PC Gamer launches graphical effects tournament: motion blur takes on lens flare

PC Gamer has started a tournament-style voting bracket to settle a long-running debate among gamers: which graphical effect is the worst offender in modern games.

The competition uses a knockout format across three rounds. Initial matchups include depth of field versus vignette, chromatic aberration versus dirt, and motion blur versus lens flare. Winners advance through subsequent rounds until a final champion emerges.

Motion blur and lens flare entered the ring as one of the opening head-to-head pairings. PC Gamer demonstrated the effects using screenshots from Hunt: Showdown, showing motion blur's impact when aiming quickly across the screen. Lens flare appeared prominently in Cyberpunk 2077, where the game's abundant neon lighting creates frequent lens flare effects, though some instances are subtle.

The publication has discussed similar graphical settings controversies before, including motion blur, chromatic aberration, and bloom effects. These ongoing debates reflect player preferences about visual customization and whether certain post-processing effects enhance or detract from gameplay experience.

Voting is currently open for all three initial matchups. PC Gamer plans to resolve the tournament quickly across the three-round format, inviting players to vote and debate the merits of each effect in the comments.