realism, whats the bloody point

[Baron von Blitztank]

i can be immersed in unrealistic games quite easily

I agree, I don't think realism equates immersion by a long-shot.

Making games realistic puts less stress on the developers to be creative ... why think up some new and interesting premise when you can just make another WW2 game?

That is nonsense...
Building a VIDEO GAME which simulates REAL MODERN WARFARE is not something easy.
I find the challenge and teamwork to be a lot of fun.
Not L4D teamwork where once in a while you save someone from a fat smoker , true teamwork where one watching a specific location can mean life or death to others.
EDIT: By the way , there are no realistic WW2 games. Not as an infantry soldier anyways.

No realistic WW2 games?
Are you telling me that Hitler in a blue mechsuit with quadruple chainguns didnt happen?
Someone needs to read up on their history.

OT: I'm ok with realistic games, I don't play them much but what annoys me is that "realistic graphics" always seem to be composed of the same different shades of brown and gray and also if you play as a guy who can't take 2 bullets to the face without dieing.

 

[Cogwheel]

Don't be silly, brown is realistic too, not just grey.

Personally, I want to see a blend of the too. Chalk this up to an odd wish to play a grim, gritty Kirby game, ideally as a crossover with Warhammer 40k.

 

[starwarsgeek]

Hell no. I'd rather play a game about time-traveling lizards in robot-suits fighting a legion of bunny-human hybrids with fire whips than shoot the same Nazis in the face fifty-thousand times.

...does anything like this game actually exist? I'd play that

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

realism and non realism must go hand in hand for a "perfect" game for me. Though I must say I do miss games having a colour pallet.

 

[Double A]

It's just a phase, like teenage rebellion, that I hope gaming will pass.

 

[JaymesFogarty]

I think devs believe it ups the escapism of the experience. The more realistic the warzone, the more it feels to a player like a warzone. Know what I mean? As for gray, sepia-tones, and space marines? It seems more "hardcore" to players, so they eat that shit up. That's why; makes your game more appealing to some people.

Am I one of those people? Hell no. I'd rather play a game about time-traveling lizards in robot-suits fighting a legion of bunny-human hybrids with fire whips than shoot the same Nazis in the face fifty-thousand times.

Unless I'm using an acid-bullet sniper rifle and the Nazis are replaced by Jason Vorhees, his clones, and pet wide-mouth dog-things.[footnote]Borderlands is awesome.[/footnote]

So you'll be getting Dead Space 2 then?

 

[Nomanslander]

i dont get why people love realistic games.

Wait a sec, you're tell me other people have different tastes than you do???

omg, what has the world come to...=0

 

[Tharwen]

You want realism for what you have, not absolute realism. That means that you can do extraordinary things, while they are as realistic as they would be if they were real, thus immersing yourself in the extraordinary experience.

 

[Continuity]

i dont get why people love realistic games. i play games to escape real life not be reminded of it, for example jamming guns like in far cry 2 is a horrible and aggravating idea, and why does the color grey suddenly become a realistic color? am i just blind or missing the point, you tell me

You really don't get it do you? I'm guessing you're new to gaming?

Anyway its pretty simple really, I'll break it down for you:

1) For concrete, grey is a realistic colour, if you want pink concrete then i suggest you wear some red tinted shades. I mean what exactly is it that you want? rainbow coloured trees?

2) Your example of jamming guns in FarCry 2 is an example of why realism is good... Guns that jam after firing 60 bullets are not realistic, FarCry 2 would benefit from more realism in this respect by not having the guns degrade so quickly.

3) You say you play games to escape real life and not to be reminded of it, that's fine, but its not like there isn't choice.. just like with books or movies there are those that those that try to immerse you in a fantasy set within the real world and there are those that try to give you a believable escape into an alternative reality.
Like the difference between starship troopers and the shawshank redemption, i'm sure you appreciate why the shawshank redemption benefits from realistic sets, props, believable acting etc.. just as i'm sure we all realise the benefits of making shit up and putting it together in a way that allows for the suspension of disbelief - like starwars, then again there are movies in the middle which take a realistic setting and use that to lend credibility to the fantasy component, like 28 days later for e.g.
Its exactly the same with games... I hope you can see my point, realism is a part of the spectrum of computer gaming just as its a part of the spectrum of all entertainment media.

