Graphics in Video Games, Will Always Be Important!

-"Someone that believes graphics are important should go and watch an anime or something, they are not real gamers"

-"I don't care about the graphics if the gameplay sucks"

-"Graphics are not important, it's the gameplay that counts"

-"Wish they would cut back on paying so much attention to graphics and make better gameplay"

-"Who cares about the lack in graphics? It has great gameplay."

Those few quotes, among many others, are some of the common phrases the "real" gamers of our time use to the extent that now people even write articles to defend such a notion... Being, that graphics are not important.

Funny story, I was going over this whole concept again not more than one day ago, and today I wake up to read a related article including opinions and comments enforcing the idea that graphics are indeed not important and further more, stating that they actually are not important "any more" in the industry in general and not just for their liking. I wonder at such perspectives from such gamers and turn to question what wonderful book or insight of facts gave away this notion for articles and comments of the like to exist?

1.2 Billion Gamers!?

I'm going to start with the fact that the count of active gamers globally in 2013 reached the count of 1.2 billion, whilst West Europe was 180 million of that total sum and East Europe 120 million. Now this could easily include browser games, mobile devices, and pretty much any form of online interaction considered being a game. Thus not 100% representing the population of gamers that actually play AAA titles, or generally complex video games even from Indie developers. I to be honest was estimating the PC and Console gamers of complex and triple A games to be around 50 million at the least and more, and the numbers indicate it is indeed much more. With all these extra markets out there its hard to know exactly, however the point is not in how many gamers there are on count but to be simply aware that there are a lot!

Why is this important? This is important so we can finally start to grasp the fact that A) there are more opinions out there than we think, B) a dominating market respectively does not mean anything at all.

I'll explain point B. If there is a market of gamers in a specific taste and genre that add to being a total of 10 million world wide, their existence does not suffer to being less important neither their opinion if there is another market out there of say 20 million. Especially when there are gaming markets that have been established years ago and their number might have even increased. Example, a specific video-game market having an increase from 10 million globally to 20 million in the last decade, is a success and still a strong voice in opinion. Even if it had remained at 10 million. A new growing market that surpasses it does not render it non-existent, neither any less important. While the cash flow from that market also does not suffer as it remains constant.

Browser games are for mainstream gaming and for killing off time. With the advancement of technology these have also "infiltrated" their way into almost every user out there, gamer or not. Especially mobile gaming. And we all remember the quotes that "PC gaming and Console gaming will die" some couple years ago. Did they die? No, quite the opposite we have had one of the most successful console launch seasons ever, and PC's are as praised and as used as ever if not more. Sure by comparison the mobile gaming industry might be much larger, but they did not spawn into existence at the expense of another market, and they are indeed a mainstream market that even PC and Console gamers enjoy. The notion of previous gaming technologies dying out with the increase in usage of a new technology is absurd, especially when that new technology will never be as advanced while they both keep evolving.

Long story short, there are many markets out there and they are quite large as well, resulting in many tastes and opinions that also have a large following behind them. Assuming one market is not important or dying out due to the rising number of users in another market does not render any form of logic. Especially when the first sometimes influences the later as well and even more, when the numbers within that initial market do not actually decrease. Popularity does not win the war of the markets. Having a product for each and every type of market though does.

Whining... Just human nature really...

The second thing we need to take to account is that people will (usually) rant out online rather than say something good. It's like a human nature or something. Most day to day average people, when they like something, they don't even know they can praise it or rate it online. Those that do usually fall to the notion that they will do it some other time, and few are in fact the ones that will take the time and perhaps even do it on the spot without further delay leading into forgetfulness. With regards to rage however it is quite the opposite. People wouldn't waste a single minute before ranting about it, to complain, and to spread that hate in as many locations and ways that they can. Being displeased simply has that effect perhaps after all.

To recap, this more or less means that not every positive opinion out there is heard (especially when most people pleased with a product don't care to boast about it or review it and simply enjoy the product) whilst most negative opinions and complaints are. Add this to the fact that there are many markets, of different sizes, mainstreamed or not, and it should be pretty clear by now where I am going with all these details.

The notion, that Graphics, are no longer important, is not a reality! The general sum of gamers out there could be 10 to 1 with regards to this (10 agreeing and 1 disagreeing, myself in that 1 included) and even as a seemingly small digit that 10 to 1 in a global scale of perhaps 1 billion and more active gamers ends up being 100 million. Not a small number at all. Whiners are more active when whining, and seem a lot more than they are, especially if they are from the larger part of the gaming community. This does not render the other markets non-existent, whilst this large community is usually The Video Game Mainstream. We all know historically that mainstreams are not always (and sometimes almost never) correct!

