10 Times Video Game Realism Went Too Far

9. Dynamic Beard Growth (The Witcher 3)

Witcher 3 Geralt
CD Projekt RED

The Witcher 3 is a game that lets you play as a superhuman monster slayer in a mythic land full of elves, dwarves, werewolves, and other assorted creatures.

It's a game that screams "fantasy" in every possible way, but curiously, developers CD Projekt Red decided to go down the realism route in one particular way that a lot of players didn't expect: your character's facial hair.

In this game, protagonist Geralt Of Rivia's beard will slowly grow over time, allowing you to decide how long you want it to be. If you like, you can shave it off, but if you want those glorious facial locks to flow? Then you can just leave them be.

It's certainly an interesting mechanic, but since it doesn't have any notable impact on the game, it feels a bit needless, like a step too far in terms of character customisation. It's not like you're changing outfits or weapon skins - this is a really small detail, one that most players will barely even notice, or care about.

And look, maintaining your beard is a chore in the real world, so why on earth would you want to do it in a video game? Nobody wants to feel like an unshaven scruff when they boot up their console - that's what reality is for.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!