Video Games Can't Afford to Look This Good

Totally random theory here, but I wonder if people (on average) enjoy video games precisely because they offer a symbolic world that is easy to learn, manipulate, and achieve objectives in. Even in real life, popular board games like Scrabble and puzzles like Sudoku are popular because of their symbolic nature. And then, does that mean that photorealism actually detracts from that nature and makes a game less enjoyable?

There could be a noticeable drop-off point at some percentage of near-realism, that ruins that effect.

Personally, I remember playing Half Life with software emulation mode. Then when I upgraded my computer and was able to run graphics-accelerated, it looked better but did not really increase my enjoyment of the game. A similar idea is true in making videos: what really matters is not amazing video quality. Instead, sound quality and story design is much more important.

Unlocked article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/arts/video-games-graphics...