Videogames Are Just Fine Without Photo Realism.

[yeti585]

Earlier today I was looking for something to play. I came across a small gem, an indie "game". It is called I Remember The Rain. It creates an amazing atmosphere, the tone of the game is displayed nicely, and the mood created in the player is strong. It must be a very "graphic intense" game some may say. No, it is much of the opposite.

I found this game to be an amazing play, and it took me a little thought to actually get the ending. It is full of small details that are easy to miss but enhance the story.

If you would like to play it you can download it here: http://www.freeindiegam.es/2012/06/i-remember-the-rain-jordan-browne/

After playing it, I also thought "Could this be considered a game"? So, for discussion; Do you like this game (if you have played it)? Is this a game by your standards?

 

[sextus the crazy]

I agree with the topic. As does just about anyone on the site with a functioning cortex. I doubt even the companies that say this stuff believe it; they just need to justify their business practices.

 

[DoPo]

Funny, how Jim talked about exactly that today. Not the game, just that we don't need photorealism.

I'll try it and let you know what I think, though.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I don't think that was ever up for debate was it?

Anyone who's ever played games knows this.

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

It'd be interesting if we had photo-realism, sure but... we don't NEED it.
I didn't think this was an issue that needed debated, haters gonna hate, potatoes gonna potate and corporations gonna corporate.

 

[DoPo]

I didn't think this was an issue that needed debated, haters gonna hate, potatoes gonna potatecorporate and corporations gonna corporate potate .

FTFY

OT: I just went through I Remember the Rain and I must say:
?I Remember The Rain? is an interactive short story made in New Zealand over a period of about a month. ? [Author's Description]

The description is true. It is an interactive short story.

 

[TehCookie]

After playing it, I also thought "Could this be considered a game"? So, for discussion; Do you like this game (if you have played it)? Is this a game by your standards?

I haven't played it and I don't have any interest but from that one sentence description in the link it sounds like a visual novel, which is a kind of game. Or is my guess wrong and it's something else?

 

[zehydra]

"?I Remember The Rain? is an interactive short story made in New Zealand over a period of about a month. ?"

I haven't played it, but this what the author says about it.

He does not call it a game, and it was never intended to be a game.

Now, I can't say much else, since I haven't played it, and I don't really feel like playing "an interactive short story" right now

Edit: It just occurred to me now... OP why did you use a non-game as an example of why games don't require photo-realism? Why not use an actual and well-known game such as, say, the masterpiece that is Banjo & Kazooie?

 

[Laser Priest]

I think anyone who has ever played a game would tell you the same.

 

[bluerocker]

Spoiler: Don't think so

It's not really an issue to be debated. Different games have different styles; and that's how they express their ability to bring an experience to the gamer. To further my point, for the hell of it, and because I thought the above screenshots were neat, I posted them.

 

[Pfheonix]

There are certain genres where Photorealism is important. Those being first person, authentic shooters such as ArmA, Operation Flashpoint, Battlefield, and the like. Another could very well be survival horror, action horror, or just plain horror. Those are aided by photorealism.

 

[Mouse One]

I enjoyed it. Thanks for the link. No, it's not a "game". It's purely linear-- unless I missed something, none of your actions influence events. Which might be kinda the point.

We really need a better term for things like this. I guess we're stuck with "art game", but really they're more multimedia presentations (although that term evokes the evil of PowerPoint presentations).

 

[Tyler Trahan]

I dont ever want games to be 100 percent "photo" real. When it comes to flora, buildings, environment why the hell not! That's pretty cool. However, if I'm going to be playing a game where I am killing people I do not want that human to be 100 percent realistic, and same goes to the violence. It has its uses but I don't see it as a necessity, the same thing with CGI in movies. Sure CGI can make or break a movie, but more often than not great movies use CGI as a tool to build something much larger than the effects themselves. Photo real in my mind can help, but it wont make or break the video game world

 

[Aerosteam]

I really hope we're not heading to photo-realism in games, since the journey there would mean we must traverse the...

Uncanny Valley.

 

[Ardure]

A good example I find that shows how unnecessary Photo-realism is, is the Starcraft campaign. I played through it and actually cared about the characters. The graphics in SC2 are good but you are playing so far away that the only way you know its a hero character is their color or slightly modified character model. You don't see their faces or anything but you get a sense of their emotions and struggle.

 

[Angie7F]

it's like anime and manga.
Also, Zelda is great because they dont speak.

 

[MBurdock]

Are chess pieces anatomically accurate representations of a king, queen, bishop etc.? No? Q.E.D.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

All a game needs to do is look good enough and be immersive enough to draw us in and make us believe we're in a cave, a meadow, a forest, a village, a spaceship, a dungeon. Baldur's Gate II managed it without difficulty a decade ago with isometric, layered-2D. The quest for more pixels is all well and good, looking better *is* better but it should not be at the expense of story, gameplay and content.

 

[DoPo]

After playing it, I also thought "Could this be considered a game"? So, for discussion; Do you like this game (if you have played it)? Is this a game by your standards?

I haven't played it and I don't have any interest but from that one sentence description in the link it sounds like a visual novel, which is a kind of game. Or is my guess wrong and it's something else?

Nah, it's not really a visual novel. It really is an interactive story. You get a bit more interaction as turning pages. VN are more...well, a bit different - you get more choices, for one. Do play it, it takes about 5 minutes in total, so you can check for yourself. You can see from my two comments how fast I finished it (also, my internet is quite crap, there was quite a delay before I downloading it).

"?I Remember The Rain? is an interactive short story made in New Zealand over a period of about a month. ?"

I haven't played it, but this what the author says about it.

He does not call it a game, and it was never intended to be a game.

Now, I can't say much else, since I haven't played it, and I don't really feel like playing "an interactive short story" right now

Same as above - it should be 5 minutes. Give it a spin.

 

[Dragonclaw]

I've never cared HOW realistic a game looked as long as it played well. Then again I'm a throwback to the old "see this rectangle? That's YOU" days and a classic arcade junkie.