Buying By The Bullets

Look, there are lots of people throwing around, buzzwords about how something is done instead of the end result. Industry people and fanboys alike that are on about 'volumetric surfaces, 'dynamic skeletal animation' and ‘per-pixel-mapping’.

That’s nice, but there is a fundamental flaw in this approach.

Nobody really cares. Oh, sure there are some. The people who create and use these techniques care, as do the marketing people and fanboys. Many of these so-called ‘features’ don’t mean a damned thing to consumers.

Why would 99% of the consumers care HOW the grass was made to look pretty? Why would people care how the beautiful dancer moves? Why would people care how the soft reflections in her eyes shine? As long as the grass is green, the dancer moves gracefully, and her eyes shimmer like deep reflecting pools, people won’t care how it is done behind the scenes.

And people shouldn’t care.

Like a great magician knows, the tricks he is about to perform require the audience to be a little unknowing of what is happening behind the scenes.

So while it is interesting to know about these invisible ‘features’ they shouldn’t alter or affect our purchasing decision. Look at the games for yourself. See how they move, how they play. Decide for yourself if the games look fun or derivative and dull.

If you buy your games or consoles by the bullet point list of features, then you aren’t buying the best game or console. You are buying the best list of bullet points.