The Shrine

What would you guys say the definition of a graphics whore is?

The guy I work with who bought the PSP is one, I think. He rejects the GBA as even being worthy to compare to the PSP simply because the graphics blow the GBA out of the water. He doesn't like any of the GBA side scrollers because they're 2-D and not 3-D, etc.

Just curious what you guys think the definition of one is.

Man, I haven't heard that term in years.

I'd probably term a whore for graphics as someone who gets off on technically advanced graphics, but with no aesthetic taste.

Lox wrote:What would you guys say the definition of a graphics whore is?

I don't really use the term. If you find a particular game is fun to play, for whatever reason, have at it. I think it's a term used by people who feel their gaming tastes are somehow superior to the masses.

Lox wrote:What would you guys say the definition of a graphics whore is?

The guy I work with who bought the PSP is one, I think. He rejects the GBA as even being worthy to compare to the PSP simply because the graphics blow the GBA out of the water. He doesn't like any of the GBA side scrollers because they're 2-D and not 3-D, etc.

Just curious what you guys think the definition of one is.

A graphics whore is someone who focuses on the graphics as the end all and be all of the gaming experience. Your friend qualifies IMO

People who consider graphics to be the sole determining factor as to the quality of the game.

Agreed with Zeus and Seeker. Your friend is a graphics whore, and a very good pure definition of one at that.

I think the term "graphics whore" was more applicable back when VG graphics sucked ass. Graphics made a bigger difference when it was a choice between the half-decent and the horrendous. So you had people who gravitated to the "flashy" games, sometimes to the point where they would put down a game with great gameplay just because the graphics were overly simplistic or not up to snuff - hence, graphics whores.

Nowadays, though, even the humble GBA has enough graphical processing power to melt a yak's face. People who complain about graphics now are less "graphics whores" than just plain idiots. People who don't play enough games to realize that simply because a game doesn't have an edgy television commercial doesn't make it a poor game.

That term tends to be used by people to justify why their game has sucky graphics. Given that graphics has absolutely nothing to do with gameplay, if your game has sucky graphics it means exactly that, nothing more, but people who use that term seem to believe that the quality of a game is a zero-sum game so bad graphics -> good gameplay.

Certainly if I look at the back of the box of a game I never played before, I'm not more likely to buy it if the graphics suck.

Its a term used by game/console fanboys, usually completely stupid and without merit.

That's it.

kali o. wrote:Its a term used by game/console fanboys, usually completely stupid and without merit.

That's it.

Well, obviously, your definition doesn't fit because I think it applies to my co-worker and I'm not a fanboy. (I love my GBA, but I still want a PSP at some point and even more than I want a DS).

Don Wang wrote:That term tends to be used by people to justify why their game has sucky graphics. Given that graphics has absolutely nothing to do with gameplay, if your game has sucky graphics it means exactly that, nothing more, but people who use that term seem to believe that the quality of a game is a zero-sum game so bad graphics -> good gameplay.

Certainly if I look at the back of the box of a game I never played before, I'm not more likely to buy it if the graphics suck.

I like graphics, most people do. That said I find there is a fine line between the graphics being there as a game enhancemetn and just being there for the sake of being 'shiny'.

Good examples of graphics being a gameplay boon are Metroid Prime, ICO, FarCry and WoW. Each of these games have superp visuals that really serve to immerse you in the game world. So why should I feel guilty for appreciating them?
Then there are games like Doom3. Don't know why I pick on D3, other than I found it very very pretty but didnt' have a lot of fun with it.

Then there are games that have admitidly 'dated' graphics, but are just a blast to play. Disgaea, Champions of Norrath, Katamari Damaci all fall into this category for me. I also replayed Castlevania SotN over the weekend. Damn that game is fun, and it's in 2D sprites!


I think the limit is fast approaching for what better graphics can do for games. I'm far more interested in gameplay direction. Wil Wrights upcoming 'Spore', the talk of a dedicated "Physics' Card are things that are making me tingle. I haven't seen a really unique direction in game design in a long time. That, not graphics is what I'm interested in.


Damn I have a lot of spare time at work today. And I've been more productive than of late actually. Go figure.

I think I just about fall in perfectly with Gray's opinion. I do believe that some genres benefit from graphics while others do not. For example, strategy, some strategy games are beautiful, but I will still have fun with Civilization 1's graphics over them.