Hardware Ready Ready to Bench?
Alan Wake photorealism. With the first images of Nvidia DLSS 5 capabilities, it is easy to imagine an increasingly photorealistic future for gaming. However, according to Randy Smith Evergreen, a veteran designer with experience on the Thief series, the race for graphical fidelity could have stopped in 2010.
Smith recently discussed video game graphics with PC Gamer, arguing that Alan Wake (released in 2010) had reached a level of photorealism sufficient for the needs of games. According to Smith, the result achieved by Remedy was more than adequate and fully functional at the time for a gaming experience, defining the current evolution of visual fidelity as “absurd”.
Alan Wake photorealism: why it matters
“I believe Alan Wake represents the level of visual fidelity that everyone should aim for,” Smith stated. Discussing specifically the immersive sim genre – citing examples such as Thief itself, Dishonored, Prey, and Deus Ex – he argues that these titles should not chase graphical perfection. Once a decent degree of photorealism is reached, development studios can identify an ideal balance beyond which it is unnecessary to push further.
This viewpoint contrasts with trends from recent years. Alan Wake 2 itself represented a significant step forward in terms of graphics, considered by many the most visually impressive game of 2023. And, as highlighted at the beginning, new perspectives seem to open up with the future adoption of Nvidia DLSS 5 and other technologies based on artificial intelligence.
Smith suggests that focusing on a sufficiently realistic visual level allows developers to dedicate resources to other aspects of gameplay, improving the overall experience rather than chasing graphical perfection often imperceptible to the player. Development could therefore focus on optimization and design, rather than mere visual power.
What changes and what are the effects
According to Smith, reaching a good level of photorealism is sufficient to create an engaging and functional gaming experience, and pushing beyond does not bring benefits proportional to the effort required.
Source and further reading on Alan Wake photorealism: original article.
* Content created with the assistance of artificial intelligence systems.