This argument is really tiresome for me. I see it all the time. Realism isn't automatically bad for games, nor is it automatically good, it's just a concept, and it does have its place. Many games benefit from some realistic elements, especially if they seek to immerse the player in a world similar to our own.
No game strives to be completely realistic, but some are grounded in reality by design and the general rule of such 'semi-realistic' games is that things are realistic unless there's a good reason they shouldn't be. Where exactly that line is drawn depends on the game.
Let's use Grand Theft Auto IV as an example, since people often either praise or complain about its shift towards realism (compared to San Andreas' silliness, at least). It's not realistic that Niko Bellic routinely survives being shot dozens of times, but it is that way because otherwise the game would be very difficult to play unless it was built from the ground up with a tactical shooter's gameplay in mind. This is an acceptable compromise in an action game.
There's also a fine line between something being unrealistic and something being totally ridiculous and unbelievable. The fact that Niko can fly through the windscreen of a car and hit a solid object at speed with a sickening crack, yet suffer no broken bones or internal injuries, is unrealistic; but nowhere near as unrealistic as having the ability to leap off of a 50 story building and only lose 15 points of
body armor when you land... that's seriously how it works in
GTA: Vice City.
So obviously, while GTA IV does strive to come across as immersive, believable and somewhat realistic, it's still an action game and its gameplay is designed with this in mind. It's not a tactical shooter, it's not a simulation, and it's not trying to be. GTA IV wasn't designed to be as realistic as possible, but to be realistic unless there's a good reason not to be. One of GTA IV's main selling points is its gritty and immersive atmosphere, and a lot of the conventions of the older games really do contradict that. Chainsaw rampages, smacking people in the face with dildos, tanks churning up city streets going after a lone criminal, and so on.
KingofallCosmos said:
You want realism? look out the window. Here you have the chance to create a world of your own and people want realism? Same goes for movies, books. etc.
There are degrees of realism, you know. Not even a simulation like ArmA 2 is honestly trying to be
as realistic as possible, because that's not possible. Realism is a means to an end, not the end.
