There’s a noticeable portion of the gaming community that stresses gameplay over visuals, often noting that graphics are not important. To this cross-section, Bethesda’s Pete Hines has but one thing to say — you’re a liar, liar, pants on fire.
“There’s a lot of people who say graphics don’t matter. To them I usually say ‘you’re lying’,” said the developer on the latest OXM Podcast. “[People] will look at a screenshot and make a snap decision: ‘that looks awesome’, or ‘I’m not interested’. So if you can make something look amazing just at first glance, it’s so much easier to get them.”
I definitely agree that graphics are an important factor for many gamers, especially since visuals are all we have before a game becomes playable. However, you then get something like Deadly Premonition — which became a cult hit despite its visuals — and I think it’s fair to say that graphics are certainly not the be-all, end-all.
I know I prefer a game that’s fun to play in spite of lacking visuals to something that boasts stunning graphics but absolutely nothing else. As a studio that has been using GameBryo for the past few years, you’d think Bethesda would know all about gameplay beating graphics.
Bethesda: If you say graphics don’t matter, you’re probably lying [CVG]
