Game environments, Graphics, and Game Play.

With the new Nvidia graphics card that we all saw render a human head, I think we're all looking at our computers with a bit of an inferiority complex. I mean c'mon. Lets be honest. But I think we should look at a different aspect to all this advancement  What are we sacrificing when we pursue graphics in lue of gameplay mechanics or innovation?

When a company sits down to make a game, they have a limited number of resources. Time, people, required features that have to make it into the game, and money to pay for it all. So the company needs to decide what to invest their resources into. So when a company starts to invest more into graphics, that means they have less they can invest into mechanics and testing and other pieces of the game. Graphics have become exponentially expensive to create in high definition. Why don't we see expansions like Heart of the Swarm, or sequels like Half Life 3 come out within a few years? Cause they're working on them. And it takes a long time.

What we're seeing is the new kids on the gaming block (indie game makers) are usually pretty pregen graphically. Lets be honest, if a company like EA made a game with Atomic Zombie Smasher's looks we might possibly reach a new level of hate for them. Now when I say pregen graphics I just mean that they aren't 1080p, melt your card good. They can be totally satisfying for the game it's self, just not cutting edge.

Deus Ex is pretty.

But major companies, like Bethesda, are always pushing the envelop for what can be done. Look at the recent games that came out over the past two years. Masseffect 3, Killzone, Skyrim, all have been beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous games. I remember playing Skyrim for the first time and being blown away by the aesthetics of it just in the beginning scene alone!

But that sort of thing comes at a price. You either have to give something up, or make a game so good you earn enough money to cover the cost of production and then some. Lets use Skyrim as an example.

It took 90 developers, three and a half years and cost roughly 85,000,000 bucks to make. That not something that you, me, or anyone else could have done on our own time in our basement. To make a product of Skyrim's caliber, you need lots of resources.

Like most of my prom dates, FTL isn't
the best lookin', but she sure is fun
when you turn her on.

However lets look at Faster Then Light, one of my favorite games. It took two guys a couple months and $200,000 to make a game that damn sure made more then two hundred thousand dollars. Why did it sell though? Well it sold cause it was a damn fun game to play. Not because the graphics were cutting edge, not because it had all new guns and weapon attachments (looking at you COD) but just because it was a simply over all solid experience.

Skyrim took in $620,000,000. If we punch it into the calculator we get the initial investment of $85,000,000 got 7.29 times it's self in returns.

I couldn't find the exact amount FTL made but my guess is it's return rate was much higher then 7.29.

My whole premise is that graphics should be a secondary objective after fun and engrossing gameplay. And I think the market agree's with me on this one.