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Can making a game too realistic actually make it less fun?

A topic by t0m_ok created 32 days ago Views: 394 Replies: 14
Viewing posts 1 to 7

I've been thinking about this quite a bit recently: at what point does realism actually start making a game worse?

Especially with simulation or management games, it's tempting to recreate everything as accurately as possible. Real systems are complicated though. They involve waiting around, repetitive tasks, things happening outside your control, and sometimes just... nothing happening for a while.

Obviously you can simplify all of that, but then there's the opposite problem where a "simulator" starts feeling more like an arcade game with a realistic theme.

I'm curious how other developers approach this.

Do you generally prioritise realism and then remove the parts that aren't fun, or build something fun first and add realism afterwards?

And have you ever implemented something realistically, played it, and immediately realised it was absolutely terrible gameplay?

It depends, if you only focus on graphics, it will be less fun. What you need is a balance. Some games are so fun even with bad graphics. For example packman or Mario. Also like Minecraft, if you put shaders, it will get a bit boring even the game you are playing is same.  (If you are talking about real life graphics )


In simulations, you need to make sure the same scene isn't loading 100 times. There must be something even a little bit unique element. In real life simulations, may be you can change the environment a bit, or lighting or even the weather. That creates a big difference. (If you are talking about real life realism)

Yeah I definitely agree that variety makes a massive difference. I was thinking more about realism in terms of gameplay/mechanics rather than graphics though, like whether accurately recreating waiting, repetition or complicated real-life systems can actually make a simulator less enjoyable to play.

If you are trying to impliment realistic wait times, then you should avoid it. It makes the game boring if not implemented well. Like in games like GTA, player can do side quests while the waiting time is going on. If you can implement this then the real-life system you are talking about will work well.

Yeah, giving the player something meaningful to do during the wait is probably the key. I think there's also a difference between the player waiting and the world waiting, in a management game, things can realistically take ages in the background while you're busy dealing with everything else.

In management games, someone isn't waiting for a specific email for hours, they check other emails until they get the reply. 

That's right some games are purely based on patience, the key is not to let the player stay idle.

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It depends.

Generally, trying to make something realistic—just for the sake of realism—is a bad idea, because it often ends up being boring or uninteresting.

It is a different story when you have a clear objective for your game and realism is part of that ultimate goal.

For instance, if you are creating an Apollo Guidance Computer simulator, the people playing it will likely be looking for realism (though, admittedly, I doubt it would be a very popular game).

Another example would be a pinball simulator; again, players of that genre look for a simulation that faithfully replicates a real table.

On the other hand, there are pinball games that completely disregard real-world physics yet are still very fun.

So, whether or not to aim for realism depends on your game's objective. If adding realism conflicts with your goal or fails to add anything of interest for your players, it is better to leave it out; conversely, if it will make your game more entertaining, then you should certainly include it.

Yeah I think that’s a really good way of looking at it. Realism probably works best when it actually serves the point of the game rather than just being there because it’s technically possible to simulate it.

I especially like the pinball comparison because both approaches can work, they’re just trying to achieve completely different things. I suppose the difficult bit is figuring out which realistic details actually add to the experience and which ones are just making the player do extra work 😭

I favor creating games that are fun or build a significant experience rather than creating something realistic.

Yeah I think I’m leaning towards that too. Realism can definitely help build the experience, but if being realistic actively makes the game less enjoyable then it’s probably defeating the point 😭

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I prefer to sacrifice realism to gain freedom and fun.

Though as for your question, it really depends on definition of fun. If fun could be achieved by realistic mechanics, then why not apply realism there?

Yeah definitely. I think “fun” is probably too broad to have one answer anyway. For some people the fun is literally learning and mastering a ridiculously realistic system, while for others that would be awful 😭

I suppose realism is just another tool really. If it adds something to the experience, use it. If it starts restricting the player without adding anything interesting, sacrifice it.

I think this is a question of balance between suspension of disbelief and rule of cool. With a bit of necessary game play and mechanics mixed in.

If an added realism advances the story, enhances the experience it might be good. If it distracts from the core game, or raises consistency problems, that's less good.

Like, if this thing in the game world is so and so, why is this other similar thing in the game world handled so differently. Or, if there is night and day, but it has no consequences, why add it. For realism, or just for fluff. Or is it actually a game mechanic in disguise.

If certain aspects of realism are the core of a game, bringing in other realistic things - just because they are realistic - begs the question where to stop. Will you make the player have the avatar breathe in and out and go on toilet breaks next? There is a thing called feature creep. And I believe it can apply to realism in games.

I played a game called Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator. It had you physically move your controller in ways to simulate the actions of the devices. Like handling mortar and pestle. Stirring a kettle. That's ... interesting about once or twice for the novelty. After that it's just not fun.

Can making a game too realistic actually make it less fun?

Yes. Not only less fun. It can make a game unplayable. A game is per definition an escape from reality. Bringing too much reality into the game will defeat the purpose at some point.

Where that point is, is different for each player and depends a lot on the genre. A stamp collector simulator game will have different expectations than a business tycoon simulator. But if you introduce the need to go to the toilet in the game as an added realism, both target audiences might give you a confuse look.

If on the other hand you have a game where a mechanic is, that your hero will replenish mana by drinking lots of wine, adding intoxication and the occasional toilet break will be a nod to that mechanic. But most people would probably also accept the suspension of disbelief, that heros do such things offscreen. If the intoxication or the toilet break has negative consequences and there are different means to refill mana, it would add a new complexity to that mechanic. If that is what you want to add, is another question. But if you do not add these things, why bother to call the mana replenisher a wine bottle in the first place. It could be little blue gems floating in the air.

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I really like the point about feature creep applying to realism too. I hadn't really thought of it that way, but once you start simulating one thing accurately it becomes very easy to think "well, I could simulate this too..." and suddenly you're modelling toilet breaks 😭

The Potion Craft example is a good one as well. Something can feel really immersive the first few times, but if the player has to repeat it constantly then realism can basically turn into busywork.

I think that's probably the balance I'm trying to find. Keep the realistic systems where they actually create interesting decisions or consequences, but let the boring parts happen "offscreen" where possible.

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I don't think we give enough credit to the player's imagination; or ability for suspension of disbelief.  Less is more.  Inventory management is one of those things that gets me.  I think that a lot of the fantasy genre gets it wrong in putting too much focus onto inventory management, weight and encumbrance.  It's often just an inconsequential obstruction, to have walk back and forth to some vendor.  It achieves the opposite effect of immersing me in the games story, putting focus on "why would any game designer think this was how a hero would be spending their time", or "is this bit of the hero's time that the audience should care about".   To be genre is to be deeply entrenched in cultural habit I suppose.  In my own design, I would prioritize fun, and then bend any story telling to match.  Let the audiences mind selectively fill the wholes, and conveniently ignore what's really not important.  Look at Cook Serve Delicious for example.  We could call that a management sim, where you cook?  Except it's just a keyboardist training game, with a food theme.  But no one cares.  It's fun to press B (for bun) and then P (for patty), and they C (for cheese) and watch a cartoon ham burger slap together.  Nothing about it is anything like cooking.  I don't care, I can feel the heat from the deep fryer now!