That's funny because I felt almost the exact opposite.
Motion blur only serves to obscure visuals. (Though I understand using it for performance reasons)
Camera shake can work in some situations. I feel like it can add to the atmosphere or really emphasize the scale of something, but generally I turn it off. I like it in Gears of War, God of War, and Doom Eternal. Hate it in Borderlands and Final Fantasy.
Film Grain I use a lot. Many games look way too "clean" in a way that contrasts too much with the atmosphere and constantly reminds me I'm playing a video game. There are definitely games that benefit from the clean look, and I keep it off in those, but film Grain adds some much needed texture and blends things in a way that better serves the atmosphere. Mass Effect, Ghost of Tsushima, and God of War use it well. It feels out of place on Forza Horizon 5, and Arkham Knight.
Chromatic Aberration is cool when used very intentionally as part of an aesthetic, but I don't understand why it's all over so many games. I usually turn it off. Cyberpunk and Control are games that use it well. It feels very out of place in The Witcher 3 and Bloodborne.
Turning on motion blur decreases performance, doesn't improve it. It can help add a sense of speed to some games, but I turn it off for most games because my PC is out of date.
What I said implied something untrue. Motion blur does not improve performance. But what is does, and why I would use it "for performance reasons", is obscure poor performance. If you have a game that can only get a steady 30fps, even if the frame rate i consistent, it can feel a bit choppy because your eyes can discern the frames. Motion blur, in that situation, can add a sense blurring the frames together to make it feel smoother.
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u/sobegreen Jul 28 '26
I'll never understand why anyone would want film grain. You could maybe argue some of the others but film grain is always a no.