What do you think of "realism"?

[ShakesZX]

"Realism" in the sense it refers to now is either one of 3 types (although these types vary in scope).

1) Graphics: "Realism" in terms of graphics means that the development team spent a lot of money on developing their "Next Gen" graphics, and want you to take notice.

2) Gameplay: It uses realistic guns, tactics, etc. that they want you to notice. Usually, this means that they want you to know that they spent a lot of time figuring out how many bullets you can take.

3) Style: The setting, "colors", and people are taken from the real life, and they want you to notice.

Most times when the word is thrown around, the designers know it isn't really realistic, but they want people to notice their product. After all "escapism" is a more appropriate -ism to apply when talking about video games. I mean when you cacn slowly regain health just by not getting hurt for a while, that means it's realistic?

 

[Estocavio]

I prefer realism oriented games.

 

[Marter]

I often play games to get away from realism. It has it's place, but the most fun games are typically not all that realistic.

 

[mageyolook]

i think that it does have its place in the video game world, games like operation flashpoit dragon rising or bad company 2 are pretty sweet cuz of the "realism" but i do definitly enjoy games like halflife 2 or resistance 2 cuz they are more out there with whacky weapons and crazy enemies ect.

 

[ultrachicken]

war sucks. The closer a game actually gets to war, the more it will suck.

 

[Offworlder_v1legacy]

Realism is good in some games where it suits it, but games that are suppost to be wacky and fun don't need it.
It is a bit overused, but not to any extremes.

 

[The Rookie Gamer]

I think realism(you know,realistic war shooter crap)is a bit boring. It seems to have nothing new. What would you rather have, a MP4 carbine, or a upgraded gravity gun? Realism somewhat drains it of imagination, but kids at my school were really annoying saying that MW2 WAS THE BEST GAME OF ALL TIME DUE TO IT BEING REALISTIC. WTF! Do you guys think realism is overused now?

I hate you. You do not understand how much I despise and loathe you right now. Firstly, get your goddamned definitions of realism correct, and secondly, stop repeating this sentiment that has had threads popping up every few days.

This big nest of quotes may give you an indication of just how many times this discussion has come up:

I favour realism in the cases where I truly believe that it improves the genre, and I don't believe that there's any sort of favourable balance between realism and arcade gameplay - they end up making awkward chimaeras instead of a game with the best of both worlds.

Somebody above mentioned suspension of disbelief. I happen to have a very hard time suspending my disbelief, and obvious breaches of logic within the internal confines of a genre just make that suspension of disbelief even more difficult.

The FPS market is one of those most in need of a realism check, although Bohemia Interactive's simulators do a very good job at portraying realistic gunfighting. There is no reason for sniper rifles to be used at one hundred metres, shotguns to stop working at ranges exceeding a few metres, et cetera. A few people mentioned Call of Duty as an example of realism - it doesn't even get close, especially in the multiplayer. The sniper rifles should be stripped out at once, or at least given the sorts of disadvantages that mean that few people use them on the battlefield in real life. This adds an advantage regarding gameplay as well - people will no longer complain about being sniped by a camper who has exploited the fact that the developers have introduced a weapon into the wrong setting, and not even given it the disadvantages that it has in real life - bullet drop, et cetera.

Medical effects in these games are screwed up as well. The chances are that you won't be killed with the first shot, short of a headshot or a shot through an artery, as some developers looking for "realism" are inclined to believe. At the same time, having regenerating health is a modern convenience, supposed to "improve" the gameplay for people who can't suck it up and find some proper cover. Really, when you get shot, you should require medical attention - which means getting AI which can actually provide said attention to you.

At least, if you're going for less realistic gameplay, go the whole hog and go for a Half-Life 2 or Quake-style game. Trying to pretend that an awkward hybrid of "realism" and arcade gameplay works is detrimental to the industry as a whole.

Automotive games are typically even worse on the realism. In this case, I can't even see why - racing simulators are more difficult, require more skill and, I'd argue, are more exciting to boot. I cannot see why most people considering themselves to be "hardcore gamers" would want to play a game where things are made so damned easy. (For the record, I reckon that racing drivers would laugh at you for considering your successes at Ninja Gaiden or Battletoads to be an achievement. Try having your entire body buffeted by forces up to 4.5G for two hours, or doing four-hour stints in a 24-hour race.)

So, there you go. I'm quite a bit more tolerant of realism in games - or a lot more intolerant of obvious breaches of logic within genres. Obviously, I don't believe that every genre requires realism to work properly at all; in fact, RPGs work a hell of a lot better without realism, and as long as an RTS game requires tactical decisions beyond the normal "build a load of units, spam them at the enemy", I'll be very happy.

P.S. - this is why realism can kick serious ass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWtCklcYy8s&feature=related

I tend towards the more realistic approach in games; I play racing, flight and military simulators. While I certainly don't avoid unrealistic games, I feel more comfortable with a realistic game, when I know that I can apply close-to-real-world physics to a problem. I definitely also feel that realism can also be fun; cases in point: Operation Flashpoint, GTR Evolution, Grand Prix Legends, Falcon 4.0, et cetera.

