The creation of computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a technique that is perhaps most associated with movies. Yet, when we look at its use in the gaming industry we can see that it is also having a huge impact in this area.
The Use of CGI Across Franchises
Gaming and movie franchises are big industries these days, with the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Assassin’s Creed series drawing in millions of fans across the planet. One possible advantage for game developers is that this allows for a seamless approach to be taken across the full franchise.
Rather than adopting a movie license and then building a game for it, they can take advantage of the CGI models and scenes. This ensures that the game fits in perfectly with the look of the movie it is based on. It is also present in the likes of the casino games seem at Genesis Casino, where notable developers like Microgaming and NetEnt provide the games. Titles such as The Bounty, Augustus and Mysterious Egypt provide a simple but effective visual display to keep the action rolling along. These technologies allow for atmospheric and highly detailed graphics, which enhances the player experience. Due to these strides, online slots have become more popular this last decade.
We can see the use of CGI in trailers for games like Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth and The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. These types of trailers allow the developers to pitch a vision of the game to their audience. Highlighting the type of game they are trying to sell. As such, this is a popular tactic in terms of marketing.
More Immersive Scenes
CGI does have its limitations. Games large in scopes cannot be developed with pre-rendered graphics due to how time-consuming the process is. Instead, they use real-time computer graphics to allow for fast action without it costing a fortune to make, which is still a form of CGI, but the level of detail is lower than in films.
The most expensive film ever made was 2019’s The Avengers: Endgame, with a big chunk of its $356 million budget being spent on CGI effects. Movies such as The Matrix and the Transformers series have also spent more on single scenes than the entire budget for a high-profile video game.
It is also worth remembering that companies like Pixar use up to thousands of computers to render each scene in their movies, with each scene in Toy Story 3 taking an average of seven hours to render. On the other hand, each video game needs to be rendered instantly on just one computer for each player that loads it.
Instead, games will use cutaway higher-quality video sequences during the game or in the introduction, to provide more details on the plot and the characters without ruining the momentum. CGI allows them to do this effectively, with a truly immersive, cinematic feel that ramps up the action. This was common at one point due to how limiting the console hardware was in terms of what it could produce in real-time.
Easier to Work With
One of the main reasons why CGI has made such a massive impact in the movie industry is that it is easier to work with than hire lots of stunt doubles and build sets to be destroyed. All it takes is some computer experts working on their computers to produce breath-taking scenes with no fuss.
As CGI technology and techniques improve, we could see video games reaching closer to the visual quality currently seen in the movies. However, for the moment the stunning level of detail that gamers already get to enjoy is a major factor in the rise of this industry.
