. After all they are called Video games for a reason.(video from the latin to see). I mean a deaf person can play a video game a lot better than a blind person can.
That is a very good point haha. If you're going for a literal interpretation of the question, yes Graphics would be almost objectively more important than Music, at least until they make an audio-only videogame (which I would totally play).
 

Auron225

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Oct 26, 2009
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As a whole Id say graphics but I think if the soundtrack is dire, it doesnt matter how good the graphics are - there's no saving it! Usually though, if Im asking about a game, Id ask "What're the graphics like?" before Id ask about the soundtrack.