Notch vs Hartmann... FIGHT.

[Romeo]

Read this first.

Now, for those that still refused to click the link, basically it is a disagreement between Eric Notch (Minecraft's creator) and Chris Hartmann (Owns 2K games) about whether or not games need photo-realism to be emotionally evocative. Notch says no, Hartmann says yes.

Now, obviously I couldn't stage a debate on IGN, because anyone who doesn't agree with Notch's every word there is drowned out in a sea of "no, ur just a consoel player". So, I brought it here! HUZZAH!

Now, by all means, do your voting in the poll, but I'm more interested to read peoples replies, so please post down below as well. And yes, I am only leaving a "Yes or No" option because frankly it forces people on to a side rather than allowing for middlegrounds (Which is boring).

Now, not to skew any opinions, but my own personally belief is to side with Hartmann on this one. By my nature, when I see a blatently pixelated or "fake-looking" thing, my mind instantly snaps out of the experience and I'm reminded that "Oh yeah, you're just a bunch of code". The more realistic looking games though tend to immerse me and blur that line, so that I tend to think of them as people or creatures, not some fascimile of life. Which in turn makes them more emotional when I see their experiences unfold. Now, I'm not saying games can't be emotionally engaging without stellar graphics - I found Bastion to be a phenominal experience despite being a very cartoony-looking game - but I do agree with Hartmann's assessment that improving the graphics does bring more emotional connection.

Now, DISCUSS!