Motion blur in games is an aesthetic feature made to make games more pleasant and cinematic. What seems to be good intentions by game developers backfired on them, unfortunately.
Because of this motion blur is one of the first graphics settings gamers disable. Although it makes the game realistic it negatively affects gameplay in various degrees.
And it’s somewhat unpleasant to look at in fast-paced games.
What Does Motion Blur Do in Games?
Imagine this. You are sitting in a fast-moving car while looking outside. Whiles moving you notice the surroundings “blur”. What you see at the moment in time is called motion blur.
Motion blur is the blurring or unfocusing of objects when you move at high speeds or there is a rapid change in movement.
In games, it is a graphics setting that causes your surroundings to blur when your main character moves very quickly or the camera is rotated whilst stationary.
It is sort of an aesthetic feature much similar to shadows, depth of field, dynamic reflections etc. All features are designed to make the game look more realistic.
Naturally, your eyes blur out objects or surroundings when you are moving fast. Other times the object is moving fast and becomes a blur to your eyes or camera.
Because your eyes or the camera is not able to focus quickly on the object or surroundings.
Does Motion Blur Affect Performance and Should You Turn It Off or On?
Motion blur is one of the most disliked graphics features in the gaming community. Because they make the game unpleasant to look at.
And the FPS takes a hit, especially during heavy gameplay sessions or combat.
Whether motion blur improves or affects performance depends entirely on the game. Most games that have motion blur enabled is going to run slower than when disabled.
For other games, you won’t see much of a difference if motion blur is disabled or enabled.
But, whether you turn it off or on is a matter of personal taste and how powerful your hardware is. Most people do not like motion blur. It makes the game unpleasant to look at especially if it is a fast-paced game.
An example is the Crysis franchise. Crysis with motion blur turned on makes it difficult to find your enemies. Plus, if you don’t have powerful hardware enabling motion blur will cause your FPS to drop.
And this is a big thing for gamers who don’t have enough powerful hardware.
Unless you have powerful hardware and don’t mind the effects or don’t play competitive games. You can choose to enable motion blur in games.
Motion Blur Vs No Motion Blur
First of all, it’s a matter of personal taste and hardware. If you like a more realistic or cinematic look.
And your hardware is powerful enough that enabling it won’t cause any serious performance drops. Then go ahead.
But, disabling motion blur has its advantages. In the game because surroundings are blurred during motion. It reduces the amount of detail in the game at that moment.
And this will cost you, especially in competitive gameplay. You will find a much harder time finding or locking onto enemies.
And your reaction time will be slower since you have to locate the enemy in the blurred environment before taking the shot.
Or you have to stay stationary for the environment to be focused. This makes you an easy target for your enemies.
So unless you are playing a competitive or multiplayer game. Motion blur should be disabled. For other games, you can decide to keep it on or off.
Is Motion Blur Good in Games?
Too much motion blur becomes detrimental to the gameplay experience. If everything turns to a blur every time you make a slight movement.
You will have a hard time finding objects, enemies, paths, etc. while on the move.
Does Motion Blur Increase FPS?
No, motion blur doesn’t increase FPS. It’s just a graphics effect.
How To Turn Motion Blur Off In Games?
If you want to disable motion blur in your games here’s how to do it. This might differ from game to game. But, the motion blur can be found in the same place.
- Press ESC to get into the game menu
- Click Settings
- Search for graphic settings
- In graphics settings, you can now disable or enable motion blur by going through the graphics settings.
Final Thoughts
Enabling or disabling motion blur is entirely up to you. But, as mentioned before, you will benefit immensely from turning it off.
Your gameplay will be much smoother and your reaction times will be faster. Nothing can go wrong with motion blur disabled.
