Gamers prioritize gameplay mechanics over graphics
Gamers are over photorealistic graphics, according to a report from Gamers Express. The publication cites recent successes like Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 as proof that gamers place more value in gameplay mechanics than the fidelity of a game’s visuals. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the publication’s editor-in-chief says that technical specifications like frame rate and resolution aren’t a significant factor for many players.
“Game developers have been focusing on realistic graphics as the benchmark for current-gen games,” Gamers Express editor-in-chief Alanah Pearce says. “But the focus on visuals has left gamers wanting when it comes to overall gameplay.” Pearce goes on to cite Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 as examples of games that prioritize gameplay over graphics, and have been met with success as a result.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with prioritizing graphics, but not every game needs to push the boundaries of what’s possible on a console. Graphical fidelity is already generally very good, and it’s understandable that developers and publishers would want to make the most of the systems they’re working with.
That said, many games have been successful precisely because they’ve prioritized mechanics that are fun to play and offer players a lot of freedom. Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 both allow you to complete tasks and solve puzzles in various ways, which allows each player to solve puzzles and complete tasks in a way that suits them. This is what gamers want; the freedom to do what they want.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting games to look like movies, but what developers and publishers should be aiming for is to create games that surprise and challenge players in ways that movies can’t. In this way, photorealistic graphics are just another tool in the toolbox, and a means to an end.
Take Fallout: New Vegas as an example. It’s one of the best games of all time, and the graphics don’t even hold up by today’s standards. But that doesn’t matter, because the gameplay and freedom offered by the game’s systems are incredible.
While some gamers place more value in graphics than gameplay, and developers naturally want to cater to the tastes of their audience, it’s a good reminder that, if you’re making a new game, it should just be good. If it’s good, people will play it.
