Video games today are more beautiful than ever. At last month’s Game Awards, we saw a cinematic trailer for the game that boasted some amazing graphics. One example is Intergalactic: Prophet of Heresy, from The Last of Us creator Naughty Dog, whose weeping heroine is animated with such fine detail that she uses more facial expressions than dialogue. We communicated through. Another is The Witcher 4, the sequel to the popular fantasy series, which lavishes the same artistic attention on the fur on the monster’s six menacing arms as the firelight delicately shines on the protagonist’s face. It was poured without any problem.
It all definitely looks luxurious. Still, a casual observer could be forgiven for confusing the graphics of these games with other games released five years ago, or even ten years ago if you squint. Once a medium that saw dramatic changes in visual fidelity with each console generation, gaming is now approaching a graphical plateau. It’s no wonder Red Dead Redemption 2 or Cyberpunk 2077, released in 2018 and 2020 respectively, claim to be the most beautiful games ever released. So, with annual graphics advances seemingly incremental at best, is it finally time to give up on the graphics arms race?
Those who remember the jump from 8-bit visuals to 16-bit visuals, or from 2D to 3D, will remember the thrill of opening up entirely new possibilities for adventure and storytelling. However, as hardware advanced, improved graphics had diminishing returns, requiring exponentially more resources for small improvements. Advances in the latest generation of consoles are still only marginal. Technological upgrades such as higher frame rates and ray-traced lighting effects will be appreciated by hardcore gamers, the target market for Sony’s new PS5 Pro console, which offers marginal upgrades at a hefty £700 price tag But these concepts are of little importance to mainstream gaming. . In the words of former PlayStation US head Sean Layden, “We’re at a stage in hardware development that I call ‘only a dog can hear the difference.'”
For game developers, meanwhile, there is a perceived demand for better-looking games, increasing pressure on an industry already suffering from rampant layoffs, frequent game cancellations, and a culture of rampant overwork. . In a leaked memo from Insomniac, creators of the recent PlayStation series Spider-Man, a developer says that Spider-Man 2’s budget was $300 million, compared to the previous film’s $100 million, but that they were using wise resources. I asked him if he was using it. Is it an obvious investment for anyone who plays the game?” It certainly didn’t triple sales. In fact, there is little evidence that improved graphics increase profits. Minecraft and Roblox, two of the world’s most lucrative game series, look as if they were created 25 years ago. They are loved not for their looks, but for their design and community.
Developers could learn from Nintendo, which decided decades ago to stay out of the hardware race and instead prioritize creative design and the pursuit of pure fun. This did no harm to sales. The Switch outperformed the more powerful PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Nintendo has also proven that games that run on less powerful hardware can still look great. Anyone who’s played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will know that despite the low-resolution textures, it’s still one of the most beautiful games out there.
The highly creative world of indie games also shows that it’s not the graphical prowess that determines the look of a game, but the artistic style. Titles like “Journey,” “Cuphead,” “Monument Valley,” and the “Ori” series have left a huge impression on gaming culture, primarily due to their stunning art direction. In the past 12 months alone, beautiful new indies have included the picturesque Neva, Blud’s perfect imitation of a Saturday morning cartoon, and an impressive game that looks like it was made entirely of paper and clay. Included.
The Game Awards featured a number of big announcements, including one that caused presenter Geoff Keighley to choke up with emotion during his introduction. This wasn’t a flashy shooter, it was an unexpected sequel to the popular 2006 game Okami, in which you play as the wolf-shaped Shinto goddess Amaterasu from Japanese folklore. The game is styled like an animated ink painting and is rightly remembered as one of the most beautiful games ever made. The reason the original has aged so well is entirely due to the design team’s artistic choices, rather than the now outdated PlayStation 2 technical specs. This proves that games can continue to become more beautiful, but only through human creativity. Rather than a slight upgrade in processing power.
