In Defense of Imagination - When to NOT Tell the Whole Story to Players - Extra Credits

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Beautiful visuals and spell-binding stories can be found in games even without photorealistic, over-wrought intensity. We look at examples like Undertale, Dark Souls, and even Overwatch as examples of how "imagination gaps" can be intentionally designed as a jumping-off point to engage the player even more than if everything was laid out at the start.
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[@extrahistory]

If the reason we pursue "fidelity" and "immersion" is because we don't trust players to understand what's going on unless everything is spelled out for them, we eliminate the single greatest tool we have for creating games: human imagination.

[@pyeitme508]

Please make video about Ghost Recon Breakpoint or The Division 2 please?!

[@annoyingcat6980]

And like

[@armaholic5949]

I mean, some people like realistic games while others prefer different types of games, I believe both should exist

[@Houseballey]

maybe i'm too cynical, but making imagination obsolete is needed for SOME of the frankly unimaginative games that are pushed nowadays.

[@Gamelycan]

No mention of Dwarf Fortress? Things happen and you are left to ponder why. Like why Humans would attack a fort that, since their first interaction, had been extremely generous and welcoming to them.

[@Xx_BoogieBomber_xX]

Dwarf Fortress is one of the most immersive games I've ever played. And it's literally just ASCII text

[@NochSoEinKaddiFan]

I think the actual porblem is, that you can't throw money at the problems of good story and good mechanics. They either work or they don't. If you focus all of your attention on marketing and polishing graphics, the game itself becomes shallow. The most exciting mods for minecraft are not the graphic updates, it is the industrial craft and thaumcraft stuff that pushes the envelope of what is possible in this world. If the mechanic and the story grips you, you start to not care how it looks.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Squidward, we don't need a television. Not as long as we have our... *Imagination*

[@michaelarchangel3545]

Avery The Cuban-American how are you in every video i watch?

[@rpamungkas13]

@@michaelarchangel3545 It's called "Birds of a feather flock together"

[@michaelarchangel3545]

R Pamungkas true. We have the same taste in yt vids

[@anthonynorman7545]

🌈 👐

[@michaelkindt3288]

Michael Archangel, The 2 of u r soulm8s, _u’re destined 2 b 2gether!_

[@serialkillerwhale]

Dark Souls: Here's a dude with three masks Fanbase: [HUGE SAD BACKSTORY]

[@MetaBloxer]

I don't see a problem here, tbh.

[@serialkillerwhale]

@@MetaBloxer Me neither.

[@insertname252]

“No other multiplayer shooter” _cries in TF2_

[@Rocketboy1313]

I would say that Team Fortress 2's lore is far less well known outside of the short videos that characterize the individual classes... And as far as I know, none of them have names outside of their class, while all of the Overwatch characters have names, back stories... there is just more to them that interested audience members can dig into.

[@insertname252]

Rocketboy 1313 Read the comics

[@schildiish]

cries in timesplitters

[@kitsamkit2346]

Cries in Destiny 2

[@Chivi-chivik]

Cries in Splatoon

[@KaptenAmurika]

Immersion is when you can come up with a reason for why something happened in a game, then later, look back and realize the game never actually told you what happened.

[@CircleTheSkies]

The drive to "connect the dots" is a serious one in the human mind; doing so is almost (well, perhaps not 'almost', considering conspiracy theorists) addictive.

[@nickolas474]

Hm, I think this whole topic really hearkens back to that episode on a game's aesthetics (vs graphics). The immersion of The Witcher 3, for instance, certainly benefitted from a beauty that its predecessors lacked because the graphical fidelity helped sell the aesthetic. I think you'll probably be fine as long as you design with a _purpose_ in mind.

[@enderspirit5238]

Hollow Knight is also insanely good in term of imagination asked to player to complete the lore by himself.

[@markguyton2868]

You know you're playing a good game when the fist 2 thing that come to your head are "where am I?" and "hey what's that?"

[@insaincaldo]

Hollow knight is also a posterboy for keeping life in genres of games which have always been great at letting us ask and imagine more then we are shown and told.

[@rileyl2046]

Unless you're matpat who's just plain wrong.

[@stevenneiman9789]

Honestly, I don't think there's really any praise of Dark Souls that doesn't apply at least as well to Hollow Knight.

[@SystemBD]

I consider Hollow Knight a superb 2D Souls game. Which is funny... because the Souls series was heavily inspired by 2D Metroidvanias. You might say that the cycle is now complete... but I would say it's more like an spiral, where developers are getting closer and closer to perfection with each step.

