Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory designer Clint Hocking says modern graphics are making stealth games harder to design because realistic lighting is more difficult for players to read. “It gets very hard to tell what’s light, what’s shadow, what’s dark, what’s safe, what’s dangerous.” Older stealth games used simpler lighting with clear shadows, making it easier for players to know when they were hidden. Games in the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series even included visibility meters to show whether players were concealed or exposed. Hocking explained that modern features like ray tracing and realistic light effects make environments look better but make stealth gameplay less clear. He said stealth games work best when players can quickly read the environment, even if the lighting is less realistic. According to Hocking, gameplay clarity is more important than visual realism in stealth-focused games.