Reality bites

[Guest Aiylyn]

What's the big hairy deal about new computer games being "realistic"? It's not like we don't have enough REALITY already -- we're LIVING in it. Isn't computer games (such as Doom) supposed to be an escape from the mindless drudgery of living life? When I play games, I don't want to be reminded of the real world at ALL - i want to see weapons I wouldn't see in real life, I want to see monsters that couldn't exist, I want to see some fantastic explosions that would kill me instantly. I want to solve fantastic puzzles that you just can't get in real life. I want to immerse myself in something DIFFERENT. Now we have a game called "The Sims" where virtually everything is tailored to be as close to real-life situations as possible! Why would you want to pay money to do something that you do in real life, and it's not even the real thing? Screw realistic-ness, go for just plain COOL, the more fantastic and imaginative, the better.

Agree/Disagree?

[Lüt]

Some people like their games to be real-life sims so they can do things they otherwise couldn't in their everyday lives.

[Shaviro]

Go to ICQ Lüt! I wanna make you pull a STPHRZ!

[stphrz]

Die. Slow and in pain if possible :P

[Shaviro]

Stphrz. Oh the hell with it. Nevermind. Carry on :|

[Captain Skippy]

[Grul]

As a true fantasy-enthusiast, I like games that are way off reality. The important thing is however that all "non-realistic" games retain at least some connection with a concept that the player can identify himself with, such as that fantasy novels often (or almost always) are based on a medieval-like scenario. "Realistic" games can, as Lüt says, provide a thrill in the fact that they resemble reality and that they enable you to do things you wouldn't otherwise because they're too violent, perverted, horrendous or in any other way odd.

I do like stuff that depicts another world or a non-realistic scenario, such as Doom, more than "realistic" games. Both types have their own thrill. It is of course a matter of taste which you choose.