--- title: "Guy Complains Images From Video Game Look Bad, But They’re Real NASA Photos of Mars" description: "An impatient gamer criticized the graphics of what they expected to be in-game screenshots from \"Starfield.\" They were real images from Mars." date: "2023-08-30" modified: "2023-08-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/guy-complains-images-video-game-fake-real-nasa-photos-mars" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "perseverance" - "the digest" - "video games" --- # Guy Complains Images From Video Game Look Bad, But They’re Real NASA Photos of Mars ![An impatient gamer criticized the graphics of what they expected to be in-game screenshots from "Starfield." They were real images from Mars.]() *\Image: NASA / Futurism\* ## Marsed Out Bethesda Game Studios — the developer that brought you "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" and "Fallout 4" — is getting ready to launch its next massive roleplaying game, "Starfield." The game, which happens to be the studio's first new intellectual property excursion in over 25 years, takes place in space, allowing players to explore the surface of over 1,000 planets. Gamers who've pre-ordered the game will be able to play it on Friday. As such, eager gamers have some astronomical expectations of the game. The excitement is palpable, with one particularly impatient fan going as far as to criticize the graphics of what they thought were in-game screenshots. "Let's wait for the final gameplay," wrote the confused gamer in Portuguese. "What's showing up isn't pretty." But as it turns out, the images were actual photos taken by NASA's Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars — not from Bethesda's upcoming action RPG. "Starfield derangement syndrome is real," one gamer [tweeted](), sharing a screenshot of the Brazilian gamer getting called out for his mixup on X-formerly-Twitter. https://twitter.com/JAAY_ROCK_/status/1696358719666204923 ## Terrible Graphics It's a hilarious misunderstanding that led to plenty of derision and mockery online. "Man said let’s wait for the final build cause the image don’t look good," the gamer who shared the screenshot added. "Little does he know these are real photos from Mars taken by a NASA rover." Users on the "Starfield" subreddit [had a field day]() with the confusion. "That's why we haven't colonized Mars yet, it's got terrible graphics," one redditor [wrote](). "God really needs to bring out a graphics update," another user [posted](). "Earth has outdated graphics, it's literally billions \[of\] years old and it still looks the same just with some add-ons." ## Pictures of Rocks A quick reverse image search reveals that at least three of [the]() [four]() [images]() were taken by Perseverance's cameras between March and June of this year. The rover has been making its way along the walls of the Jezero crater, which scientists believe to be a dried-out ancient lake bed, ever since landing on the Martian surface back in February 2021. Over 898 Mars days, the rover has [collected 17 rock cores](), taken over half a million images, and even launched a small rotorcraft called Ingenuity, which has completed [55 flights](). But according to some gamers, the planet's desolate and boulder-lined surface would make for a disappointing video game experience. Fortunately, the trove of scientific data Perseverance has collected since then paints a far more [varied and colorful picture]() of the planet's ancient past. But perhaps some gamers are just impossible to please. **More on video games:** *[Huge Crowd of Gamers Boos Elon Musk for Ruining Twitter]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()