Understanding Frame Rate – Uncovering The Truth Behind 30 VS 60 FPS

3. “But movies are only 24 FPS and they look smooth”

This one is definitely my favorite of all the arguments for 30 FPS. Because it uses another form of media as an example and tries to create a false equivalency. Films look good at 24 FPS because they have motion blur, which basically tricks our brains into filling in the gaps and gives the perception of a smooth image.

So, why not just add motion blur to games, problem solved, right? Wrong! unlike in film where motion blur is a natural effect caused by the camera’s lens, video games require artificial motion blur which requires additional calculations in order to precisely determine which objects should be blurred at any given moment.

This not only looks much worse but it adds additional post-processing time to every frame that your GPU renders, which in turn causes added latency, making the game feel less responsive. Video games are an interactive media and relay  heavily on every action being carried out as quickly as possible in order for the player to become immersed in the game’s virtual world.

Furthermore, even the film industry realizes that 24 FPS is not enough as many major film makers are pushing for films to be made in higher frame-rates like 48 FPS, Peter Jackson and The Hobbit series is a great example of this. No matter what the media is, receiving more information in the same amount of time is definitely better.

 4. “I prefer playing at 30 FPS”

This is by far the most toxic of all of the points raised by high frame-rate deniers, because unlike other arguments which are mostly stemmed from ignorance, this one is stemmed from denial and compromise. It not only begins to admit that 60 FPS may in fact be noticeably different but it argues that the two are merely a matter of preference and that each have their own merits. For that to be true, 30 FPS would have to offer some-sort of benefit over 60 FPS other than its obvious lower graphical power requirements.

Far Cry 3 – 30 FPS

By making this argument gamers are telling developers that they are not only okay with getting less, but that they prefer it. This is a slippery-slope which leads to developers making technical compromises in other areas as well. The difference between 30, 60 and even 120 FPS is not subjective. Just as the difference between getting paid $10 an hour and $20 an hour is not subjective, it is objectively better to get paid more. You’d never make the argument that you prefer getting paid less because that would be illogical.

Far Cry 3 – 60 FPS

REPORT ANALYSIS AND FINAL THOUGHTS

After reading this report I hope you come away with a better understanding of frame-rate and how we perceive it. Debating something like this not only tears apart the gaming community but it does so while also potentially lowering the quality of games in the future. Whatever your choice of gaming platform, you as a gamer and a consumer should always hold developers to a higher standard when it comes to delivering the best possible product they can.

Rather than make up false arguments against an objectively better experience just because our current hardware or games don’t offer it, we should instead demand developers and console manufacturers to adopt these superior technologies in their products moving forward. Otherwise, how will the gaming industry ever progress?  Sure, it’s probably easier to argue with your peers via the YouTube comment section, but in the end where does that get any of us?

If the ancient Greeks spent more time debating the merits of democracy rather than demanding its implementation than we’d never have it and I probably wouldn’t be writing this report right now. You could argue that point is a bit dramatic for a discussion about video games, but I still believe it stands. We should never settle for mediocrity, especially in areas where we spend so much of our time and hard-earned money.

Video comparisons in this article are courtesy of 30vs60.com.