Are games the most complex form of computer software today?

Total War: Rome II lead designer James Russell reckons that video games are today’s most complex form of computer software. I don’t really know anything about computer software, so I’m going to nod my head in agreement. And blink once very slowly at the same time, of course.

“A video game, any video game, is an amazing thing,” said Russell, speaking at the Eurogamer Expo.

“Games are arguably the most sophisticated and complex forms of software out there these days.”

Rome II is comprised of a whopping three million lines of code, which means that if you stacked them on top of each other they would be five times the height of Mount Everest, according to Russell.

Then of course there are assets. While Empire: Total War’s characters were built out of 2,000 polygons, and Shogun 2’s virtual soldiers were between 4,000 and 5,000 polygons, Rome II will push the envelope even further, with character models comprised of 6,000-7,000 polygons.

Source: Eurogamer