I feel pretty fortunate to have been a gamer during the transition from 2.5D graphics, through the evolution of 3D graphics and the various levels of generation

I feel pretty fortunate to have been a gamer during the transition from 2.5D graphics, through the evolution of 3D graphics and the various levels of generational advancement over the years. The characters became better looking and more detailed over time, from sprites to models whose mouths would move in a Kermit the Frog sort of fashion, but they were still hollow and unconvincing puppets. It wasn't until Half-Life 2 that characters in games could properly convey emotion through sophisticated facial animation and sufficient detail. That, for me, was the first time I could emotionally connect with a character in a game, and it was such a fundamental shift in my understanding of what a game could be. The evolution in rendering here is nothing short of amazing. For the most part I've fallen out of love with gaming, just as a function of getting older or getting burned out on it (or both), but new generations of gamers really are very lucky to be able to have some of their first gaming experiences with characters like this.