30 FPS delivers better story telling than 60 FPS in games

DriedMangoes

DriedMangoes

We The North 🦖🍁
Sep 12, 2013
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There was this interesting article I recently read about 30 fps vs 60 fps and how the author compared it to watching 24 fps vs 48 fps for movies. He said something like "The Magic of Story Telling Lies in Lower FPS, 30 FPS will always deliver a more “Cinematic” Experience than 60FPS." He further says:

Let me begin by saying that the minimum limit that our brain needs to perceive moving frames as a seamless entity ( a video) is 24 Frames Per Second. This is one of the reason 99% of Movies are shot at 24 FPS. Though this was originally due to Sound Hardware limitation of Old Cinema, it has now become the Cinematic Standard. The 24 fps of the Cinema Industry is roughly equivalent to the 30 fps standard of the Gaming Industry. When you see a video shot at 24 fps / 30 fps there are holes to fill and your brain automatically does this by literally creating stuff out of your imagination : also known as movie magic. The More frames you increase, the less you brain fills in, the less the “magic”.
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Not sure if I agree with what he says about 30 fps > 60 fps in games but it's an interesting thought. I do like watching movies in 24fps though for the "cinematic" effect.

You can read more about it here: http://wccftech.com/30fps-vs-60fps-30fps-better-story-telling-games/#ixzz2rKiLI7IB

Your thoughts?
 
I think this is true for movies but for games I think 60 feels better. Now they could reduce cut scenes to 30 or 24 to give this effect.
 
Well I think it's obvious that certain games need higher FPS that others. FPS shooters/quick paced/high action games need to be closer to 60 FPS. Slower games, which I would say are generally more story oriented don't need it. I'm not sure if 60 FPS would actually hurt the slower games though.
 
I prefer 60fps for games personally (while I dislike high frame rate for movies). Things seem better on PC - most of the time you can cap the frame rate at 30/60/120etc which gives everyone the choice of what they like best.
 
Yeah, I think I'm going to start capping all my story games on PC at 30 fps now... :confused:
 
Its true for cinematic, adventure games however. 60 fps gives you a more realistic feel and does great for games that require that (e.g. tactical, sports, racing, fighting genre's) Its a beautiful thing. Games like the new LoTR, Tomb Raider, etc, 30fps is ideal as those games in those genre's as they attempt to tell a story, thus a more cinematic feel and greatly serves the story being sold--way more than 60 fps could ever do. More does not = better in this case.
 
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No its not true anyone claiming such is desperately stuck in spin mode.
I own the PC version and 60fps makes it more cinematic

Movies @ 24hz/fps are acceptable though
 
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dude be on crack.

Maybe before writing this fluff he should have, I don't know, played games at 30FPS and 60FPS. Cause playing a game like tomb raider at either FPS does not diminish it in any way, shape, or form. The Movie difference though is pretty noticeable and depending upon opinion, could diminish entertainment value.
 
VaLLiancE said:
No its not true anyone claiming such is desperately stuck in spin mode.
I own the PC version and 60fps makes it more cinematic

Movies @ 24hz/fps are acceptable though
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I dont need to spin anything. Im telling you as a professional in the entertainment industry. I've directed films and television, director of photography, editor etc. For storytelling, 30FPS in cinematic games like Tomb Raider are essential. Games are very, very close to film and therefore they mimic each other. Trust me. 30FPS is more than efficient in story telling games. 60 FPS is overkill in said genre's. Period.
 
Yea I watch movies at 24 but for games I guess I would prefer 60, although as long as it's locked in I'm fine with it.

Edit: Video at 60fps is weird though. I filmed myself skiing at 1080/60 and it just looks weird.
 
Gaming is not the same as watching a movie. 60fps in games is a huge difference.

I didn't think anyone even tried to make this point anymore.
 
menace-uk- said:
dude be on crack.

Maybe before writing this fluff he should have, I don't know, played games at 30FPS and 60FPS. Cause playing a game like tomb raider at either FPS does not diminish it in any way, shape, or form. The Movie difference though is pretty noticeable and depending upon opinion, could diminish entertainment value.
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The only time you will see 60FPS used in film is usually in documentaries, not other genre's because 60 doesnt co-exist very well when your attempting to create a story to immerse the viewer. Different tools for different jobs. Same difference here. 60FPS work very well for games that can benefit from them--more realistic type games. The more cinematic games that are attempting to tell a story, you will find 30FPS more than adequate.
Again, more FPS does NOT equal better.
 
I was watching some porn video the other day and it kind of seemed like it was in fast forward, but it wasn't. Maybe it was 60fps?
 
Mcmasters said:
I dont need to spin anything. Im telling you as a professional in the entertainment industry. I've directed films and television, director of photography, editor etc. For storytelling, 30FPS in cinematic games like Tomb Raider are essential. Games are very, very close to film and therefore they mimic each other. Trust me. 30FPS is more than efficient in story telling games. 60 FPS is overkill in said genre's. Period.
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Actually its 24fps for movies and like I said via actual experience playing TR pc @ 60fps...its a much more cinematic experience and really brings out the fast action scenes(which are aplenty)
 
Viktor said:
Yea I watch movies at 24 but for games I guess I would prefer 60, although as long as it's locked in I'm fine with it.

