The Real Deal, Video Game Realism

Imagine you’re sat in front of the television one evening and you come across an advert showing a guy wearing sunglasses and a cycling helmet. We watch him as he takes a sip from his flask, which blocks sun rays as it appears on screen. We watch him approach his bicycle, his shadow reaching it before him as if already claiming ownership over it. Then we watch him cycle along some long, empty road which snakes through scenery we thought belonged only in landscape paintings. And yet, how real it all seems!

You think about your bicycle in the garage, probably still slumped beneath your weight lifting equipment, none of which you use anymore. You get the thought, maybe I should take up cycling again. At the end of the advert, you see a PS3 logo. The thought is immediately tainted. That guy in the cycling helmet isn’t telling you to cycle. He’s telling you to buy a video game.

Realism has perhaps always been a factor in many video games. These days it is still satisfying to see human characters behaving like the people we see in real life. It is especially exciting to see them as if they convey certain unique traits; twirling of the hair, picking of the nose, biting of the fingernails.

But in many video games, it seems there is a moment when realism ends and imagination begins. In the Silent Hill series, the character models were often noted for their realism by how they conveyed their emotions, but the situation they found themselves in was (thankfully) realms of the imagination. If there was no imagination in Silent Hill, it would be as if we were watching computer generated reality TV.

What’s funny is that it seems some video games rely solely on realism to persuade their target audience, whoever that might be, into buying their product. The upcoming racing title, Need for Speed Shift, currently has a promotional video on its website in which you can input your name and upload a photo of yourself. Should you choose to do this, you will then be allowed to view your video and discover the clever way in which it uses your data. For those too shy to do so, allow me to give you a summary of what happens.

We see much of the video from the eyes of the driver. For the sake of sanity, let’s assume the driver is a guy. We watch as he takes his gloves, exchanges glances and shakes hands with others. Some people take his photo, while others applaud him. He reaches what appears to be his car which is still surrounded by folks who are busy maintaining it, attaching the tyres and so on. The next thing we see is the name you inputted printed alongside the vehicle, which then drives off.

In his car, the driver reaches the starting grid, where a woman with a sign showing your inputted name is waiting for him. As he gets out of the car, she approaches him and hands him the photo you uploaded. He signs it with the name you inputted. Finally, he gets back in the car, the race begins and we are immediately treated to footage from Need for Speed Shift.

It occurs to me that what seems to be important here is not how the video uses your data, but to put across to the viewer how well real life footage and video game footage blend with one another. The data is there as back up, convincing the viewer they are in the driving seat, which only reinforces this notion.

In another upcoming title, Tony Hawk: Ride uses exactly the same technique in its trailers; swapping real life skating with video game skating. While Tony Hawk: Ride appears a little more imaginative than Need for Speed Shift, with thanks to its virtual skateboards all showing neon streaks in a similar way moving objects in comics show exhaust fumes, its realism is most emphasised in the wheel deficient ‘skateboard’ you use to play this game. Not only will it be a new way to play a Tony Hawks game, it will also supposedly be the “truest skateboard video game experience” yet.

In one video on the Tony Hawk: Ride website, Pro Skaters talk about the game and primarily seem to focus on the realism of the board. In a related trailer, we are told skateboarding is “Total freedom” and “Creativity”. If people want the “total freedom” and “creativity” of a real skateboarding experience, then why don’t we just tell those people to buy a skateboard? The same goes for race driving. If you want the thrill of race driving, why not just aim to do it in real life?

If you’re unable to drive or skate – fine. I get that. If you’re terrified of injury – fine. I get that too. What I don’t get is why the promotional stuff relating to these games doesn’t really focus on those audiences and why it instead tries to dazzle us with realism. If all we wanted was reality, we wouldn’t have bought a games console in the first place.