14 DAY TRIAL // Irrational Games, the studio behind the upcoming BioShock Infinite shooter, has talked about graphics in games and has revealed that, while it understands the urge to deliver photorealistic visuals, it's much more comfortable when it tries to bring a more stylized experience to the player.
BioShock Infinite is one of the biggest upcoming titles of the year and developer Irrational has impressed many not just with the unique floating city setting but also with the stylized visuals of the first-person shooter.
According to Irrational's Design Director, Bill Gardner, the studio isn't interested in pursuing photorealistic visuals even if it understands the fact that some gamers might be interested in accurate visuals.
"I think from my perspective, it's maybe because there's a misconception that that's what gamers want and that's all they want. And to some degree it's true: you get the latest drivers and the latest video cards and you really want to show what your beast can do. So what better way to do that than to say "hey this is New York City!" and to show the latest greatest game with all the settings cranked up. Realism sells that, I think," he told CVG.
Even so, Irrational set out from the beginning to deliver a stylized experience that's not exact photorealistic, but it is still offering a great time for the eyes of gamers who've gotten tired of other titles.
"You look at Elizabeth, and she's by no means super ultra photorealistic. That's not our goal, it's about making her relatable and believable and lovable. I think there's plenty here [in Infinite] that would make you want to crank up the graphics card all the way and crank up all the options, but I think as an industry it's the misconception [that gamers want realism] mixed with taking the easy road."
"It's by no means easy trying to create photorealistic graphics, but if you're trying to strive for that goal and to also mix in a crazy aesthetic that may be the exact juxtaposition to photorealistic? Yeah, I can see how that would be a hurdle for you. Certainly it's an interesting quest to try to get photorealism, but it's just not something that we're interested in."
BioShock Infinite will be released later this month and, as we saw in recent videos, its stylized graphics will deliver an impressive visual experience.