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Do The Best Graphics Have The Biggest Impact Among Gamers?

Ben-Dutka 68 Comments

As much as some may hate to admit it, graphics remain a supremely important aspect of this industry.

And so long as this remains a form of entertainment that includes visuals, there's no doubt that what we see will always have a significant impact on the experience.

But shouldn't we be reaching beyond that now? Shouldn't this ever-advancing industry be about more than flashy graphics at this point in time? Well, to some extent, yes. One could point to Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls and go, "See, the focus there is on writing and character development and telling a dramatic, emotional story, complete with interactive freedom." At the same time, we have to ask ourselves the important question: Would it be half as immersive and impressive if the graphics weren't so amazing?

The better we see and understand a character's face, the more we're absorbed into the story, at least from a passive standpoint. From an active standpoint, we have to concede that the more realistic something appears before us, the more likely we are to become sucked into that admittedly fake universe. So perhaps it's perfectly natural for us to gravitate toward the slick and the highly technical. Maybe the refined graphics are part of the reason why interactive entertainment continues to grow; "a picture is worth a thousand words," yes? So shouldn't that picture be as good as possible?

As much as we all used our imaginations (which is great) to picture the look on a little sprite's face when that heart popped up over its head, it just isn't the same as seeing real emotion on a real-looking face. That's probably the long and short of it, right there.

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What Game Would Make You Attend A Midnight Launch?

Ben-Dutka 111 Comments

Right now, there are thousands of people around the country, waiting outside a GameStop or other participating retail location, ready to file in and snag their copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 shortly after midnight. It's crazy.

Now, this always gets me thinking. Is there any game out there that would make me do such a thing? I mean, we're not talking about a week early; we're literally talking about a few hours, as the stores will be officially open in the morning. Furthermore, one has to assume that if you're waiting outside at midnight, you have no intention of going to school or work the next day, which is just pathetic . If you're doing that, you need to reassess your priorities.

But if there was a game that I desperately wanted, I suppose I might join in on some midnight festivities. But I can't really think of a title that would do this to me…maybe I'm just getting old. I don't consider myself any less of a gamer these days and yet, even if it was a game I knew I'd adore, like Grand Theft Auto V , I'd just get it on launch day. Really, I don't have ADD. I can wait a few hours to play a game. I don't want to take anything away from the hardcore fans (even if they are a tad frightening), but I do have to question incentive and motivation…

Wait, I know the game. A true-blue Final Fantasy VII remake. For the PS3, on Blu-Ray. The same damn game only in glorious HD. Yeah, that would do it. Midnight launch, here I come!

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Study: Gamers May Be Losing Touch With Reality

Ben-Dutka 80 Comments

On the first day of my Sensation and Perception class back in college, the professor walked in, looked out the window and said- "See that apple tree out there? How do we know it's really there? And how do we know it's an apple tree?"

Well, hardcore gamers might've seen an apple tree with…with…rocket launchers hanging from the branches! No, that's not what this study implies, but I still think it's funny.

According to a recent study by Nottingham Trent University and Stockholm University, there may be a new psychological phenomenon unique to avid videogame players. It seems that some gamers "involuntarily integrate elements of video game playing into real life," which means they're sorta losing touch with reality. For instance, one participant in the study said he started seeing health bars appear over people's heads, while other participants reported seeing in-game menus, altered real-life situations, and even dissociative experiences, like moving a finger to press a controller button when not holding a controller.

The study group consisted of 42 "frequent video game players" with ages between 15 and 21, in order to demonstrate any possible long-term effects of games through the analysis of Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP). So yes, that's what would be happening if the apples turned into rocket launchers in my aforementioned exaggerated example. GTP can occur both intentionally and involuntarily it seems, and this can also result in automatic behavior pertaining to interaction and imitation. You know, like actually imitating something you did in the game.

Unsurprisingly, participants said GTP tends to disappear when their game time decreases, and half actually said they use elements of games to help them solve real-life problems. If you want to read more, you'll have to pick up the July-September 2011 issue of the International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning. …did you know such a journal existed?

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Have Trophies/Achievements Made Video Games Better?

Ben-Dutka 127 Comments

Trophies and Achievements are designed to enhance our gaming experience. That's the idea.

They represent specific challenges completed and those who love the feature will say a game's longevity greatly increases. You spend a ton of extra time enjoying the adventure in a variety of ways; many challenges are quite creative and even open up parts of the game you never really enjoyed before.