If you don't like it, just don't play those games... no one is making you so quit whining. Personally I'm damned glad that we no longer have to put up with the pathetic zap guns of the late 90's, trust me, unrealistic can get boring real fast and there's nothing worse than your arsenal looking and feeling like stuff you found in a toy box.

 

[Ckeesy]

For me it's all about immersion. I like realistic games because they feel, well, more realistic. Aka, the situation is more believable for me, and in the case of role-playing games it's a lot easier to slip into the world, as well as into the character.

Fallout 3 is a perfect example of this. The weight limit adds a nice human element to the character, since most humans probably couldn't carry much more than 200 lbs (granted, they have back-packs). And unlike a lot of people, I really like that the weapons degrade and sometimes jam, at least in FO3, because it makes sense. These things are 200 year old relics that have been left to the elements until being scavenged by you, so it's uderstandable that they might not be in the best condition. Plus it really hits home how FUBAR the world is when you cant even count on your gun 100% of the time.

I'm looking forward to Hardcore mode in FO3: New Vegas, especially the change to ammo making bullets have weight. I feel like this adds a whole new strategy to the game, since you'll now need to consider what kinds of encounters your likely to find.

As for escaping reality, I never seem to have that problem, even playing realistic video games. FO3 is more realistic than a lot of other games out there, but It doesn't remind me of real life because the world I'm playing in still isn't mine, if that makes sense. And until they make a realistic game about sitting on the couch watching TV, playing guitar for a bit and sleeping in until noon, I doubt I'm going to have that problem.

 

[CrashBang]

i dont get why people love realistic games. i play games to escape real life not be reminded of it, for example jamming guns like in far cry 2 is a horrible and aggravating idea, and why does the color grey suddenly become a realistic color? am i just blind or missing the point, you tell me

I completely agree
I do understand the attempt at achieving grpahics and physics and so on as close to real life as possible, and I can understand why many love it, to get the feeling that they actually are a soldier or a racecar driver
But I personally agree with OP, I like my graphics and characters to look animated, colourful and unrealistic. I would choose Mario Kart over Forza and Ratchet & Clank over MW2 any day

 

[Leviathan_]

I enjoy both, though I rather have non-realistic games.

 

[Trogdor1138]

Some games it can work very well, similarly to film how it can help immerse you in the experience if it's more realistic. I happen like my games full of fantasy and impossible adventures I will never be able to go on.

 

[Yennick]

...

 

[HuCast]

i can be immersed in unrealistic games quite easily

I agree, I don't think realism equates immersion by a long-shot.

Making games realistic puts less stress on the developers to be creative ... why think up some new and interesting premise when you can just make another WW2 game?

That is nonsense...
Building a VIDEO GAME which simulates REAL MODERN WARFARE is not something easy.
I find the challenge and teamwork to be a lot of fun.
Not L4D teamwork where once in a while you save someone from a fat smoker , true teamwork where one watching a specific location can mean life or death to others.
EDIT: By the way , there are no realistic WW2 games. Not as an infantry soldier anyways.

It might not be easy-but its sooo predictable, Just copy&paste the AKs and M16s, Uniforms, sound samples and rebuild some streets/cities while looking at the photos-done.
I think it takes waaay more work to "invent" things out of your imagination and its also more creative. Ever tried to get a sound sample of a dragon?

 

[lwm3398]

So you'll be getting Dead Space 2 then?

No... the footnote explains I was referring to Borderlands.

Unless the two are basically the same, in which case I probably will.

 

[shootthebandit]

i like both, i love games like borderlands and i also love operation flashpoint

but what bugs me is games that claim to be realistic (COD) when all they have is realistic graphics and not realistic gameplay

 

[JaymesFogarty]

So you'll be getting Dead Space 2 then?

No... the footnote explains I was referring to Borderlands.

Unless the two are basically the same, in which case I probably will.

I know you were referring to Borderlands; I moved the footnote to demonstrate that I loved it too. (Bloody great game!) I just mentioned Dead Space 2 because that seems as mind-screwing as Borderlands was.