You see, realism presents a challenge. Realistic games often happen to be more difficult than unrealistic games, where the physics models, damage models, et cetera, can be changed for more forgiving gameplay. You'll never see your tail sliding out in an arcade racing game, for example and therefore never have to use counter-steer, which is a skill which tests your reflexes and isn't exactly intuitive. That challenge is something which I look forward to, which I crave, and that's part of why I like realistic games.

I play Operation Flashpoint/ArmA: Armed Assault because I enjoy the challenge of hardcore simulation, as opposed to the current trend of "sit behind a wall sucking your thumb" health regeneration. I play simulation-type strategy games because I strongly oppose the "Zerg Rush" tactics of most RTS games. Most of all, though, I play automotive simulators because I love cars with a passion, but don't yet have the money to race them on a track myself.

...one could say that just because something aims for pure escapism, that doesn't necessarily make it fun either. To a certain niche genre of gamers, including myself, realism is to be desired in context with certain genres, particularly things like military simulators, flight sims and racing games (that last one is a general case of racing games; only Mario Kart and F-Zero break through my inherent dislike of arcade racing games).

You see, we find it considerably more exciting to play a game where you can't soak up a wheelbarrow's load of bullets. It gets the adrenaline pumping when you're vulnerable, but when your actions can reasonably keep you out of danger. The same applies to my connection with racing sims - I want it so that I have to bloody work for my lap times, instead of having them handed to me on a plate by virtue of a game engine that allows me to powerslide around like a tool.

Not all of us play games to escape reality - some of us play them to augment it.

I'm sorry, making this thread was stupid. I just snapped after too many MW2 fanboys in school and XBL. I acted like a asshole here.

 

[likalaruku]

I'm not big on realism. Almost EVER game I own is fantasy-based, so I have a really limited amount of shooters (I hate sci-fi to boot). The only nonfantasy games I own are combat city builders.

I don't care for the "realism" in these new Batman movies either.

 

[SimuLord]

You know what games benefit from complete realism? Business sims. Games like Capitalism 2, which if anything could stand with MORE realism (really, some open-source team needs to make an extensible game engine based on this game that includes a corporate tax structure for the real-world country/US state of your choice built into the economic model. It also needs more products and product combinations.)

Likewise, it almost goes without saying that Flight Simulator's "As Real As It Gets" slogan is true to its word---you wouldn't think flying something like a commercial or small private aircraft around a city without shooting anything or pulling a 9/11 would be fun, but it is.

And if they ever make a Sims game that manages to emerge on the right side of the Uncanny Valley, that will be too awesome for words.

As for racing games, I'll just go with "What RAK said." Listen to the man, for he is wise.

 

[A random person]

I generally lean more towards fantasy-oriented, stylized games, but as RAK and SimuLord pointed out, sometimes realism can improve a game.

I'd probably prefer that FPS's remain less realistic for the most part, however, as I've heard bad things about Operation Flashpoint's difficulty.

 

[NotAPie]

It can be fun but don't...just don't over do it.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

You want realism?

Look out the $%#^ing window.

 

[Justanothergamer300]

I like bits of realism in my games
Running on water is one this

 

[manaman]

I sometimes like realistic graphics. I like realistic and relate-able characters. I like a story that doesn't throw shit out there just for the sake of plot.

Realism does not mean a game has to be Plain Jane going about her day working, sleeping, and eating.

 

[skitzo van]

I think videogames are games used to get away from realism, so I don't prefer games such as Modern Warfare or FIFA 09.

 

[Skinny_Ninja]

Realism = Shit in my book.

With the exception of simulators of course. Gotta love Forza.

My whole hate against realism is the smple fact that it negates the escapism in video games. A liitle here and there isn't bad. Who would wan to play a game that defied every physical and mental rule of thumb?

But a lot of games take it so far the realism sucks the fun right out of the game.

A good example is GTA IV and Saints Row 2.

GTA went for crappy minigames, irritating family members, and watching a tiny T.V. on my T.V.

Saints Row 2 on the other hand had awesome activities, Co-Op, a lot of funny glitches, random people running in the nude, fun missions, and overall more lasting appeal to me.

Maybe it's just me who thinks this way, but I do. Realism is the devil and I have seen his face, felt his breath, and I curse his name for every time he lurks his shitty head into my games.

 

[Striker501]

I dont hate realism but i dont like it as much as i like my other types of games.

 

[Vet2501]

I couldn't care less about realism, I play games to escape from the real world. I'll admit realism can enhance a game if used properly, but if an RPG was realistic then no way I'd be able to carry around that much crap "just in case".

 

[slipknot4]

Real life sucks. I mean there is no double jump or hud and the boss fights are waaay to easy. The balance is fucked up and it's way to slow paced. Also, the difficulty curve is a joke. The first 20.000 hours is basically a cut scene and the following 40.000 hours is just a control and moment tutorial with basic speech and communication challenges with no real reward afterwards. The graphics are also a pain in the a as they seem to get worse with every level you advance until it's all nothing more than a blur.