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The Two Genders
(beehaw.org)
[alt text: Text which says, "The 2 genders according to chuds". Below the text is two images. On the left is an image of Geralt from The Witcher 3, and he is labeled, "Male, parentheses (white)". On the right is an image of Ciri from The Witcher 4 trailer, and she is labeled, "Political".]
Yes, but it's by choice. Big companies aren't trying to impress nerds. Their demographic is everyone that is easily fascinated by "shiny" things.
The hardware it was made for also prioritized resolution over frames per second. So hyper realism became a focal point of many of the AAA games created. And hyper realism is a one-way street (aesthetically speaking).
It culminates in Hellblade. With ridiculously stunning visuals, but little else going for it.
At what point would you say that a game isn't a game anymore, but closer to an interactive movie?