Achieving realism in a PC or console game
There is something about playing a game, be it either on the computer or on a console, which makes you want to be placed within the game and not just as an observer or the guy controlling the character.
 You want to be the character. You want to feel what they feel and accomplish what they accomplish.
Simply going through the motions to get to an end is not nearly as fun as becoming part of the game. Third person online shooters like Unreal do not offer much in the way of game realism.
You jump around and shoot people, respawn and do it all over again. Yawn – what fun. There are few ways to achieve the type of realism that make it worth to play games and make you feel like you are part of that game.
Storylines
The story of the game means a heck of a lot when you are playing it. Do sports games have stories? Of course not. You just pick a team and play but you create a story in your head of a stellar season or career. Roleplaying games offer great stories as do many third person shooters.
Unreal Tournament really has no story, but Halo certainly does and so does Condemned. War Scenario games also have great stories that are flooded with rich history and based in reality with real settings and people making the game all that more realistic.
Graphics
 Whether we are talking about people, places or things we are talking about the realistic nature of graphics. It does not matter if the game is based in the present or some post apocalyptic world or the medieval period. If a castle does not look like a castle what use is it?
Giving the Statue of Liberty a mullet would not even come close to realism.
Characters looking paper thin or one dimensional and cars or vehicles appearing as though they were matchbox puts an end to any sort of realism the storyline set out to build. The best pieces of graphic realism can be found in history based war scenario games like Call of Duty.
Sound
Using sound has always been a way to immerse a player into a game. An awesome soundtrack can always raise a fun level, or fear – whatever the game’s purpose is. Besides the normal pops and bangs of gunfire there is also speech which can truly add to the realism of the game.
Peripherals
Once you have the graphics perfected, the storyline down and a great soundtrack there isn’t much left except the peripherals. With the Wii everything seems to be a peripheral. Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band have instruments you can “play”.
Dancing games have dance mats you can dance on. Probably the coolest peripheral to come out in a long time for the PC is the gaming vest, a state of the art peripheral that allows you to feel the game.
If you happen to love third party shooters like Unreal Tournament but dislike lack of story then the gaming vest is your answer as it allows you to feel gun shots, punches, kicks and other moves that require force feedback.
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