Environments: Not so EASY?

In a game, there are many core elements that are usually more important than others, such as the story, gameplay, and presentation. Presentation is mostly broken up into sub categories, such as graphics, audio, UI, and etc. Usually this is not much of a problem for games that try to focus on these aspects in presentation. Yet, for some reason, the environment in games are sometimes the hardest to make in games. Now this can be truly odd, even if the game gets so much right. It is always a shame to see a game not go all the way just because of its dull playing ground.



Now, why can this be an issue? A bad environment in a game can really ruin how immerse and how fun a game can be. Consider this, you are playing through the well-detailed world of Skyrim. You literally see yourself in the game, exploring a unique cave. Now consider this same scenario if each cave was dull, had nothing interesting, generally the same like the others, and really felt like it was a "copy & paste". That would ruin much of the game. You wouldn't fell immersed in the game, which would ruin your experience. It also wouldn't feel fun to journey into the same cave numerous times. Not only that, but it would also feel really inconsistent, when compared to the rest of Skyrim, which is all well detailed and very diverse.

It is these little details that can actually matter in a game. Developers may try to put these details and focus on your main characters. But what good would that do it you are in a boring place. If you consider games as a form of art, having no details or no interesting environments is basically like a blank page of paper. It wouldn't matter if you were playing as a Mona Lisa, because there would be nothing interesting surrounding the focus, making the full potential of the artwork. This refers back to how necessary a good environment is in order to fully enjoy a game.

Now, what can be considered a a dull environment? For starters, lack of details is a major cause of this. Without any interesting or unique touches, the game does not benefit. Too much "open-ness" can also be a caused. If you have a big world to play in, it would be best to fill it in, like coloring in a picture to make it look pretty. Repetition can also be a cause, depending on the game you are playing. If a game has you exploring dungeons or to different parts of the world, it wouldn't be best to go with the same components as other parts of the game or simple re-skins.

This can simply be answered and save the game from suffering: FILL IN THE BLANKS! Details and such can very much show how much effort has been put into a game. If a game's developers did not do such a good job, then they have shown no effort. Have a boring, dull room? Add some details. Everything you can think of can really be better if you add details to it. Diversity and variety can turn a boring room into a very interesting and unique room that may be more engaging for players to explore and possibly memorable. (yes, a room can actually be memorable!)

We are in a new generation in gaming. Graphics are to be a main priority in games, whether it is needed or not. So you can expect man beautiful games to be made. But would dullness and a pretty bad environment look any better at higher resolutions? Nope. There can not be anything to fix bad areas unless the developers of the game make sure it is never bad to start with. All it takes are the smallest of steps to go far.