They simply assume that they are the only opinions around, and other markets and millions of people invested and agreeing in those markets will simply up and disappear. Not entirely realistic thinking to be honest, but seeing that some of those market groups might be larger, their voice does indeed have an impact even though it bears absolutely no result.

My hope on this matter? That these gamers (I really call them so with a heavy heart) understand that they are not the only market on the globe, even if they are bigger (and sometimes are not) and hence it is not all about their opinion and nothing else. First off, it is especially hard for me to even consider them to be gamers when they claim such things as others not being "real" gamers just because they disagree with them. That seems quite ignorant and naive. A true gamer above all recognises the form itself and all it's versions, accepts them, and agrees to many opinions and tastes and likes being out there. A true gamer in other words simply must accept the gaming spirit itself to be able to claim such a title, and also realise that there is more than plenty for everyone. They also as true gamers stick to their own market and genre, and do not try to diminish other markets or to even take over them by changing them into their own (with whichever means they deem right, including the spreading of false news and opinions on a large sale). This is not gaming behaviour, this is the behaviour of a virus. And hence I gladly do not accept them as such (gamers) and only formally refer to them as so because I have to.

Selfish is a bad tasting kind of fish.

Kind of reminds' me of the whole X Rebirth, Metal Gear Rising, Dawn of War II, Crysis 2/3, TERA incidents along with many others that escape my thoughts this very moment.

X-Rebirth - many fans prefer the direction of the old titles, others prefer the new (the whiners are always heard more than the pleased, though I found many that shared my opinions on the game). The hate and rage has mixed things up somewhat due to the buggy release, but it is not all under the same page of not liking the game's direction. There are those of us that wanted this new direction and waited for it many years. Don't be so selfish, we as gamers deserve titles catering to our tastes as well. You can still play X3 at any time you like.

Metal Gear Rising - many whined that it was an action game not a stealth espionage. (Maybe they just liked the word espionage and nothing more because I really don't get what the big deal is). This title is a spin off, and there were and are many of us that waited and wanted an action title with Raiden. Don't be so selfish, we as gamers deserve titles catering to our tastes as well and you can still play the other MGS titles (and new ones) any time you like.

The list goes on in the same way pretty much. DoW II got rage because it didn't have building structures. Many of us liked and preferred the squad micro-management strategy. Crysis 2 and 3 was too "stealth" and not open world enough, others (me included) liked the new locations and the diversity they brought much more along with having stealth improved, TERA had whiners running around in the game complaining about the combat system and that it was hard. The rest of us liked TERA just because of the real time combat system.

Don't be so selfish, we all as gamers deserve titles catering to our tastes as well. You can all still play DoW I and Supreme Commander, Crysis 1/Warhead/other FPS titles or open world titles, and any other mmo since almost all of them lack in real time combat. Seriously, such people are a virus, nothing more. Not to mention that they always put the cherry on the pie with the comment "it just has better graphics, who cares about graphics." In that case, since you love the old gameplay and don't mind the graphics, you really should not have any problem playing the titles you already own, and shouldn't object to us having our titles as well. Really selfish is what it is when you sum it up.

The What is What of Markets

With all this being said on many opinions and tastes existing, markets established for years with different directions and visions behind each product to each other, profits being made from all of these increasingly most of the time no matter how different they are, and a world where there is more than enough for every kind of gaming genre to exist healthily, I wonder as to how some can presume such nonsense is true? Let alone share it as news?! It really does sound as silly as the whole "Consoles and PC's will be obsolete in a couple years" which they bombarded us with a couple years ago when mobile gaming and its usage increased in number.

Of course it will increase, of the billions on the planet it's not the tech-geeks and niche markets any more that evolve to out of "their caves" it is every single person. Where everyone once had a Nokia 3210, now everyone will have a smartphone capable of playing games better even than the likes of PSone back in the day. With such advancements it is also no wonder people would warm up to all these gadgets. Claiming it is at the expense of something else is as naive as it gets.

The existence and importance of every market continues to be a reality, and a market of even as low as 10 million people by comparison is still a strong and very large market. Very large indeed. After all, Ferrari didn't stop making top end supercars just because Toyota outsells them ridiculously in quantities sold (hence larger market). Even with lower price tags, Toyota makes much more in the end. And yet both markets exist happily ever after. There is always more than enough for all of us.

So, Are Graphics Important and Why?

