Improvements in Hardware have Led to Innovations in Graphical Realism: Is it Accessible?

 Graphical realism in computers has improved within the past two decades. And the desire for life-like environments have driven a market for improvements in hardware, including sophisticated Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) and specialized Video Random Access Memory (VRAM). However, such innovations have created environmental concerns in energy consumption. and are often not accessible due to high costs both on hardware and usage. This poses the question, to what extent have improvements in computer hardware increased the availability of real-time photorealistic graphics? This research will focus on the specific improvements in physical hardware which allow complicated and demanding usage of computers in their various applications and express the issues coming from such innovations.

 Graphical realism involves the process of creating life-like environments in computers. These graphics often simulate real lighting and shadows, include reflections and realistic textures, and are meant to immerse the user into a virtual world. Improvements in hardware have been the biggest influence in allowing computers to create such graphics. However, often this hardware is expensive and has high energy rates due to its demanding usage. These concerns are real and present in the modern world as the same hardware that has empowered graphical realism is now being used to fuel modern fields of Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing. Additionally, this hardware is often not accessible for everyone due to these concerns and thus graphical realism is not solely driven by improvements but rather the consumer market, which includes individuals and cooperations, and its environmental impacts. Although improvements in hardware have increased graphical realism in computer graphics, it has raised environmental concerns and created economic inequality amongst its users which limit its accessibility.

 One major innovation that allows real-time photorealistic graphics are GPUs. Timetech, India’s #1 growing magazine organizations, mentions that “GPUs have evolved into massively parallel processing engines capable of accelerating a wide range of computational tasks” (TimesTech). The word “parallel” explores the ability for GPUs to enhance computer graphics by splitting graphics operations onto a dedicated component for simultaneous data processing. This functionality allows the CPU (central processing unit) to focus only on memory operations and offloads visual operations to the GPU. GPUs parallel processing ability excels at processing multiple pixels at a time which is critical for real-time realistic graphics which handle multiple objects with their own properties like lighting and shadows. Moreover, the role of the GPU does not stop at computer graphics. TimeTech states how the GPU will enable applications in healthcare, finance, and transportation and that “the future of GPUs looks incredibly promising, with the potential to revolutionize not just computing but the world as a whole” (TimesTech). The word “revolutionize” implies a change or shift in a timeline. The use cases for the GPU are increasing due to its large data processing ability, and they are currently empowering modern developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud Computing. The power and the various use cases of GPUs reveal its importance as a hardware component and prove how it's fundamental to graphical realism along with other applications.

 The innovation of the GPU and other hardware, albeit beneficial to the field of graphical realism and many more, raises environmental concerns due to high energy consumption. Additionally, as the use cases of GPUs increase they require more energy to remain performant and powerful. Greenspector, a company specializing in creating energy efficient applications supports this argument by comparing energy usages of Nvidia GPUs throughout the years in an article. In 2016, the GTX1080 used under 200W of energy, while in 2022, the RTX4080, a newer gpu, used over 300W of energy (Rondeau). This increase is a result of modern video game graphics which often run on higher display resolutions and require lots of processing power which leads to an increasing amount of energy consumption. The high energy usage makes this inaccessible but also unsustainable for people to continue to purchase devices with performant GPUs as this requires more energy. This energy is sourced from fossil fuels per say, and directly impacts the environment negatively. Furthermore, researcher Ben Abraham while analyzing the PlayStation 4’s CPU found the “presence of atomic components such as titanium, whose extraction, refining and manufacture contribute to greenhouse gas emissions” (Rondeau). In the current day, where global warming is a present issue, it is antiproductive to create more powerful hardware if its production harms the environment by releasing harmful gasses. As a result research is being conducted at many companies to measure the environmental footprint of their applications. This directly impacts accessibility and what a company is able to distribute and create as they must consider potential environmental effects.

