Visual elements in video games Game design features Imaging techniques
Visual elements in video games Game design features Imaging techniques
With some background in 3d visualization I can note that we're still quite distant from achieving true realism. Most lighting in games is precomputed and not dynamically rendered, while shadows tend to look quite realistic. Creating a single frame with lifelike lighting and advanced rendering engines still requires time, so I question whether gaming graphics will ever stop improving.
I share the same roots and understand this well. Even after long rendering sessions, issues like flickering lights and complex math for volume effects remain. Most games use pre-made maps, animations, and large data sets for physics, while even advanced features like subsurface scattering are only recently optimized for gaming platforms—typically on high-end machines.
I don't really know how quickly graphics technology will advance in the future. What I can say is it will likely take a long time to reach a point where it's hard to distinguish real from computer-made images. While today's game graphics look decent and will improve, I don't have to worry about it.