Has the Definition of Realism Changed? - RaychelSnr's Blog

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RaychelSnr's Blog

Has the Definition of Realism Changed? Stuck

Posted on March 21, 2011 at 09:50 PM.

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Every now and then, I have to write a blog of this sort to get the blood boiling among OS faithful and to seek your input on the more intricate issues of our genre.

The baseball games are where I'm laying my thesis down this week, as I think they provide a prime example of how the definition of realism in our genre (and perhaps all of video games) has changed in the last five years.

We have gone from gameplay being the standard bearer of realism to the overall package being what we consider concerning how a game is realistic.

Gameplay used to dominated the discussion whether a specific game was realistic, nowadays the tone of those same discussions is noticeably different.

Graphics, animations, commentary, crowd noise, plays, controls.

Oh, and gameplay.

Not to say gameplay is an afterthought. It's not -- but to say that a game that plays well is automatically realistic in this day and age isn't quite getting 'it' either it seems.

Some people who have yet to play MLB: The Show (or who vehemently insist that MLB 2K is just as good) have brought up an argument that graphics don't equal realism -- which was the case five to seven years ago when graphics couldn't equal realism because they simply weren't good enough.

Fast forward to 2011.

What makes you feel more into a game?

Player models being right, good animations, good atmosphere, solid gameplay.

This is the era where realism has finally changed it's definition from simply gameplay to something more inclusive of all of the aspects of a game. The PS2 was a fine console, as was the XBox: however neither could push the realistic barriers and boundaries the consoles of today can.

Seven years ago, it was cool to see a player with a batting stance and a general player model that looked vaguely like Alex Rodriguez standing at the plate. Today, I'm disappointed if Alexi Ogando's pitching motion doesn't look right.

Which is why I can't stand to play MLB 2K11 in lieu of The Show.

And it's why I think MLB 2K11 isn't receiving the type of praise it could -- it features generic player models and stances/deliveries. It's hard to call yourself authentic when the competition has twice the content you do -- kind of the same thing as buying a Chevy Aveo and bragging to your neighbor who just bought a Corvette.

The whole concept of realism has shifted because gameplay is, for all intents and purposes, easy to nail to a certain extent in today's console world -- at the very least it's expected to be solid. No AAA sports title really misses the boat in terms of gameplay these days, at least those which are expecting to succeed. When they do miss the boat (NBA Elite) they are completely thrown out to sea forever.

So has the meaning of realism shifted from something that simply meant gameplay to something that includes the entire package?

While this is a subjective argument of semantics because one man's realism is another man's unrealistic arcadey mess, I'd argue realism has changed and the expectations on developers to deliver has changed.

But as they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

So what do you think? What is your definition of realism as we had into the best time of the year (MLB Season) in 2011? Has your definition of realism changed?

Comments

# 1 FroznYogurt @ Mar 21

Great read, and I agree, it's the little intricacies that help make games much more realistic than what they once were.

# 2 khaliib @ Mar 21

To me the definition of Realism is "Total Game Customization".

With sports games, we are at this point because of so many perspectives about what is Real.

I understand wanting to protect your product, but in today's video game generation, Developers will have to eventually loosen the grip to grab the limited funds in gamers pockets.

Again, Realism is "Total Gamer Customization" for Sports Games today.

# 3 statum71 @ Mar 21

While I agree gameplay is first and foremost, its not the first thing I look at anymore. Mostly because I've come to "expect" nice gameplay and graphics from most sports games.

But presentation is a whole different story. We have games that almost come to "life" on screen like NBA 2K11 and The Shows and NHLs of the world. But then again there are games that don't even seem to bother to make the game come across like a real-life TV presentation.

I won't name any games.

# 4 leafs nation @ Mar 21

I'm with you. I feel gameplay is huge but I find it to be pretty good in the Show already. The look of the game is huge to me as well and I feel the Show is one of the best looking games ever. I think expanding the stat overlays and things like that would be a good addition to future releases.

# 5 jsquigg @ Mar 21

Wow, quite a few one sentence paragraphs in there. Aren't stances and player motions vital to game play? The games that have the best graphics are generally the games that have already built a foundation around game play in my opinion. Gamers used to have a choice between the pretty but dumb game and the game that was a graphical wart but statistically brilliant. We can now have our cake and eat it, except that gamers now whine about things that are relatively minute in comparison.

# 6 raiders81tim @ Mar 21

Everyone is different I guess. But I judge a games realism on it's gameplay alone. It's all about doing your best to replicate what would have actually happened in real life. Imo MLB the Show does a good job at this. As well as NBA 2K11. The rest of the sports titles we play have some work to do.

# 7 leafs nation @ Mar 21

I think it would help to put some more thought into celebrations and reactions to possible playoff birth clinching games. World series winners and some dynamic commentary for these types of situations.

# 8 ARMORALLL @ Mar 22

The hardest thing to capture as far as realism in baseball games is the managing AI!

# 9 MukaMuka @ Mar 22

Seven years ago, it was cool to see a player with a batting stance and a general player model that looked vaguely like Alex Rodriguez standing at the plate. Today, I'm disappointed if Alexi Ogando's pitching motion doesn't look right.

Which is why I can't stand to play MLB 2K11 in lieu of The Show.