[@adamharris306]

I feel like the Pokemon series has kind of achieved this. With simple sprites/models, players really need to imagine how these creatures act in the world they're in.

[@kevingriffith6011]

And then the pokedex goes and turns the whimsical world of pokemon into a terrifying nightmare.

[@feathero3]

Even in the newer games that display more of the Poke'mon and their moves, I still picture how the entire battle plays out with my imagination. Thinking of silly reasons why a move could miss a sleeping Poke'mon, or thinking of awesome ways a move would be considered a critical hit.

[@Steelcrow81]

I agree, but try explaining that to the people who feel betrayed and enraged with Game Freak because Pokemon Sword/Shield has some sub-par assets and missing battle animations.

[@connordarvall8482]

@@Steelcrow81 It's only really annoying because they said that creating those high-quality animations (which they did not create) was the reason why half the Pokedex is missing. It's not the graphics, it's the lie that gets people.

[@insaincaldo]

@@connordarvall8482 Damn, is Nintendo smothering a child?

[@falcore91]

Naturally I need to point out that BOTW should be in the success list. Items are all rendered, yes. But the game encourages you to explore, to experiment, and to discover. Additionally a lot of “missing lore” is present by means of ruins. Discovering ruins of what might have been Lon Lon ranch so long ago, encountering statues of mysterious female guardians in Gerudo territory, etc.

[@GhostPuddle]

For half a second I thought BOTW stood for BlOons ToWer Defense

[@GhostPuddle]

@SleepyWolf Yeah I know, right?

[@gg1k]

@@GhostPuddle lmao

[@Daemonworks]

Overwatch's video shorts are far more interesting to me than the actual game...

[@arronalt]

Agreed

[@eliteal2188]

tf2's are better

[@Aklipse47]

@@eliteal2188 agreed

[@AhmedKhan-io7qk]

agreed, i dont even play the game anymore but i love watching all the shorts

[@Aklipse47]

@@AhmedKhan-io7qk the game is getting a lot better tho. With the addition of 2-2-2 , role queue, and nerfs to the unkillable monster that was Brigitte the game is getting much beter

[@RizaBochiza]

Omg, it's so mind-numbingly boring being forced to learn so much lore. It's so much better to figure things out naturally and organically. Excellent video. This needed to be said, and even though I kinda already knew it, I needed to hear it. Thank you.

[@jondoe5937]

The problem is that graphical fidelity is considered just an extension of the marketing budget because screenshots and videos are a pivotal part of advertisement. Hyper-realistic visuals isn't necessarily just about cutting out imagination, but providing flashier, eye-catching visuals that are intended to sell a game. It's why some games (like Witcher 3) get "downgraded" after their pre-release coverage, or screenshots get touched up to be somewhere between blatant lies and generously-padded truthfulness.

[@badreddinekasmi8919]

I can see the point being made however I believe it's quite badly brought up. Instead of talking about how modern games can learn stylisation from older video games who were forced to rely on very low quality graphics this seems more like a big "in the good ol' times we imagined our armor". The video should have had at it's center a talk about stylization and creative "vageuness" rather then straight up talking about graphics for a whole 5 minutes before delving into something more interesting with Dark Souls

[@baptistelasbats3952]

completely agree

[@zalanmarkus4939]

Team Fortress 2 did the same kind of storytelling as Overwatch YEARS before overwatch

[@dukegallant3057]

Kinda weird how they always forget that TF2 exists

[@TehGenericGuy]

@@dukegallant3057 Hell even Valve forgets TF2 exists sometimes

[@lunag.1521]

i think that valve has just forgotten tf2.

[@soul-5]

less hypocrite/overinclusive, which i preferred.

[@gunjfur8633]

@@TehGenericGuy Oof...

[@JustinY.]

*Laughs in Kenshi and Rimworld*

[@legotoolboxtheepic202]

Shoo

[@pyrojinn]

Those game doesn’t have a story. At all. Which is extra telling.

[@abudgie6909]

*laughs in The Banner Saga*

[@goyonman9655]

Justiiiiiin!!!!!!!!!!

[@davidboivin4111]

Pff. Laugh in Dwarf Fortress.

[@ziuber18]

I had my imagination running WILD when playing Darkest Dungeon.

