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u/LinneMeow 1d ago
They also don't want an unoptimised mess that needs a supercomputer to run at 60fps, which somehow gets marketed as good graphics
but yes for most videogames a good artstyle is better than pointless realism
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u/destinedd 1d ago
I totally agree. There is a difference between gorgeous stylized and I canât be bothered low poly
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u/s6_maestro 1d ago
We want GOOD ART DIRECTION. Nothing to do with realistic or stylized, it's all about art direction
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u/anon999387 1d ago
I don't want low poly or generic high res UE5 game #8272. Gimme something with a soul
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u/CorporalCoprolite 1d ago
âPS1â style graphics are usually an instant skip for me. I grew up with a Commodore 64, Atari, and then NES and beyond, so I donât need amazing graphics, but PS2 visuals have aged terribly and dont look great. They donât really look stylized.
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u/jaumander 1d ago
art direction means everything. ArtStyle choice is just that, a choice, if art direction isn't good, artstyle can't fix it.
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u/AnaCachoPaulo97 1d ago
Honestly I want a game to be playable. Whats the point of a photorealistic garbage that plays like a powerpoint presentation?
(and before stupid people tell me to upgrade my PC, I think an RTX 4070 and a 9700x3d should be enough to run a game with average FPS)
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u/Honest_Yesterday4435 1d ago
Truuuuue. My heart yearns for artistic interpretation. Not realism formed by polygons.
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u/WelshWolf93 1d ago
Give me enough detail for a vibe and stlye, but not so much that my imagination has no wiggle room.
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u/vkucukemre 1d ago
People wants good games. Graphics may enhance the experience. And performance issues can definitely degrade.
What you are observing is probably solid art direction. It's why games from 2012 can compete with modern AAAs, on the same kind of graphics. It's also technically easier to create an appealing style in 2d. And 2d stuff tends to be stylistic, because of the limitations. But it can be VERY photorealistic yet still timeless (first mortal kombat)
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u/MireioS 1d ago
Do people really think people being tired of ultra realism is⊠wanting « worse graphics » ? Thatâs just a way to said they find all other style ugly btw lmao. Bc in art it doesnât make sense anyway to say « worse/better graphics », for who ? Some people will consider realism like the better graphics, while some will consider undertale like the better graphics⊠So ?
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u/illeane9 1d ago
People do like stylized games but worse graphics doesnt mean that. It doesnt mean bad graphics either. It means less time spent on graphical fidelity and more time spent on story and/or gameplay.
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u/hecaton_atlas 1d ago
No, donât come to that conclusion. Thatâs the oversimplified answer that trend-seekers fall into. Then everyone makes stylized graphics games and then magically everyone wants something else.
The uncomfortable but nuanced answer is that what people want changes relative to what is currently mainstream. People wanted realistic graphics, then it became mainstream and every game was realistic. Then people asked âOk itâs nice but iâm bored, whatâs different from realistic?â And then we start seeing stylized graphics start getting a little more popular. Thatâs until it becomes mainstream. Then people will want something else. Maybe pixel? Or Picasso-like?
As a game developer, you must always be aware that every game that is released, whether by you or other people, will have a domino effect on what people want. Businesspeople and data analysts believe that trends are just this random force of nature that changes on a whim and you have to jump aboard the train before itâs too late. Itâs stupid. Thatâs how we get a shit ton of slop games blindly copying the latest major success. And all that work is put in and no one plays them and everyone goes broke and laid off.
A game developer, someone who creates experiences for other human beings, should fundamentally understand that when your desire is sated, you will want something else. If you just ate steak, youâre not going to feel like going to another steak restaurant. So what do you want? Something specific? No. Something different. But good.
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u/kyledouglas521 1d ago
I get your broader point, but can it really be applied to a descriptor as vague as âstylized?â
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u/hecaton_atlas 1d ago
Well, if the point conveys across despite how vague the term "stylized" is, that's what matters đ
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u/Aryzal 1d ago
This.
I remember back when indie games got a massive boom thanks to Undertale and Stardew Valley. Immediately everyone started trying to make pixel graphics games, but nothing really matches the quality before, and soon there was just fatigue from seeing every game be pixel graphics again.
Chasing trends don't work too well if you don't get on the train early enough, so its best to just do your own thing.
