Photo-realistic Graphics - Would YOU want them?

[Opar]

I've been thinkign alot recently, about Photo-realistic graphics, and about whether it would be healthy or not for the gaming industry. Experts at Epic (the people behind the Unreal engines) reckon photo-realism in games is less than 15 years away, which is pretty scary, thinking about it. But it gets me thinking....

Would YOU want photo realistic graphics in games? I mean, the thought of games that would involve you running around killing hundreds of people, all of which look real. If people think video games effect people now, how would realistic graphics mentally effect people, never mind them going on psycho killing sprees. Think of the law-suits, the number of companies that would go out of business because Joe and Amy Bloggs little cherub has started killing random people in the street because he saw it ACTUALLY happening in a game?

Not only that, but where the games go from there? You cannot get better than photo-realism, can you? It would be the pinnacle of graphical technology, every serious FPS from there would have the same graphics, not very healthy, surely? It would merge the line between real, and, well, not real. Video games would not seem like video games anymore, video games are NOT meant to look real, thats the whole point, surely?

I'd go as far to say that Unreal 3.0 engine graphics should be the end of MAJOR graphical development. They are very nice, great lighting effects etc. but they still retain an 'unreal' kinda look (no pun intended).

At least, thats my opinion on the subject, and i'm inerested in seeing what everyone else thinks about it.

[QuantumDelta]

I don't particularly care.

With films like the Excorsist coming out of the vault, I don't see why we can't have photo realistic graphics in things.

Doom3 for example, although a bloody shooter, wouldn't actually be that oppresssive.

15 years, I think is a little bit of a safe side bet anyway, I'd not be suprised if it were sooner.

Look at the accelleration curve already.
True AI that learns from your actions would be the next step.

As for idiots thinking gaming induces 'problem cases/murderers'

Good Parenting would not allow people to be so suseptable to things like that, they would KNOW right and wrong, the consequences of their actions.

If a kid runs around in a game blasting people and sees them dying in a photo realistic fashion they would probably be put off doing it in reality.... depending on how .....human, the AI or Person was in those graphics.
If say the game made you kill your friend/family(Ala Tribes:V recently), and everything was realistic, heh.

Seriously though, excuses like "OH I Saw it in a game!" are damned weak.

Only those who are likely to end up that way would be swayed by things like that.

[G.0.D.]

The computer is just a medium for creation, The content we choose to create is a pure unbiased cretique on who we are.

[Clownst0pper]

Do we not play games to escape reality?

[Sorin]

I think a few photo-realistic games here and there wouldn't be a bad thing, especially if some self-control on the developers part was exercised. Just not all games, or even a majority. There's something to be said for the way games are now, for not being photo-realistic. It adds creativity and imagination.

[nobby]

and i thought watching my mate slowly die by getting shot in the neck with a sniper rifle and low grav on cs-S was sickening enough for me, well, just gave me a horrible feeling in my tum.

[THE_TICK!!!!]

dunno if i would like it tbh...a game isn't sposed to look too real..but as far as little johnny goin out and shootin folks...what is little johnny doin playin a game of that magnatude at a young age...as far as im concerned its the parents who LET there children do things they know they shouldn't or dont really care if they do or dont..that are the problem...the content was there when we where young..IE porn alcahol drugs the works..but i for one..had good parents who cared for me and so on so forth..so i never had a problem with that stuff till i got older :P...just my toss on things

[sanityislost]

tbh it wouldnt really bother me, in my mind a game is a game and real life is real
life. People who cant tell the diff between the two shouldnt even play the games
we have now.

SiL ..:..

[kurai]

People who cant tell the diff between the two shouldnt even play the games
we have now.Yup.

Lets face it - if someone is at the stage where they are that far adrift of reality already, then giving them computer games is the least of society's worries.

[Opar]

People are looking at the mass-murderers inspired by games side of this too much. It sounds like a copy of the Daily Mail.

Im more concerned about the actual graphics, not the people that play the games. Video games are not real, why make them look real? Are the graphics we have now not good enough? Sure, use photo-realistic graphics for military and law enforcement purpoces, but that should be about it.....

[nobby]

though not all games with super duper graphics are all about killing...
think about shenmue for a start>super game, most realistic game i've played!

[THE_TICK!!!!]

Driving games would be super cool with photo realistic graphics i think :D

[amfest]

Dating sims would be the pwn . .errr


*cough*

n/m

[Hayt Scryer]

People that go on a rampage, are caught, and then blame it on games
are the pinical of fuked-in-the-head.

And honestly the only reason they get away with it, is because of the media hype. Lets face it, if the media wasn't having such a slow news day, it probaly would be passed off as another wierdo bumping off his ass-hole neighbours.

Recently, i cant remeber if it was here in Aus, or in the US of A, but some losser went and killed his neighboure because he stole his X-Box and belived himself to be in GTA 3.
What a load of total bullshit !!

How someone can go from siting on the lounge with controller in hand, to accualy beating someone over the head with a real baseball bat, is beyond me...
i mean, theres the walking around for a start, thats the biggest diff.
Playing games, ur generaly SITTING DOWN !!

And you know where all the support to ban violent games is comming from ?
the dreaded Family Groups..
Name ONE good thing family groups have accualy done !

So far ( in australia at least) they have tried to ban all the accualy good games, block good movies from coming to Aus, and stoping console games from being ported across. pricks the lot of em.

Now, im 22, and i think i have a firm grasp on reality and what i know i can and cannot do moraly and physicaly.
The last thing i need to some stuck-up do-good'er to tell me what to do.

If perents acualy got off their collective arse's and did something to teach there childern and, heven forbid, accualy enforce some fuking discipline instead of takeing the easy way out and letting the TV raise their kids for them, we wouldn't be IN this problem to begin with !!

am i the only one that see's this ??!

[giga191]

Dating sims would be the pwn . .errr


*cough*

n/m
or you could go on a real date :p not that i don't play them



I'm a bit stupid when it comes to game development, but wouldn't it take ages to make the textures and models if they photo realistic?

[QuantumDelta]

or you could go on a real date :p not that i don't play them



I'm a bit stupid when it comes to game development, but wouldn't it take ages to make the textures and models if they photo realistic?
Artwork would be the hardpart.

Modelwise they're there already, just actually getting that high a quality model in a computer game with possibly that many models in one scene ...eesh lagg0r.


Even the most advanced Home PC todate would die trying to do that.

but in terms of model designing ....not long.
In terms of textures....well I suppose you could cheat if it were truly going to be photo realistic and use actual pictures, transposed and adjusted to fit.

Watch when you play half life2 though, stuff far away is fuzzy and only brought infocus when you get close, though most people don't notice it because it's the way human eyes work (though exagerrated and only there so it doesn't prawn your GPU)