If they ask me, "How important are graphics in a game's creation?" I would reply with "the most important."

If they counter-ask me "how important is gameplay then in a game?", I would reply with "the most important."

That raises some questions doesn't it. But I have some questions of my own. Why focus in one area at the expense of another? The misunderstanding with regards to this matter, whether it be within my articles themselves or in conversations, is that if you agree to one thing of these two being true (graphics being very important) it automatically means that you believe the other to be false (gameplay being important).

Neither is correct, neither is stronger or more important than the other, both are equally as important and both should be treated with respect when creating a game. I wont bore with such details as to why graphics are important, including and on top of all the fact that you are staring for many hours on end at the game, immersion into a world that is accomplished better with the more detail added, and the fact that if you could play the same exact game but with better and more appealing visuals you would, these are things I have gone over and explained already plenty of times before. Graphics matter, and the truth of it is that many fans of a specific title rage on over included changes that alter what they are used to or what they liked, and they rage on mostly because they did in fact want the same game updated with more elements added to the gameplay and better graphics. If they did not want or hope for this, then they would never have left the initial title that made them happy, and also would not be angry going back to it.

Psychology aside, because so much more can be said on all this, I will simply dwell into answering some of the above "common" sayings I initially quoted.

-"Someone that believes graphics are important should go and watch an anime or something, they are not real gamers"

On the contrary, someone that believes graphics are important has understood that this is a video game and hence is expecting as such. An interactive experience of both audio and video included that has the purpose to bring a specific immersion and experience to the player.

If graphics where not important, neither the quality of animations and assets in a game, we would simply enjoy a nice board game of DnD, a game formatted in text alone, etc, and/or read a book, or experience any other form of gaming/adventuring/immersion that does not require the video game technology as its name suggests.

-"I don't care about the graphics if the gameplay sucks"

This is subjective and I can't argue it. It does not state that graphics are not important, simply that someone does not get impressed by them if the gameplay is empty. However, everything is a plus. The evolution of graphics is in fact what has made it more and more possible for indie developers to make games. As the technology advances so do the tools and the ease in which everything is built. All I can say at this point if a certain play-style really does not exist for you, is to wait it out be happy over all these advancements. It makes game and content creation easier all the time so that someone with the same wants/needs can then come along to create the very title that you have been waiting for. I mean, if the rest of us could wait a decade for an mmo with good real-time combat to be released, I am sure you can wait a short while for your likes/dislikes as well.

-"Graphics are not important, it's the gameplay that counts"

Like stated on the previous comment, graphics and technology advancements make game development more accessible for teams that want to create those games with that great gameplay you want them to include.

At the end of the day the gameplay alone is not effective without graphics (animation, maps, asset details the rest included). What good is a wall-climbing mechanic that adds to gameplay in a forest. What good is Assassins Creed without all that detail on all the houses and the crammed map structure to allow for these game mechanics to take place (including rooftop jumping). Make no mistake about it, these are all part of the graphics department, along with the animations that allow for a fluent experience rather than a static model moving from one place to another.

-"Wish they would cut back on paying so much attention to graphics and make better gameplay"

To be honest, gameplay has come a long way these days. What exactly are you looking for? I am sure a title out there provides it. Whatever it is. Gaming has advanced so much in the last decades it has gone from something so simple to something so complex with a lot of depth. I really struggle to find a specific category or genre that has not a single title in it for every like and taste.

Paying attention to graphics is dependant to the title. It does not mean they did not pay attention to the gameplay and if it does, then it is of course not excused. Paying attention to graphics should of course not be at the expense of gameplay (and this usually happens, poor gameplay design is poor gameplay design from its foundation and not a result of the developers focusing in another area alone). Beyond this, asking for certain game mechanics to be included in a game in which they are not native for that genre or not part of the game's philosophy is simply proof that the game is not for you. There is nothing to be improved in many of these cases, it's just a different game for a different group of people. Stop being a virus that needs every title out there to be like your favourite title. If they cut down on graphics they are giving half of their attention to a game, and this is respectively as bad as cutting down the focus on gameplay mechanics. Both should be treated with respect.

-"Who cares about the lack in graphics? It has great gameplay."

Well, those that have understood that the overall immersion and enjoyment of a game is also dependant on the graphics. They care. Me included. Portraying a battle scene on a rooftop with no background is not as satisfying as one with a static image. Even more satisfying is a realtime background that you know you can walk up to. Even more satisfying is a beautiful background that brings with its quality the right kind of mood, feelings and immersion to you that will make the same gameplay even more fun and many times even unforgettable. Animation being a part of the graphics department as well, adds to meaning that great gameplay is a result of great animation and graphics as much as game mechanics. It simply feels right when it is done right, and it will never leave your heart, being imprinted that much more simply because the studio went the extra mile to pay attention to every aspect of the game.

