: Contrast Minecraft. Minecraft is as abstract as you can get, and
: photorealistic graphics would get in the way of it. Imagine killing a
: photorealistic cow in Minecraft. Now imagine that little steak jumping out
: of the cow. The animations wouldn't work either: swinging a sword is the
: same as swinging a pickax is the same as digging with a shovel in
: Minecraft, but not in a remotely realistic world.

This is a bad example, because there exists CAD programs that aim to be as realistic looking as possible. What this does is free you up from having to use blocks. You can use curves, various 3D shapes, and any textures you want. If your goal is to build stuff, a CAD program offers you not only way more flexibility, but also much much more power. You could use blocks if you like, but why bother when you can use whatever shape you'd like?