// PC GAMER — GAMING
It's time to decide the worst graphical effect in games: film grain vs bloom
Whenever I think of bloom, I think of Wind Waker HD. Anyone else?
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Motion blur, chromatic aberration, bloom… we've discussed many times whether these effects deserve a spot in a game's settings menu or are the hellspawn of Satan's computer graphics division. Now it's time for you to chime in. One final reckoning; until I have the same idea again in five years' time. I am nothing if not returning to this well over and over again.
It's your classic knockout format: Two effects go head-to-head and only one makes it through to the next round. There are four initial rounds, then we'll move onto semis, then regional semis, regional quarter semis, semi regionals… nah, we'll make it quick. There are three rounds total.
Got it? Get your votes in below. Then y'all can argue about it in the comments, and say stuff like, "well, actually, motion blur serves a very important purpose." Yeah, whatever.
Bloom is very easy to overuse, though it can be used smartly at times. Here it is in Deadlock, used for a bright projector on a screen.
I don't really care for film grain, yet it was the effect I had the most trouble tracking down. In all the games I tested, it was never as bad as I remembered it to be. Anyways, here it is in Phasmophobia. It's sorta visible at the top of the frame.
Jacob has been writing about PC hardware and technology for over eight years. He earned his first byline at PCGamesN before joining PC Gamer. He spends most of his time building PCs, running benchmarks, and trying his best to learn Linux.
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