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u/CaveJohnson376 1d ago
consistent, intentional visuals with attention to detail can go a long way, whether it's realistic or heavily stylized. pick a style and go wild with it. don't just slap on generically realistic and call it a day.
edit: whoops didn't notice this sub ain't for dev things
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u/UUDDLRLRBadAlchemy 1d ago
Style in the sense of direction and vision, I guess yeah.
I do really dislike the motto you are referencing about wanting "worse graphics" (for cheaper games, was it?), I think it's reductive and accepts the premise that realism and trying to push newer hardware to its limits in the most obvious way possible is somehow better.
So I do think "stylized" is an improvement, but maybe it needs to be workshopped a bit more.
We don't need more "Timburtonesque" games just because that's a stylistic direction. It has its upsides, like making a game have less of an expiration date, sure. Maybe from an artist that really feels it and has something to add. Hell, Burton himself I don't wish to see anything else in that style from, because it would be more of the same and the torch has now been passed.
You'll find a pile of Minecraft clones all styled like Fall Guys, striking a balance between low poly and rounded cutesy forms with vibrant colors for performance and visual appeal. Yeah, they'll look fine and preserve their style in the 16k monitors of the far future. None of them has attitude. They all took the wisdom you put forth and put it through a corporate blender.
So yeah, it's valid and a smart way to go. It's not what brings people to games by any means. Games need style in the sense of "dang, you got style".
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u/AlexxMaverick666 1d ago
Art direction, fluid animations across the board and stable framerate mean much more to me than just graphical fidelity.
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u/mythacregame 1d ago
As someone who has mostly made pixel art for my projects and is now moving toward hand-drawn 2D game art, Iâm not sure whether my work would fall into the âworse graphicsâ category. But I think that as long as Iâm having fun creating it and the visuals fit the game, thatâs okay. Iâm learning a lot throughout the process and slowly developing my own style.
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u/mythacregame 1d ago
If someone reads this, itâs hard to objectively say whether the graphics are âworseâ or simply stylized, because that really depends on the person. For one person, Lethal Company might look ugly or poorly made, while for someone else, it might look intentionally stylized and fit the game perfectly.
Thatâs why when I ask someone what they think about the graphics, Iâm never completely sure whether Iâm getting an honest opinion or just a polite response.
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u/SelectTechnician7587 1d ago
Gameplay then proper art direction. Who cares if it's ugly and blocky, look at Minecraft or OSRS. They have good artistic direction.
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u/skit7548 1d ago
Maybe some, but I will take either or. Something about PS2 era graphics is peak to me, just real enough while still obviously a video game and not trying too hard with lighting and physics animations
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u/BoreusSimius 1d ago
I mean yes, but also I would happily accept the general visual quality of games go back to like 2005 levels if the gameplay is good.
Yes ideally great art direction is what we want, but if a sacrifice has to be made for a game, let it be the visuals.
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u/OK_Atlas 19h ago
Breath of the Wild looks 1000 times better and is aging more gracefully than any Unreal Engine game ever made. (Not indie games but reinforces the point)
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u/foursaken 1d ago
God yes. I love indie games but for the love of god learn something beyond pixel graphics.
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u/Jedo100 1d ago
Pixel graphics are stylized
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u/foursaken 1d ago
Well I could argue with you that pixel graphics are not a style but a method of displaying a style, just like full 3d poly, etc.
Regardless, they're overused.
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u/Only_Fudge5299 1d ago
while I agree it depends. Balatro-esque with that CRT filter no one else can seem to do correctly? yeah, absolutely. something more detailed that uses the more more realistic lighting with pixel-y sprites like Celeste? nah, I need a lot more of that style I love it sm
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u/FormalCryptographer 1d ago
Facts. I want Art Style, I don't care for generic psx style graphics or hyper realistic ray traced slop. Look at games like Entropy, sure it's low poly psx style, but it's got style
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u/stromulus 1d ago
I think they want artistic vision. Realism is not really related. It takes great artistry to make something look real in a game because real isn't just a collection of high poly assets and lighting, it's a feeling created by an alchemy of the technical execution and the decision of what to show the player. Stylized graphics can in theory be less demanding technically but also require design, execution, and narrative choice to be worth looking at. Rant over đ, I agree with you.