[@ginoclaves]

The Ancestor haunting every step of your way :P

[@insaincaldo]

"The spasmodically squirming, braying, and snorting half-corpses were heaped each upon the other until at last I was rid of them. The Warrens became a landfill of snout and hoof, gristle and bone - a mountainous, twitching mass of misshapen flesh fusing itself together in the darkness." My imagination isn't limited to visualizing that description.

[@higsbymacguffin3982]

Damn straight

[@C0C0L0QUIN]

Thats not imagination. Thats anxiety :P

[@CircleTheSkies]

The imagination is a slow and insidious killer.

[@occamsbeatinstick.3076]

"No other multiplayer shooter has such a fanbase to use their imagination to fill in the blanks" Um, TF2 would like to have a word with you.

[@tee-sam-ee-red]

EXACTLY

[@gustavowadaslopes2479]

Given the reviews of Sea of Solitude, that's a good example of how not allowing people to imagine removes from a game. Team Ico games are great examples of the use of Imagination to enhance wonder about the world, as well as Journey.

[@ryanmassie448]

5:42 TF2 Fan: WTF they're worthless empty shells compared to TF2.

[@AmateurContendr]

I don't hate TF2, but if we're gonna get toxic about which is better, TF2 has some of the most one note characters I've seen. And yes, I have read the comics and seen the shorts. While I enjoyed them at the time, I hardly remember anything about them anymore.

[@grahamturner2640]

Minecraft is now the best selling video game of all time.

[@mariovasquez3188]

Tetris is still the best selling game of all time... where did you get your facts?

[@THX--jp8sy]

*cough* Tetris *cough*

[@TheDSasterX]

Damn... people really like their blocks...

[@ArgaJacint]

@@mariovasquez3188 Actually, Minecraft surpassed Tetris recently.

[@tomrichters7205]

@@ArgaJacint source?

[@PikaLink91]

When I played Pokémon Red as a kid, I totally imagined the game play out like an anime in my head.

[@headlesshunter8435]

Too bad overwatch doesnt do anything with that story and those characters everyone loves. Unless its introducing new characters, or hinting towards new ones.

[@commonviewer2488]

Blizzard should develop either an animated series, or a more story-driven game.

[@eliteal2188]

why tf2 is better

[@commonviewer2488]

@@eliteal2188 TF2 is more episodic with their animated shorts than overarchingly plot driven

[@headlesshunter8435]

@@eliteal2188 they are fundamentally different games

[@fritsmartin8528]

@@eliteal2188 I also ask myself why people think that.

[@dylansmit222]

5:33 “git gud” Well played there artists well played

[@theplanetmercury7487]

Papers, Please, is a good example.

[@mrdoormat6809]

This is one of lots reasons on why i jump into tabletop games now.

[@cleitonoliveira932]

Thank you for making a video about what I'm saying for the last 20 years.

[@jacobc2850]

I’ve noticed that I just love the side-text stories you can find in games! It just adds a whole dimension to the world’s history with only a little bit of writing. Recently I’ve been playing the new Tomb Raider games, and the little stories included with all the collectibles makes it so fun to read and the world a much more interesting place! My favorite thing is that they carefully build the levels so you can ACTUALLY imagine seeing “oh, so this is how this person died”, or “oh! This was the original treasure room but then it was moved to another place” without it being thrown in your face

[@landis9767]

yes, so much yes. this occurred to me when playing ff4 and 6 a few years ago. i was REALLY immersed, in a way i never were in any of the newer ff's except 12, where there's a huge, imaginative, dark souls-like lore

[@NimhLabs]

Oi hey... nobody gonna mention da Dorf Forts?

[@dissonanceparadiddle]

This is why I love axiom Verge!! It's so other worldly that even though the art it's great you still have to imagine what on Earth are you looking at cause it's all so alien

[@Endarire]

Lower resolution graphics also had less chance of: -Uncanny valley. -The world feeling too small or like a movie set for the sake of condensing content into a 'manageable' space.

[@Rikaisupcom]

I hear Mass Effect 3 and I also hear Pokemon

[@whyisthecatoutofthebox4858]

You guys should talk about sandbox games some time:)

[@annoyingcat6980]

pat agreed

[@rigel9228]

Minecraft for example.

[@legendarytat8278]

Also try Terraria! ~Minecraft Also try Minecraft! ~Terraria

[@timetravellingblockhead2122]

They already have

[@pyrotheevilplatypus]

@@timetravellingblockhead2122 You honestly can't say ENOUGH about good sandbox games.

