Feature: 'Question of the Week Responses: HD Video Games?'

In today's main Gamasutra feature, examining whether high-definition visuals are vital to continuing gaming's rise, our latest Question of the Week asked our audience of game professionals: "Is HD important to the future of video games?" Some of the more charged responses to the question were submitted anonymously, including this one: "Honestly, the entire push for HD has always seemed to be driven more by manufacturers than by consumer demand. HD television, next-generation optical discs, and even HD games - they seem like a want that has been created for consumers, rather than by consumers. I think this is borne out by a recent study that shows most people don't have any idea whether they're watching HDTV or not; if it was a feature that people wanted, they'd care enough to know. However, recently it's been made another box on the feature checklist for games, much like past graphical technologies. Whether or not people actually know what it will look like, the box of the game or system they're buying had better say "HD!" on it. This despite the fact that it hardly changes the appearance of games at all, much less the gameplay. So, is it really important to the future of games, themselves? I don't think so. PCs have been high-resolution for a long time, and people have been more willing to play games on their consoles regardless. And of course gameplay beats graphics, etc. But is it important to the future of game marketing? As much so as any other buzzword of the past." You can now read the full Gamasutra feature on the subject, including a number of other fascinating responses from game professionals (no registration required, please feel free to link to the article from external websites).