Realism

the game world. In this way, the improved quality of representation made possible by technology in

recent years may help artists develop and better portray their ideas.

In fact, as computer graphics evolve, virtual space in video game has become more detailed and, in many

cases, more realistic. In reference to the visual style, what is important is that the artwork is eye-catching

and contribute to impress user and to arouse its interest, so that the user can fully immerse and feel the

presence in the virtual space. In the realm of video game representation different visual styles can be

employed.

According to game scholar Aki Järvinen (2008) there are three categories of graphical style that have

dominated game industry for years:

1. Realism or photorealistic style.

2. Caricaturism or stylized

3. Abstract style or abstractionism.

Realism

Realistic depiction has been used extensively in several creative forms, including architecture. It was

often utilized in art until the eighteenth century to authentically depict reality. Realistic visualizations

have been increasingly popular in architecture in recent decades, not only to communicate with clients

and to exhibit architecture and details, but also to visualize the impact of buildings in real-world settings.

Since their creation, video games have strived to portray the game world as closely as possible to the

actual world. In the game environment, realistic representation implies accurate proportions, scaling,

physics, and precise portrayal of surfaces and materials. Because the quality of graphical representation

is determined by technical innovation and computer performance, it has only been feasible in recent

decades to add more and more details to the game world and obtain a deeper level of realism thanks to

technological advancements. The amount of polygons, texture, lighting, and animation are four primary

components of realism in video games (Guide to Realistic Game Art, 2015), all of which are a direct result

of advanced technologies.

Most modern 3D video games employ the rasterization approach, however in order to generate highly

realistic or photorealistic settings, the game industry has lately shifted to the ray tracing technique,

which necessitates the use of increasingly powerful computer processors. From a technical standpoint,

realism necessitates technological innovation and high-performance devices in areas such as highly

detailed environment representation or factual representations (by employing photogrammetry, which

records detailed information about objects), as well as character mechanics, object dynamics, and

decision-making. In this view, realism is multifaceted, including the following subcategories:

1. Representational realism related to the characters, objects and environments emulated from the

real world and; it includes details, textures, ambient lighting, atmosphere, weather elements,

sounds, wind effects etc.

2. Behavioral realism relates to actions, motions, dynamics, and behavior simulated based on real

life.

Representational realism includes graphics (texture, light, dynamics of the virtually build environments

sound and physics simulation. Behavioral realism is concerned with the player's interactions with the

game world and the consequences of those interactions. Both of these aspects are linked to simulation

and artificial intelligence.

Figure 114 Dimensions of realism and game elements

Since video games are not static 3d word representations, the mechanics of action and objects dynamics

(including ambient simulation are very important as they mirror actions and dynamics of the real world.

By doing so, they import animated details of the real-word (character expressions, character movements

such as walking, combating, running, hunting, etc. in the game world. In action game genre’s players prefer realistic representation that replicate actions or objects motion in the real world using simulation

techniques ( ex. Flight simulation; hunting challenge in Red Dead Redemption, etc.

Figure 115 Representational phases of characters visual realism