 Another innovation that allows realistic photorealism in graphics is VRAM. VRAM is a special type of computer memory, much like how the GPU is a special type of processing unit. The importance of VRAM becomes prominent in computer graphics and DigitalAdvisor mentions how “images having complex textures and 3D model structures that are most commonly seen in modern video games and graphic design software require a reliable memory” (DIgitalAdvisor). VRAM provides the reliable computer memory and is located in the graphics card with the purpose of storing image data which is then drawn. Additionally, VRAM is very important because if the application requires lots of graphics memory which your system does not have, it “may cause overheating which could ultimately lead to desktop PC crashes or a complete shutdown” (DIgitalAdvisor). As a result VRAM has become fundamental to computer hardware to the extent that almost every modern device comes with VRAM pre-installed. That being said, graphic intensive games require significantly more VRAM than usually presupplied. And as a result consumers must upgrade with more expensive and powerful hardware which not only raises the stated environmental concerns but additionally creates economic problems that limit accessibility to a consumer market of players that may not be able to afford such hardware.

 One of the largest accessibility concerns of improved hardware for the general public is the high costs. This does not come as a surprise since improved hardware uses more resources, and requires innovation. This often leads to new versions of hardware which are more expensive than their ancestries. Zachary Small, a New York Times writer, compares the costs of two devices and claims that “the immersive graphics of virtual reality can also be prohibitive for gamers; the Meta Quest Pro sells for $1,000 and the Apple Vision Pro for $3,500” (Small). This raises not only economic concerns for the playbase but also inequality in who can play and use certain games and applications. This is because the improved hardware required for graphical realism can only be afforded by the upper class who have more money to spend on extra items for leisure activities. This not only means that for certain applications, increased hardware is needed but even if such hardware is purchased it may not always be enough for the application. This touches on the point of hardware the user has access to, versus the hardware large corporations can sustain due to their bigger budget. Rob Fahey, a developer and technology manager who writes about the game industry, mentions while comparing two graphic intensive games how The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is “deeply technically compromised to the point where its performance failings make it significantly less enjoyable to play” (Fahey). This further demonstrates the necessity for users to buy new hardware and constantly keep upgrading in order to enjoy using and playing newer games with modern graphics. Furthermore, this reveals the problem in companies like EA and Respawn which have valued creating realistic games without taking into account the majority of players' hardware. In summary, these concerns reveal how economic costs of improved hardware prevent a playerbase from enjoying graphical realism in their games and applications.

 The huge costs for graphic-intensive capable hardware do not just affect the average user, but also large multimillion corporations. Many companies have deemed improved graphics necessary to attract a larger audience of players. However, investment in these photorealistic projects have actually provided diminished financial returns due to the high labor costs and work times required for the projects. The New York Times article gives the example of Spider-Man 2 which despite selling “more than 11 million copies, several members of Insomniac lost their jobs when Sony announced 900 layoffs in February” (Small). The 900 layoffs brings across the point of large labor costs because while the project was successful, many seats had to be given up due to the company not being able to finance their wages. Additionally, Zachary Small examines the case of Warner Bros. Discovery which “took a $200 million loss on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, according to Bloomberg” (Small). This raises a concern, if companies fail to make profit from photorealistic games, there is no incentive to continue making them. As a result improved hardware whilst allowing creation of life-like graphics has bloated usage costs making it more detrimental and not ideal for a company to use. This in turn affects the accessibility of graphical realism for both companies and also individual players who enjoy realistic graphics.

 To conclude, improvements in hardware have led to graphical realism in computer graphics which come with environmental and economic concerns making them less accessible to the consumer. The GPU and VRAM have been the biggest contributors to allowing graphical realism, however their innovation does not directly mean it is accessible to everyone. This is because the high energy rates raise environmental concerns and the large costs on improved hardware make it costly for individuals and corporations to enjoy graphical realism. Some may consider that the benefits of graphical realism and increased hardware for larger and more demanding applications outweigh the economic and environmental effects. But the reality is that in a world where costs are increasing through inflation and improved hardware is fundamental for heavy computations arising from artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The effects are becoming more common and should not be ignored. A suggestion would be to continue measuring the environmental footprint of any technological application. Additionally, environmental concerns and production costs for improved hardware should be researched because the issue is not solely present in the field of graphical realism, but in other fields as well. The pursuit for graphical realism can be seen as the catalyst that led to improved hardware. But now that hardware is used to empower many technological innovations which create many problems for the modern world.