To nobody’s surprise, a recent survey of gamers has come out saying that more of them apparently value graphics in a game rather than the gameplay and story of the game itself.
The survey was conducted by the Entertainment Software Association, which surveyed around 4,000 gamers about what persuaded them to buy games.
Graphics have always been an important part of gaming for a lot of gamers. One of the main reasons the Playstation 4 has been outselling the Xbox One is due to its greater resolution and framerate on games, and many studios are currently focused on making their games look as good as possible.
However, the fact that the survey of gamers also said that they value the look of the game over both gameplay and story can be annoying for gamers that actually want to pay attention to how a game’s plot runs and how it plays.
While a great many of the most recent games have had good stories and gameplay in addition to looking utterly amazing, graphics are indeed a big part of the game, as their evolution throughout gaming history can show.
The survey also makes mention of how nostalgic games like Pillars of Eternity, an isometric RPG like Baldur’s Gate, or the recently-released Banjo Kazooie throwback Yooka Laylee, have had their sales impacted by the graphics obsession.
While Yooka Laylee is really vibrant and colorful, and Pillars of Eternity got critical acclaim, the days of the Kickstarted genre throwback might not be lasting as long as we thought.
Other well-known franchises have also been impacted; many gamers will even buy games like Final Fantasy or Dark Souls more for how pretty they look than the legacies and good reputations that the series has as a whole.
Hopefully the survey of gamers doesn’t indicate that story is going to be put in the wayside for games to make room for visuals, but each to his own when it comes to what appeals.
