If our games had no graphics, would they still be fun?

[Pingfa]

I know someone who holds to the view that "graphics make a game" and "graphics are everything"
While I do believe lesser graphics in a game would make it less of a game, - in the way that it would lose some appeal - I don't believe graphics make a game, and they certainly aren't everything.

That being said, any so-called 'gamer' who tells they don't care about graphics are lying. Every 'gamer' enjoys top-notch animation and fancy effects. They aren't required, but we'd all prefer them.

Admittedly, I do have my limits. I can't enjoy games like Super Hydlide or Faery Tale Adventure.

Strangely enough, with many games, it depends on the console it is on. On the one hand, if a great game with PS1 graphics were on the PS1, naturally, most everyone would praise it. On the other hand, if a great game with PS1 graphics was made for the Xbox, most of the same people who would otherwise praise it being on the PS1, would bash it like there's no tomorrow.

Lastly, I think graphics are really subjective. Even if a game is old, it could still be very easy on the eyes and a joy to look at.

[rscaramelo]

I think it depends on how old you are. When I was a kid some of the graphics were so bad that a clean text presentation was better IMO. Some of my most vivid memories were of text games. I remember playing a couple of Strat-o-Matic type of football and baseball games back in the day that kept me chained to my desk for hours.


RC

[ott0bot]

I think it depends on how old you are. When I was a kid some of the graphics were so bad that a clean text presentation was better IMO. Some of my most vivid memories were of text games. I remember playing a couple of Strat-o-Matic type of football and baseball games back in the day that kept me chained to my desk for hours.


RC

I agree fully. I played alot of old Apple, Commodore, and Atari games that were really fun. And the graphics well....lets just say having any kind of digital image was fancy to us. We used to play Colecovision at my gandma's all day. Hockey, tenins and pong are the same damn game with different scoring! But once Nintendo came out it was all over. Graphics were ther only thing that mattered as a kid. The game could be horrible and we would play it for hours. Now I'm somewhere in the middle. Gameplay is most important, but graphics help. And yes if they were just little blurry blobs it probably wouldn't be quite as fun as highly details sprite animated blobs.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I think it depends on how old you are. When I was a kid some of the graphics were so bad that a clean text presentation was better IMO. Some of my most vivid memories were of text games. I remember playing a couple of Strat-o-Matic type of football and baseball games back in the day that kept me chained to my desk for hours.


RC

I agree fully. I played alot of old Apple, Commodore, and Atari games that were really fun. And the graphics well....lets just say having any kind of digital image was fancy to us. We used to play Colecovision at my gandma's all day. Hockey, tenins and pong are the same damn game with different scoring! But once Nintendo came out it was all over. Graphics were ther only thing that mattered as a kid. The game could be horrible and we would play it for hours. Now I'm somewhere in the middle. Gameplay is most important, but graphics help. And yes if they were just little blurry blobs it probably wouldn't be quite as fun as highly details sprite animated blobs.

i noticed that too, their was a 8 year old playing motorstorm in gamestop the other day and he wouldnt stop yelling about the graphics. I dont know if they (or we were for that matter as im guilty of that too) trying to act more hardcore or older or what but it deffinatly seems to be a common trend. As for me, good graphics arent a big thing for me but if i pay 60 dollars for a brand new game i want my mouth to water.

[SpaceBooger]

It all depends on your own personal preference... it's like music.
When I was younger I would hear my dad playing oldies from the 50's and 60's and I could remember myself saying "I am never going to be like that and listen to oldies."

I listened to hip-hop in the 80s and 90s, and today I still listen to that - the new hip hop is not for me. So my students hear me listening to Run Dmc or Del Tha Funkey Homosapien and they say "I am never going to be like that and listen to oldies."

Graphics are the same way I grew up on 8bit graphics, hell I started with the Atari 2600, and all that mattered back then was if you could distinguish the sprites or not. Because of my past, like music, my evaluation may be old-school but to me good graphics means that I can tell who or what a sprite is, where younger generations have different standards.

[Ack]

For the record, there is nothing wrong with old hip-hop. Every now and then I feel the need for a little Sugarhill Gang myself.

[aisforaquabat]

This reminded me of a mod someone made for Mario Bros. for the NES. It made each object into a single colored block, and the game was still plenty fun without any of the graphics.

[ZereoX]

Well, What you encountered was more of Glitchy Ugly Graphics then no graphics. Because playing Metal Slug with a "*" shooting "-" and having bosses look like "*-*" would't be so bad as long as the game Has the same gameplay.