To recap, graphics does not mean realism. It means visuals that are not cheap and second hand. They could be cartoon as well, this does not excuse anything, and attention to detail should be still included no matter what the visual direction aims for. If a AAA title from a large developer includes content that I myself can easily surpass then I am not impressed. It is a rushed and/or cheap job. Why would I pay for something that does not impress me? That I feel any studio could have made, especially when I myself can create better content than that? There is lack in graphics due to technological limitations, and then there is lack in graphics due to sloppiness. The second is evident in many occasions, and there are many of us that care and judge such sloppiness as being theft in some way as well.

We do... And we are a plenty. The amount of gamers that care about graphics are in the millions, and they are as "real" and "true" as the gamers that do not care. Animes and Films are not for them any more than a book is for you, games with good graphics though are. Every market to its own.

Graphics. Pushing Games Farther and Farther

There really is no reason to hate on games focused on graphics, many of them have amazing game mechanics in them and they keep evolving as time passes as well. There is no need to hate on games that lack when compared to a specific style you already like or are used to, because you can simply go and play that style that you like and are indeed used to. There is no need to even bother with how important graphics or gameplay is, because it is all important and it all evolves together as one. I honestly wonder as to what exactly some gamers are expecting from specific games or titles so as to be so let down by the results. I could include an entire list of gameplay types and directions that people want and give at least one title in each one of them with great graphics, one with great gameplay, and one with both.

There are more than enough of us to share the different tastes in the gaming industry and the titles it produces, and there are more than enough of us to sum up to a wide range of tastes, likes and markets to be able to support and keep these different genres going, along with the importance of graphics and gameplay both still existing and always evolving. And lets not forget, the games that are graphical benchmarks are implemented in one way or another as standards to the other games too. It's a win win situation, because the fact of the matter remains, if you had the exact same title available to you on low end graphics and high end HD graphics, chances are you too would play the later.

Lastly, the same way graphics push the industry forward, so does gameplay and game mechanics. Newer and better ideas are adapted by other developers afterwards and become industry standards. There is no element to creating a game that is not as important as another element, and this is the general objective truth of it all. There are many that prefer graphics, those that care more for gameplay and less for graphics and those that seek for both, and all the in-betweens, adding to so many subjective opinions. Put them all together, and there is no one true winner, everything matters in the end.

As for me? Well I like my games with amazing graphics, breathtaking visuals, diverse and realtime gameplay mechanics, with a lot of depth and detail to all graphics and mechanics involved, with a lot of fast paced action, a lot of depth and content to be explored in a more relaxed manner as well, open worlds (where need be), compelling and involving stories (where need be) and as much of these as possible. In other words, I like pretty much the best the industry has to offer all in one title. That is what I ultimately look for in a game. If however I don't keep an open mind about what is possible and what the developers are also aiming for, then I would end up hating every game out there since obviously, there still is no title that has included the best of everything ever created. Quite the opposite, there are many titles I am pleased with, glad they were created, and truly enjoy. My vision of how things can be improved will never diminish, but it will never take away from me the road that leads to those improvements as well. It's much healthier, and also satisfying, to simply enjoy the entire journey and be a part of it, rather than wait in the corner of a room with your hands crossed in a rage waiting for the journeys' end. That journeys' end is overrated, and it also lasts for no more than just a short while.

Some gratefulness goes a long way. We don't need to get our thirsts quenched at the expense of someone else's thirst. There is plenty of water for us all and the best we can do is simply have fun with it all. Gaming has come a long way and it is better than ever. Some appreciation, as opposed to whining and complaining at products that do not cater to your needs to begin with, is advised. If anything, it at least makes for a happier and peaceful state of mind.

This all coming from someone who had to play with handhelds with colourless and on screen pre-rendered graphics that simply lit up, the likes of the first ever Donkey Kong and Tetris, and later thinking the future was here when trying for hours to set up a small multiplayer session over dial up for as long as he could until the phone rang again. Seriously, we have come a long way!

Yeap, these are actually the exact same models I had
growing up as kid. Gameplay is not good enough
nowadays you say? Then try one of these out.
I'm sure you will change your minds!

Of course the point is not what our generation went through.
The point is we were happy! I truly wonder why so much
rage and hate in our times. Games are a plenty for us to
simply have fun and escape.