Edit: Video at 60fps is weird though. I filmed myself skiing at 1080/60 and it just looks weird.
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Vik, you were probably attempting to get a more cinematic feel to your skiing expedition but when you shoot in 60FPS its too close to reality and thus can make some scenes/footage seem dull. Slow down your frames per second and you'll probably get the "feel" you're looking for.
 
VaLLiancE said:
Actually its 24fps for movies and like I said via actual experience playing TR pc @ 60fps...its a much more cinematic experience and really brings out the fast action scenes(which are aplenty)
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I know its 24fps in movies. But 30fps in games is the equivalent to 24fps in film. That was the point I was trying to make.
 
Oh lawd. I forget where I was posting. We got a whole forum of arm chair devs/myth-makers with years and years of development and story telling experience under their belts. My bad.:rolleyes:
 
Mcmasters said:
The only time you will see 60FPS used in film is usually in documentaries, not other genre's because 60 doesnt co-exist very well when your attempting to create a story to immerse the viewer. Different tools for different jobs. Same difference here. 60FPS work very well for games that can benefit from them--more realistic type games. The more cinematic games that are attempting to tell a story, you will find 30FPS more than adequate.
Again, more FPS does NOT equal better.
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You're saying something different to the article author though. You're saying one is adequate ( which I agree with). The article Author is claiming one to be better for a cinematic experience. That I do not agree with.
 
menace-uk- said:
You're saying something different to the article author though. You're saying one is adequate ( which I agree with). The article Author is claiming one to be better for a cinematic experience. That I do not agree with.
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He's right though. 30 fps is more than adequate for a more cinematic experience. 60fps for a game attempting to relay a certain "feeling" is overkill.
 
Mcmasters said:
I know its 24fps in movies. But 30fps in games is the equivalent to 24fps in film. That was the point I was trying to make.
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No no it isn't games@30fps look choppy and look like they are lagging at times especially a game like TR... Now a Zelda or Final Fantasy works @ 30fps but not a game like TR Its very important hence me saying numerous times on these very forums that I hope its 60fps. TR is a ACTION/ADVENTURE game comparable to a fast action movie lets not forget the action part okay.
 
VaLLiancE said:
No no it isn't games@30fps look choppy and like they are lagging at times especially a game like TR... Now a Zelda or Final Fantasy works @ 30fps but not a game like TR.Its very important hence me saying numerous times on these very forums that I hope its 60fps. TR is a ACTION/ADVENTURE game comparable to a fast action movie lets not forget the action part okay.
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Right. If you say so. Action amounts to squat if the camera is not at the right angle, the lighting isnt cohesive with the scene and the FPS move too fast in order to retain an "emotional feel or connection" or desired effect. But hey....what do I know.o_O
 
Unless we are talking about a point and click adventure/story game this is kind of pointless.

Applying this idea to Tomb Raider as Mcmasters is doing, is pretty... off.. you spend the majority of your time shooting and killing things, or otherwise interacting with the environment doing gameplay.

That's fine if cut-scenes are locked at 30FPS or something to achieve some "look" but almost all gameplay elements of games these days, at least the one's I enjoy playing, aren't far off from any "Twitch" shooter.

In my experience 3rd person games don't NEED 60FPS as much as first person games. Some trick of the brain when you are playing an FPS that makes you feel more "into" the environment.. pulling that POV back a bit makes 30FPS a bit more palatable.

In the end, 30FPS is actually good for any game... it's just better at 60FPS IMO.
 
if one is a X1 only owner and has a capable pc buy the pc version...it can be found as low as $10 @ times.
I am considering getting the PS4 even though I own the pc version so I can play with my peepz..Don't have many pc peepz :(
 
Mcmasters said:
Vik, you were probably attempting to get a more cinematic feel to your skiing expedition but when you shoot in 60FPS its too close to reality and thus can make some scenes/footage seem dull. Slow down your frames per second and you'll probably get the "feel" you're looking for.
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Yea I'm going bump it down to 30... it also has 2.7k and 4k which I may try, even though I don't have compatible monitors.
 
BunzHoles said:
Unless we are talking about a point and click adventure/story game this is kind of pointless.

Applying this idea to Tomb Raider as Mcmasters is doing, is pretty... off.. you spend the majority of your time shooting and killing things, or otherwise interacting with the environment doing gameplay.

That's fine if cut-scenes are locked at 30FPS or something to achieve some "look" but almost all gameplay elements of games these days, at least the one's I enjoy playing, aren't far off from any "Twitch" shooter.

In my experience 3rd person games don't NEED 60FPS as much as first person games. Some trick of the brain when you are playing an FPS that makes you feel more "into" the environment.. pulling that POV back a bit makes 30FPS a bit more palatable.

In the end, 30FPS is actually good for any game... it's just better at 60FPS IMO.
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you suck :)
 
If someone who has both consoles could get the PS4 and Xbox One version of Tomb Raider, maybe he can give us a more objective opinion?
 
Mcmasters said:
He's right though. 30 fps is more than adequate for a more cinematic experience. 60fps for a game attempting to relay a certain "feeling" is overkill.
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He isn't though. 60FPS in games does not diminish its cinematic style or hinder storytelling. I have never seen anybody compalin about this or even mention it, and I have never noticed it myself. Sorry, but I will take my expereince over some random fluff on the web.

30FPS being good enough for slower, cinematic story driven games, is a good point.
 
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