Graphics for Granted

We all know how far graphics have come along the years. They’ve certainly come a long way since “Tetris” and “Space Invaders” but do we take graphics for granted?

I’m not one for looking at the little bits and bobs  inside a console, nor do I know how they work. But does anybody truly appreciate the time and effort that goes into making a game look as good as does? I certainly don’t! Well, didn’t until quite recently. The game that has made me start to think about this, is actually “Star Ocean: The Last Hope.” I started replaying it (again) and it’s never actually crossed my mind as to how much detail Graphic Designers actually go to, to make a game so beautiful.

I understand that that is their job, and they have to do it well to stay in the business.  Yet, have you ever stopped running from town to town in your newest RPG, or stood over your latest victim in your new FPS and thought “that’s a pretty sweet shot” or “that’s a beautiful… corpse?”  Well maybe not that far.

I’m starting to appreciate the scenery and detail to characters in games more and more. Especially if you consider at one time, the games that we used to play had characters with blocks for hands… well… they still do have blocks for hands…

Anyway, it’s pretty amazing to think just how far graphics themselves have come in the last 10 years. When the one (or maybe two) minute CGI animations were the height of graphic technology, that kind of technology, or more advanced tech,  is used pretty much in our day to day gaming world. It’s almost unreal to think just how far things have come.

For instance, just compare the graphics between these two Metal Gear games;

Ten years isn’t that  long a time, but I wonder how long is ten years in ‘techo-time?’ Somebody once said to me, that if I had bought a brand new state of the art PC, by the time I got it home, the computer would be out of date. Do you think that that if we bought a new game, the same rule applies? By the time we get a new game home, would the graphics be out of date?

It’s pretty interesting — well to me anyway. I’d love to get a day trip to Microsoft, Square Enix, Bethesda, Silicon Knights — anywhere really — and find out just how everything works.

The next time you pop in your brand new game, take a look at the world around your character. And before you dash off on your new adventure, spare a thought for the talented people behind the scenes. Albeit a very quick thought; wouldn’t want to keep you from your game!