Well, before if you play Pro Yakyu Spirits, you might be fine with MLB The Show where everybody swings and follows through the exact same way. There might be 4 or 5 follow-throughs and a few no-doubter homerun animations but that's it. They might have the batter stances nailed down, but the personality and individuality stops there.

On the other hand, Pro Yakyu Spirits must have at least 50 differnet kinds of swings and follow-through's. The Ichiro stance alone comes with 4 or 5 different swing animations (1 for opposite field hit, 1 for pulled hit, 1 for slapping balls below the zone, 1 for homerun, etc)! There are unique swing animations for ALL the superstars, and there are separate swing animations and follow throughs for contact hitters, slap hitters, power hitters, power hitting FOREIGNERS, etc depending on the type of hit (away, pull, low, high, etc). It's mind blowing.

I hope American games will start to work on what happens AFTER the batter settles in the box with his stance. Starting in 2012, at least give star players their own swing animations.

# 10 Blitzburgh @ Mar 22

So what do you think? What is your definition of realism as we head into the best time of the year (MLB Season) in 2011? Has your definition of realism changed?

Yeah, I think it really depends on how old the gamer is and if they have actually played the sport. Plus, how much they really love the sport. To me if you are younger, play the game in real life and love that particular sport then you want/expect it all.

For me I did all of those things but I am now older at 41. So I expect a fun game that is quicker to get through and looks good at the same time. That is why mlb2k11 works for me. It looks good not great and if it did look great and animate better this game could easily be up for game of the year.

# 11 turftickler @ Mar 22

Well, 7 years ago, we had ESPN NFL 2k5 and Madden NFL 2004/2005. That's where realism ended for football video games. Sure the graphics and little extras are cool in Madden NFL and NCAA football games, but the game is the worst of any football game ever. It simply is not realistic; very arcadic in fact.

So yes, gameplay should still come first and I disagree that gameplay on current consoles for sports games is where it should be.

The only other example of realism is Backbreaker because of the real-time physics and basic football fundamentals.

# 12 SHAKYR @ Mar 22

Great write up as always. This is what realism is to me... Player models being right, good animations, good atmosphere, solid gameplay.

# 13 tril @ Mar 22

Realsim is in the eye of the Developers, and the gamers are at their mercy!!

The Show is realistic, if you like your games to feel like a "Lazy Sunday afternoon", which can lead to wanting to take a cat nap.
The developers have clearly made an effort to create this type of atmosphere, which doesnt bode well for ****** baseball fans. The 3 hour marathon feel doesnt work well for alot of ****** fans.

I had the same criticism about the NBA2k11 title. The game doesnt play well for ****** gamers and young kids, granted 2k11 did include a casuual game mode, but even then the game was a bit complicated and too realistic for ******s.

These developers are starting to get away from what makes sports, sports for ****** gamers and kids. These 2 core groups see sports and remember sports as a highlight package. Most ******s dont care about the infield shifting to the right on defense or playing deep or shallow in the outfield.

The lack of highlights becoming the norm in sports gaming, will eventually kill the market.

# 14 Dogslax41 @ Mar 22

tril @ Mar 22 (29 Minutes Ago)
Realsim is in the eye of the Developers, and the gamers are at their mercy!!

The Show is realistic, if you like your games to feel like a "Lazy Sunday afternoon", which can lead to wanting to take a cat nap.
The developers have clearly made an effort to create this type of atmosphere, which doesnt bode well for ****** baseball fans. The 3 hour marathon feel doesnt work well for alot of ****** fans.

I had the same criticism about the NBA2k11 title. The game doesnt play well for ****** gamers and young kids, granted 2k11 did include a casuual game mode, but even then the game was a bit complicated and too realistic for ******s.

These developers are starting to get away from what makes sports, sports for ****** gamers and kids. These 2 core groups see sports and remember sports as a highlight package. Most ******s dont care about the infield shifting to the right on defense or playing deep or shallow in the outfield.

The lack of highlights becoming the norm in sports gaming, will eventually kill the market.

-----------
These two sports games along with Pro Evo Soccer are the only sports games that I play for this very reason. Honestly this is why they have games like NBA Jam and The Bigs. I don't want arcade coming into sim games just so the producer can sell more just like I wouldn't expect Jam and Bigs fans to want simulation coming into the arcade arena. Let me have my game while you have yours, don't demand mine change just because you like some of the features that mine has.

# 15 queensbomber @ Mar 22

This a great article.
Everyone praises MVP 2005, myself included, as the "Michael Jordan" of virtual baseball.
So far its the best game in last decade to keep all its gamers satisfied over and over.
I myself played 2 and a half seasons on it (full 162 games played each season) til I switched to next gen console.

Well what made it so successful?
Gameplay was tight, not overly difficult. Bit of a learning curve but almost everyone loved it.
Graphics were good, not amazing. They flowed well with the gameplay.
Player faces were good, swing animations were great, pitching, fielding animations just made it look natural.
Shadows, lighting.
Overlays, user interface were very easy to navigate through.
Controls were seamless and smooth.
AI was smart

The overall experience you had with it was "FUN"
It was really fun to play. A game took me about an hour, maybe more, maybe less.
I agree the show has really realistic gameplay, graphics, but it does take me about 3 hours to complete.
2K is a bit more on the time frame I like but the bugs and "jaggies" wow! no way!
Im currently play the show but traded in some old games for 2K also but ultimately,

both games leave me unsatisfied!

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