It's time to decide the worst graphical effect in games: chromatic aberration vs blood/dirt

A split image with Marathon on one side and Battlefield 6 on the other.
(Image credit: Bungie, Electronic Arts)

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.

Here are the initial head-to-head rounds:

  • Depth of field vs vignette (voting is open)
  • Chromatic aberration vs dirt
  • Motion blur vs lens flare
  • Film grain vs bloom

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.

Examples

Chromatic aberration

Here's chromatic aberration in Marathon. Bungie loves a bit of chromatic aberration. It's the red/blue border, most visible on the white cabinet on the left

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Blood/dirt effect

I've just been shot by a tank in Battlefield 6. I suppose I would be bleeding pretty badly, but what do we reckon of the effect as a health indicator?

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Jacob Ridley
Managing Editor, Hardware

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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