Graphics have moved on since the days when I was a kid. The high-end, graphics-card-melting PC titles and the previews of the PS4 and Xbox One games show just how far we’ve come in terms of creating beautiful virtual visuals. The current games are so far removed from the early Sega releases and even the Playstation 2 games that it’s hard to imagine how we could have ever enjoyed them; but enjoy them we did. So, it begs the question: is it all relative or are graphics really not that important?
Minecraft is a great example to bring up early in the debate. In 2011, only a month after entering its beta phase, the game sold one million copies and by 2012 it was the 6th best-selling PC game of all time (It now ranks at number 5). All this, despite its having blocky graphics (not without their charm) that seemed in direct opposition to the more realistic game worlds offered by blockbuster titles. It shows that graphics come second to gameplay and propelled a game with low production values past the likes of Battlefield Two and Starcraft. Good gameplay can definitely make up for relatively poor graphics.
The converse cannot be said to be true. Graphics are important at initially attracting players to a game and their level of realism can help provide an immersive experience, especially in First Person Shooters and horror titles. But graphics don’t give a game longevity. What makes players come back to a game five or ten years on is the gameplay. Quake III, Counter Strike and World of Warcraft will stand the tests of time without having the most mind-blowing graphics for this simple reason. Multiplayer and socially orientated games will win loyal followers because they provide the essentials of what gaming is really about: not escapism but competition. Pitting yourself against other real opponents is always preferable to single-player modes with dubious computer AI, which partly explains the popularity of the Call of Duty franchise.
And of course it all depends on what you’re aiming to get out of the game. Not everybody plays games for the conviviality and competition of multiplayer modes or the narrative of a single-player campaign; others play games because there’s a possibility to win money. If you want to gamble online, whether it’s playing poker or blackjack, or just hitting the slots, there’s an enormous choice these days. And because the gameplay is effectively the same across all Texas Hold ‘Em games, for example, graphics can really make a difference to your enjoyment. Also if you’re going to be spending an hour or more on a virtual poker table then a good-looking backdrop is going to enhance the gameplay ever so slightly. Take the graphics of CasinoEuro games as an example: they pay a lot of attention to detail, especially in slots games where the action can be quite repetitive, from the striking simplicity of Starbust to the colourful artwork of Hall of Gods.
This age old debate will no doubt rage on with the uptake of 3D graphics and virtual reality devices. However, there will always be those of us who will dust of the old games console and play those classic games whether they’ve got great graphics or not.
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