BLUF: Agreed. Games don’t need realism to be fun. They need fun to be fun.

Aside from obvious genres like simulators, horror, or other niche games, graphics don’t, and shouldn’t be, the main focus of a game.

It could just be plain fun. I’d prefer games with a bunch of sandbox niche mechanics than seeing a tree in 4k upscale. Like Noita or Terraria.

Or a deep story. The original Talos Principle was alright on its graphics at the time, but it prioritized the story and puzzles. It was a fundamental game that shaped many of the philosophies I hold still today.

Graphics can be important, but I’d also prefer stylized over realistic any day. That’s why some of the older games still hold up today, graphically.

Wind Waker, the old 3d mario games, Bioshock, Oblivion (terrain, not people lol)

All had really really solid art. And it still looks good. Because it didn’t try to push the limits on making the game look real.

Back when Modern Warfare 2 released on the 360, I saw little dust clouds, and thought that it was the greatest game for realism ever at the time. The graphics were so good. Going back? Dogwater.

Reminds me of the Wigglers from Super Mario Sunshine

Two separate and very distinct oof moments in that book.

Foxhole. War 115.

Just wish I had a good team to play with.

My $460 power bill in texas agrees I hate it here but my entire support community is located here :(

Noita is a fantastic game.

The magic is that you have two major components. Wands and spells. After every level, you get an opportunity to tinker with the wands you’ve found by replacing spells you have on them with other wands to make something better.

It’s a roguelike, and has no real tutorial, but it’s definitely one of those niche games I’ve put serious time into.

I work for a very large organization that deals in supporting nonprofit organizations (mainly) in part of a training team. My specific role is administrative support and curriculum development, as well as coordinating overall operations and logistics for one specific team.

“Ball is life” then implies…

“Fuck it, we live.”