#Kazunori Yamauchi is absolutely 110% dedicated to the world of cars and does everything in his power to make things not only as real

[toastling]

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the Gran Turismo series. What Polyphony Digital manage to pump out is always the most beautiful example of photorealism of every gaming generation, and I think the why comes down to the fact that on top of chasing that photorealism, they are also just really, really passionate about their craft, and are all artists in the truest sense.

The real secret is that art is not a zero sum game. You do not need to commit 100% to one or the other, nor do you have to commit 50% to both. You can commit 100% to as many things as you want forever so long as you give yourself the time and bandwidth to see it through.

While it may just be another vroom vroom simulator to some, at the end of the day, it, too, is art, and goes to show what a good eye, a strong understanding of your hardware, and solid art direction can accomplish.

Even if you go back several generations, to aged hardware where attempts at photorealism often end up looking awful through a modern lens, their understanding of their craft and dedication to making the most beautiful representations of the cars they love so much and equally beautiful environments to drive them in has left us with some of the genuinely prettiest games of their era.

And it's still pretty not because they still look "real", because honestly, just look at it, it's cartoonish. The trees are paper, the people are laughable, the 3D is dated, the physics are ridiculous. And yet, all these years later, it still looks pretty, especially in comparison to other attempts at realism of the era, because their goal was always more than *just* photorealism. It was about pushing the boundaries of their hardware and representing their passion in the most beautiful and authentic way they could.

And I don't mean authentic in the sense of gritty attention to detail either - that's definitely part of it, but is almost a side effect as opposed to the actual goal. It's authentic in the sense of this is how they see their world, their passion, which in this case, is cars. It's more real than real in some sense. And yet, there is also an air of unreality and idealism to it. Because this is art, *their* art.

When you love what you do and you love what it is that you seek to represent, then even photorealism, with all its diminishing returns and insignificantly incremental improvements, can stand the test of time and be artistically beautiful and valid.

this person gets it