At the same time, there are those who just don't see the significance. Back in the old days, it was all about points. "High score" was a universal term and in the arcades, that's about all that mattered. Of course, everything is more complex these days; we're talking about interactive entertainment and it's almost an insult to call these products "video games." That means Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Pac-Man are technically in the same category, and even for the most ardent purist, that's tough to swallow. So we've moved way beyond "high score."

And yet, aren't Trophies and Achievements just a more elaborate way of keeping score? We count up the number we have and in truth, once they're achieved, it doesn't really matter to anyone what you had to do to get them. Those who don't appreciate this method of "keeping score" – which sort of implies that those who get a ton of these "awards" are bigger or better gamers than others – say that Trophies/Achievements are unnecessary. Worse, they might actually bring an even more unnecessary competitive angle to a game that doesn't need it. Maybe getting some obscure achievement alters our focus and drags us away from the core concepts of the game.

Then there's the whole need for edification thing. "You walked down a hallway…Trophy!" "You completed the tutorial…Trophy!" As if we need a shiny thing to make us feel better about our accomplishments, and then we can brag about how many of those shiny things we have. Do we really need this more complex version of keeping score? Or do you see it differently? Do you feel more satisfied when you hear that little "ding" and you see the notice? I'm just wondering how much this feature has altered how we approach our gaming entertainment.

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Resistance 3 vs. Dead Island: Gamers Have A Tough Decision

Ben-Dutka 48 Comments

We haven't given you our Dead Island review yet but rest assured, it's coming. And we already told you that Resistance 3 is awesome.

We don't want to give anything away just yet concerning Techland's effort, but you can check out some very positive reviews elsewhere. Both games in question came out on Tuesday and with a loaded fall lineup, many consumers have adopted the following position: "With so many titles I want to buy in the coming months, I really only want to purchase one this week…but which one?" Yeah, we feel your pain. It isn't easy.

While R3 is a standard – albeit intense and satisfying – FPS, Dead Island features a more open format and role-playing-like elements. It also operates from a first-person perspective but clearly, these are two very different experiences. So what to do? Well, in truth, the one distributed by Deep Silver will offer more bang for your buck, as the single-player campaign can extend as far as 30 or 40 hours. However, if you happen to get into the multiplayer in Resistance 3 , that one gets the edge in terms of longevity. And what about technical achievement?

Well, if you care a lot about such things, neither title will impress the hell out of you. In fact, if you're a classic graphic whore, you're bound to harp on several drawbacks in both, despite R3's fantastic environment and atmosphere. Or, one could consider the "X factors;" i.e., I know some people who just don't care about zombies. They really won't play anything with zombies, and they don't care about an in-depth, survival-based zombie-slayin' adventure. And then there are others who just don't play shooters. If you fall into such categories, the decision is easy for you.

But for most gamers, it's not going to be an easy decision. We might end up recommending both (we definitely recommend Insomniac's newest), and we'd hardly be the only source to do so. We keep thinking both games should've arrived a month earlier; it would've given us a bigger buffer between "the decision" and the jam-packed fall lineup. Oh, and did we mention that a couple great HD Collections come out this month? You know, the God of War Origins Collection and the ICO & Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection ? …sorry.

Related Game(s): Resistance 3

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Author: Gaming Is Mature And Helps Us “Pursue Our Passions”

Ben-Dutka 14 Comments

Most adult gamers view video games as a mature mass medium, one that can go toe-to-toe with other entertainment venues like movies, music, and books. And in fact, the benefits often go beyond mere entertainment.

However, we usually don't get a lot of support from the academic community, as we can all find countless studies concerning the negative effects of the hobby. It gets a little tiresome after awhile.

And so, in the spirit of feeling better about ourselves, we turn your attention to Ian Bogost , a "leading videogame scholar and award-winning game designer." He says games "are increasingly used for purposes other than entertainment, yet they often get entangled within debates about their benefits or dangers." …yeah, so we've noticed.

Bogost has penned a book- "How To Do Things With Videogames," in which he cites the limitless possibilities offered by interactive simulated realities. Bogost is also a professor of digital media at Georgia Institute of Technology and a founding partner at Persuasive Games LLC, and his goals include:

Interestingly enough, Bogost claims games can actually be motivational and inspirational. He says that a diverse array of titles can help people "pursue a variety of goals and passions." And the more we utilize games "in various aspects of human activity," the less ammunition the naysayers will have.

From our standpoint, we firmly believe that those who say gaming has no benefit haven't played a video game since 1976.

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