[@matthewthelastnohrian6621]

The switch from 2D pokemon to 3D

[@thybout]

Mount & Blade ! When I am moving on my chair to avoid a sword or for a 'better cut

[@Samus11111]

I'm a bit confused by the switches from talking about graphics to talking about lore/story. How does the fact that DS doesn't give all the lore and the players must figure it out factor into your argument that we need to think about why we are improving graphics or using improved graphics?

[@Daniel-yy3ty]

the point is not about the graphics, it's about letting us (the players) use our mind to engage with the game. if everything is clear and spelled out the game goes from an engaging activity to an info dump/movie, so if you want to use high quality graphics you need some murkiness in another place, for example the lore

[@JonnesTT]

The principle of narative Design: never tell the full story. But near no one teaches narative design nor does anyone look for narative designers.

[@Victorian_Gamer]

So,.. Basically the Drawn to life games are also a good example of letting the player use their imagination. Technically it's even part of the gameplay. Same as Scribblenauts,.. It's your imagination that finishes the lvl.

[@harrylane4]

I think in scribblenauts its "jetpack" that finishes the level

[@markguyton2868]

Don't forget Graffiti Kingdom.

[@dalo2571]

Plz mention Dwarf Fortress!!!

[@World_Theory]

Using your audience's imagination to tell a story, is tricky, but not impractical. I've encountered written stories that failed to use it properly; either being too restrictive, or not giving enough detail, and leaving practically everything up to the imagination. (Leaving *everything* up to the imagination, can result in quite a lot of confusion, and slow a reader down while they're trying to figure out where the characters are, from clues in dialogue, and who is present for the conversation.) Luckily, there is a forgivingly wide zone in which the level of detail you provide, is just right. There are some things that you probably shouldn't leave out ever, like walking animation, if you're characters have legs. Because that'll just be super weird looking.

[@zachariusd]

This reminds me of the kind of stuff you guys used to put out when I watched you regularly. More like this!

[@DrussTheFourth]

Imagination is not related to graphical quality. Imagination is about the story, the characters and the action. About the game. Not about ‘imagining’ WTF a handful of pixels are supposed to be.

[@neeneko]

I think I've played more Rimworld at this point than all my other FPSs put together. Graphics that tell you what mechanics are going on, and the player fills in the rest.

[@yaumelepire6310]

Crusader Kings II kind of does this, if you like roleplaying in the game.

[@elenamaffioli5825]

I wrote my thesis more or less about this. It was about graphic art in the modern media (which was just an excuse to talk about videogames) and I talked a lot about the graphic approach (which leaves more to the imagination, giving just the essential) and a more "detailed" approach, which is what is giving us lots of uninteresting (at least when we talk about the graphic part) games in the latest years

[@Pongowl]

Excellent topic, great work!

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. Take a look and you'll see into your imagination

[@taisenscoolstuff732]

In the words of Link: Chaaaaaa!!!

[@Katt-ci6gw]

Taisen's Cool Stuff wait I thought the quote was “hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah” but both are amazing quotes

[@Osric24]

I know I'm probably banging a really old drum here, but seriously, Morrowind still is one of my favorite examples of immersion as gameplay over graphics. The graphics were rather rudimentary, but the story, characters, and setting were utterly riveting and deep. You could keep digging and always find more to Morrowind. That's true immersion.

[@TheLegendarySage]

What about the opposite of this though? What if they leave too much to the imagination, like Mass Effect 3's original ending? I'm all for not having everything spelled out, but they need to provide just the right amount as to not leave the player confused with ambiguity too.

[@mega20able]

The same can be said about Breath of the Wild's ending, which is so short and inconclusive that it's become a major source for contention even among fans of the game (like myself), and probably one of the reasons the sequel announcement in E3 got so many people excited. We'll finally learn how Hyrule reacted to the end of the Calamity

[@toprak3479]

This is a great discussion for video games. Nice video.

[@melodyvanbergen4988]

6:38 "you'll remember them until next time"

[@jackroymeyer6336]

Makes me want to play Dwarf Fortress again.

[@TitaniumSeraph]

High five for adding the Journey image. I have always generally liked artful, experience based games. In the times we live in where so many independents can create - it's awesome. I get one or two of these gems a year now and its great. I'm currently playing Rime on the Switch. Some of the game can be a little techy, but it's really focused on visual, music, and mystery.

