Graphics in video games have come a long way in the last five decades. There was a time when the 8-bit capability of the NES was considered groundbreaking. Then came 3D games, adding a totally new dimension to the way we play. Nowadays AAA games feature massive, open worlds with ridiculous amounts of visual detail. As developers continue to push the limits of video game graphics, it has us wondering…what’s next?
The obvious answer is more realism. The industry has been moving in this direction for awhile now. Hardware is only getting exponentially better, and if history has taught us anything, video game graphics will do the same. Processors and display devices will evolve, eventually passing the hyper-realism limitation thresholds. File sizes will become irrelevant. Developer tools of the future will take modeling, animation and VFX to new levels. In the next three to four decades we anticipate in-game visuals will mimic reality (or be really hard to distinguish from reality).
Art has always been an integral part of video games. While realistic graphics are inevitable, there will always be stylized visuals in games. Future generations of players will still crave surreal, abstract and unique digital experiences. Perhaps even more so as realistic-looking games become the norm. It is not far-fetched to believe there might be some sort of ‘abstract graphics renaissance’ in gaming. Imagine what the team behind Ori and the Blind Forest could do fifty years from now. With powerful technology the stylized graphics of the future will be mind-bending.
Voxels are a bit of a sleeper. This relatively new technique for creating 3D objects has definitely caught our attention. And if Minecraft has taught us anything, it is that voxels are here to stay. Imagine the level of detail these small blocks will be able to capture as game resolutions improve. 3D scanning is already gaining ground in other industries, and seems like the perfect application for voxel graphics. Mapping technology of the future might allow developers to efficiently recreate any landscape on the planet using these little cubes. Exciting stuff.
Graphic capabilities in gaming are constantly improving. Video games have always been pushing the limits of technology and there is no indication of that ever slowing down. What is the future of video game graphics? No one knows for sure. But you can bet it is going to be awesome.
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