Realism in Games — Do We Even Need It?

The word "realism" in the gaming industry has become more of a marketing buzzword than a unique feature of a particular game. "Realistic physics," "realistic weapon behavior," "realistic character movement" — it’s hard to name a developer who hasn’t used these phrases to describe their game. But realism often causes more problems than benefits — let’s break it down with some examples.

Take the well-known shooter Escape from Tarkov. The word "realism" is practically synonymous with this project. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, two magazines of standard AK ammo physically can’t penetrate class 5 armor, there are tons of bugs, server instability (partly due to the game being overloaded with mechanics), and of course, the never-ending status of closed beta testing.

On the other hand, we have games like Squad or Arma, which aim to bring realism to just one specific aspect — the experience of real combat. Both of these games, once you dive deeper into them, are more like complex arcade shooters rather than "ultra-realistic simulators." Thanks to their well-balanced mix of "realism" and "fun," these games are significantly more popular than EFT.

However, there is one aspect of realism that almost always hits the mark — graphics. At UNgames Studios, we strive to bring our games as close as possible to maximum detail, delivering a truly eye-catching visual experience. Our projects are built on the modern Unreal Engine 5, using advanced technologies that come with it. Real-time dynamic lighting, high-poly models powered by Nanite, and of course, high-definition textures. In the screenshots below, you can see for yourself the actual graphical quality of our projects.