[@NikolajLepka]

no other multiplayer shooter.... WHAT ABOUT TEAM FORTRESS??

[@AmateurContendr]

You must have not payed attention to the second half of the sentence. He was commenting on the size of the Overwatch fan base. Not it's originality.

[@francoismarais2945]

EC has returned to form !!!!

[@AidanVillegas]

The perfect example of an imagination gap would be the "dragon" from Adventure for the Atari 2600. Looks like a duck. Still is and will forever be more scary than anything I've ever seen in my entire life.

[@Gorfinhofin]

"At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable..." -Henry David Thoreau Also, I totally disagree with the point about armor at the beginning. If armor is basically just a statistic in a menu somewhere I forget about it, but when it actually shows up on my character then it's always there as a reminder that I'm slightly more invincible.

[@vypxl]

This is easily one of your best videos, it addresses one of the biggest factors why people only play those mentioned AAA games..

[@MaxIzrin]

I think it's more about the artist having the tools to show us their vision with greater clarity, as opposed to a silent attack on imagination.

[@cooky2991]

Aphants love the new stuff, since imagining a world in their minds doesn't work.

[@nekowoo]

Sherry_A_H yep!

[@executiveelf8793]

Recently the game Fire Emblem Three Houses came out and never before have I felt so immersed in a game

[@wildcutecosplay]

I've had some of the most immersive gaming experiences that have stuck with me just from surfing the interactive fiction tag on Kongregate. I finished as much as what was out of Exit corners at the time in one night because I was wrapped up in the story and wanting to solve the mystery.

[@eldergeek6077]

This is why "80 Days" such fun to play. The narrative is a framework for how you would imagine traveling in the time the book was written.

[@zodayn4767]

This is so, so true for horror games. The biggest fear for people is the fear of the unknown. So giving hints at something scary and leaving large parts up to imaginarion is often very effective. The same applies to anything mysterious, or even sexy. Reveal, but don't reveal so much people stop wondering, imagining and phantasizing.

[@Gboy86ify]

5:12 I have to point out that this is a double-edged blade. Blizzard has been doing exactly this in the two most recent WoW expansions in the most agonizing ways imaginable. They blatantly hold off on giving critical information to understanding what's happening and keep giving us a "Just wait and see *wink*" response to any questions. This has caused the community to overflow with toxicity as people argue over what they think is going to happen to these characters they are heavily invested in. Then whenever something happens in the story that betrays people's expectations of complexity the backlash against the writing team is immense (and well deserved). This is because this kind of "figure it out yourself" narrative only sets people up for disappointment. I would like you guys to do a video discussing this sometime because I think it's a mistake a lot of writing teams are doing their lore based games lately and the negative effects of it are breaking apart the communities around these games.

[@jonathanfaber3291]

on a related topic, in a less strictly linear game, let players sequence break if they can figure out a way to do it: like in Super Metroid where the spooky face that leads to Kraid's lair can be reached without the high jump boots either by wall jumping at an exact moment, or by bomb hopping up there

[@TheCreepypro]

this episode really hits hard and when you were talking about imagination I couldn't help but think of Square Enix and how that is one of the many problems they have that makes me not like them any more they are so obsessed with graphics they dare not let us imagine anymore which is a shame cause that was an aspect of their games I liked

[@GameAceTaylor]

"No other multiplayer shooter" Did you guys not know about TF2 and its comics? Not to mention the Meet the Team videos?

[@williamsledge3151]

This has to do with books, but while reading 1984, Atlantrapa Articles and Starship Troopers, there were times where I forgot I was in school and I was only snapped out when the bell rang or someone told me to snap out.

[@terryr9052]

Nice Telengard reference at 2:20!

[@aa-tx7th]

David's art is extremely great.

[@SunDancerGE]

"git gud" made me giggle XD

[@mapo499]

Look how imersive Minecraft and Terraria is

[@XX-sp3tt]

"Aren't you going to finish the narrative?" "Naw, I figure I'll let the players figure out the rest." "I'm pretty sure that's called 'lazy writing.' " "Dude, I can't tell if that's a spider or a snail." "I"m going to let the players use their imagination." "I'm pretty sure that's called being a 'lazy artist.'" Even the early games had examples of beautiful pixel art and attention to detail. I don't WANT a mess of clues with most being lies, half-truths, and unhelpfully vague. If I wanted to play a mystery or archaeology game, I'd be playing that. Things can be mysterious without being vague. You can have a sense of wonder without being obtrusive.

