Lack of realism in games

[Gamerforlife]

You ever wish games strove for a bit more realism? It's one of those things I found a bit odd sometimes when I'm gaming. You watch two people play Soul Calibur. You see two characters slashing and stabbing eachother with sharp weapons and there's no limbs coming off, no blood sprays and both characters just keep fighting like they're fine. It's ridiculous really. Or how about getting shot ten times in a third person shooter and casually running over to a health pack. In a movie, that character would be dead. Ever find it silly how a video game character can't get shot in a cutscene because you know it would kill or seriously injure him, but once the game cuts back to gameplay, he can take a bunch of bullets and run around just fine. I just wonder sometimes why this is so commonplace in the game industry. I mean have you ever actually wondered WHY it's okay for people to get mauled, stabbed, slashed and shot in video games and be okay. You know when people describe a game as cinematic I think there's no way in hell a movie character could take that much lethal damage and be okay. I mean I read reviews all the time where people talk about how realistic a game is, and I think, "Bullshit!" The only thing realistic is the graphics. It's just something to think about. Why AREN'T we striving for more realism in games?

While I'm on the subject, let me give some props to a few games that do take a stab at some sense of realism or believability.

Resident Evil series
Remember how you would limp about slowly after getting attacked a few times. That was awesome, and with health in short supply, you were encouraged to avoid your enemies at all times. I think in Dino Crisis you could bleed too. In those games the damage you take feels very real

Ico
No score onscreen, no health bar, none of the silly stuff that reminds people they are playing a game ever showed onscreen. No weird looking, glowing save points either, just a couch for the characters to sit on. I liked that, and all the enemies attacked you using non lethal means so nothing in the game really seemed all that far fetched(other than the fairy tale setting of course)

Peter Jackson's King Kong

When playing as Jack, I loved how taking a good hit would alter your vision and perception, and you could hear the voices of your friends freaking out. It created a sense of danger and urgency and REALISM, and often one more good attack could kill you. I also loved that, like Ico, there was nothing onscreen that looked out of place within the game's world. The game didn't even give you a cross hairs to aim with, which led to me often letting dinosaurs get as close to me as possible so I could guarantee a hit with whatever weapon I had. This was great and it made the game more of a tense experience for me. You couldn't see your ammo count onscreen either, but in a brilliant move you could actually hear your character say how many bullets you had left. I also loved that your pals could actually get injured if you failed to do a good job protecting them, unlike any other game where they would simply "lose health"

Bushido Blade
The complete opposite of Soul Calibur. Here one good attack could kill you, kind of like a real sword fight

I'd like to see more video games go for some realism and believability.

[Doctor Fugue]

Sure, in some games it would be neat to have near-total realism, but for me I want to play around in a world that doesn't exist and do things that are impossible here.

Games set up their own rules and we get to play within those rules.

[NebachadnezzaR]

I'm with you pal, I also think of that many times, but usually when I start playing and the game is entertaining enough, I end up forgetting about that. But indeed, as games approach photorealism, some things begin to feel too unrealistic, even for a game. It's times like that I want to play some Operation Flashpoint, where a single bullet can kill you instantly.

[Abras]

See I believe in a kind of "realism plateau" meaning there's only so realistic a game's gameplay can become before it loses a large portion of its audience. Some, like you apparently, will play it (hence why i called it a plateau) but I think a lot of the current gaming audience won't be too into completely realistic gameplay. It's just a theory so it should be interesting to see if it holds any truth in the coming years.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

See I believe in a kind of "realism plateau" meaning there's only so realistic a game's gameplay can become before it loses a large portion of its audience. Some, like you apparently, will play it (hence why i called it a plateau) but I think a lot of the current gaming audience won't be too into completely realistic gameplay. It's just a theory so it should be interesting to see if it holds any truth in the coming years.

Even though Gran Turismo has argueably the best driving physics ever created. Kazunori Yamauchi (lead designer) even said himself "Theres a point where anymore realism would cause a sacrafice in gameplay." And I largely agree, I got into games to do what I couldnt do in real life, steal a car, fly, have the ability to travel through time etc. Some realism is good, like in Gran Turismo and Call of Duty 4. I am a big fan of photo-realism but I really think it is better used as an immersive technique for games that arent realistic by any means. It really makes you feel like you might actually be doing what you really know you cant.

[Doctor Fugue]

Even though Gran Turismo has argueably the best driving physics ever created.

Some day we should have this argument.

Anyway, car games are where I love having the most realism possible.

[Inene]

hehe I love Ico but I gotta tease you about the couch...'cause it does glow.

[glynnahab]

In my opinion, the lack of realism in games is actually a good thing. I love playing an over-the-top, ridiculous game like No More Heroes.

I get enough realism in the real world. I play games to escape.

[D.D.D.]

I get enough realism in the real world. I play games to escape.

My sentiments exactly~

[bobbynewmarkiii]

Does this make shmups (i.e. one hit and your dead) realistic?
Excellent!