10 Times Video Game Realism Went Too Far

For the most part, video games aren't meant to be realistic. The whole point is that we're escaping to a different reality or world, to have an experience that's far removed from our own day-to-day grind - fighting Norse gods with a magic axe, for example, or controlling an Italian plumber to beat up a massive turtle.

But even in games that are intended to be completely fantastical or escapist, some developers do like to build "realistic" features and mechanics into the experience, whether it's characters that need to be provided with food and water, or graphical touches such as lifelike fire, and visible pores on human skin.

Sometimes, these features are well thought-out, and are incorporated into the game in an unobtrusive or engaging way. But in some cases, they're either completely pointless or silly, or they actively make the game less enjoyable, demonstrating that it's often best to prioritise the entertainment factor over any sort of realism.

In other words, the developers shouldn't have bothered, because these games would've been just as good - or even better - without these touches of realism.

The Darkness is an underrated title that puts you in the shoes of a man - Jackie Estacado - who is possessed by a powerful demonic force, allowing him to wreck fools in a variety of brutal ways. But aside from all this mindless destruction, there are plenty of quiet moments throughout the game's surprisingly strong story.

At one point early in the game, you can sit down on the couch with your girlfriend, Jenny Romano, for a bit of Netflix and chill. She'll put on a movie - 1962's To Kill A Mockingbird - and you'll both just sit there, watching.

At this point, most games would fade to black, or find some other way of cutting the movie short. But not here. The Darkness actually plays the whole damn thing from start to end, allowing you to sit there and watch it, should you choose to do so.

While this is a really neat touch that does give the game that added dash of realism, the vast majority of players obviously aren't going to sit there and watch this two-hour black-and-white movie on a tiny TV screen, and even if you do, there are no bonus interactions between Jackie and Jenny, and the story doesn't play out any differently - so it's basically a waste of time.

Great movie, though.