[@markguyton2868]

5:45 TF2 would like to have a word with you ;)

[@kuronosan]

I'm not sure I've heard the term "immersive graphics" used in game marketing for years now.

[@AmateurContendr]

Right? Last I heard that was in like 2013 when gritty dark games were the popular trend.

[@ginoclaves]

It's been a thing in events like E3 constantly tho

[@Iron_ReapeR]

You guys just gave me some more motivation to finish my game :)

[@anttibra]

The counter examples (I would argue) is Kingdom Come: Deliverance. I think for that game graphics and most importantly little details in the world are important for immersion. The reason for this is the world the game create isn't something you are supposed to imaging, but the world to experience. In that game you are son of the blacksmith living in 1403 Bohemia. It's not a fantasy universe where players can just imaging bunch of headcannons to fill up the gaps, but closely historically accurate game, where castles actually have MACHICOLATIOOOOOOOONSSSSSS! While of course it's not 100% historically accurate or realistic (it is a game after all), but all those little details and graphics helps players to see, what life might have been 600 years ago.

[@legotoolboxtheepic202]

Very good video

[@gigglysamentz2021]

5:33 funniest slide I've seen a in a while XD

[@aklamander8331]

Mount and Blade my Friends. Most immersive waiting experience ever.

[@aleksydawidowski1331]

As a tabletop wargamer, I highly support this thesis.

[@commonviewer2488]

You never give your audience all of the information. It makes things more intriguing when gaps exist that don't ruin your work, but allows for people to fill the gaps themselves with what they believe to be the missing parts.

[@Squaretable22]

Now tetris, that was a game that you really needed to fill in the blanks with

[@Wufgang]

I actually had dreams about FTL and if that isn't immersion, I don't know what is.

[@DenisRodriguezSantos]

I never understood the term immersion before I played Braid, when I started to play and sat there for about one hour and half, I had got along with the mechanic of the time. I got hungry and went to the kitchen to have a cup of coffee and some biscuits when I thought "what happens if I let the cup fall into the ground? Well I think I will go back in time and do the opposite" it was when I finished this line of thought I realize that I wasn't in the game and I couldn't go back in time. And for me that feeling, is Immersion

[@dragonslayer31415900]

Sennua's sacrifice did immersion beautifully.

[@GustafMedF]

I love the thumbnail!

[@donaghb7307]

Stellaris does this quite well for a modern game I think

[@gymnodinium9]

You bastard made me remember Alpha Centauri amazing set up with all the factions. Unbelievable from a strategy game.

[@ThomasstevenSlater]

A house of many doors inspires imagination in an effective way. Whenever you go to a new place you see one landscape of the place that gives one something to work off whilst text does the rest. Same for crew and enemies.

[@ldsviking]

Good video. Speaking of low-res graphics of the early days, it helped to "restrain" the art styles of some games, potentially increasing the audience. For example, in the original Legend of Zelda, the blocky graphics are colorful but neither especially cute nor grisly. Players can interpret them however they like. The game's native art concept was a cute cartoony Japanese style, which is reflected in the American manual but not on the box. If the graphics had been too close to the concept art, who knows if the game would have ever become popular in the west?

[@CS-hd4pu]

Finally,a new beautyful video

[@zachhalverstam2804]

The Shasn game seems really cool! I might back it.

[@SupaSecretSensei]

One word.... IMMERSIVE... AF!

[@lolstationvita5922]

I know, that imagination is good. But I don't like "retro" graphics in modern low-budget games.

[@MarcusFrowerk]

As I am playing DBH right now (yes, late to the party), I want to point out one limit of this imagination: Reading faces and emotions. Games which use the high graphics to acutally let you read the emotions can provide a new type of immersion which was impossible before.

[@skywolfbat]

This. Right here, this! This is why I go back to games like the early Final Fantasys, System Shock 2, and why games like Stardew Valley and Shovel Knight are recapturing my heart again; I don't want to see the hero's shiny armor, I want to imagine what it must look like. That's not to say I don't love my Breath of the Wilds (Which made me cry when I first played it mind you :O) and my Monster Hunter Worlds, but sometimes you want to imagine yourself what is on the other side of that blocky screen. Sometimes you just want to picture it in your mind. :)

[@fraser7211]

this is EXACTLY what i thought of when players bitched at the smokey tentacle of N'zoth when he awakened in the palace of Nazjatar in World of Warcraft.