When the pandemic hit the world and showed us that it was here to stay for a while, we discussed whether video game photography could become the next big thing. And apparently, it’s happening. Video game photography is becoming a new genre, and Flickr has just introduced a whole new category for it on its platform.
Toem is a game that lets you play amateur photographer to help solve puzzles
This seems to have become a big thing lately. Computer games foregoing the usual plain old boring screenshots and offering in-game “cameras” to let you position and compose your shot for a more pleasing image. Hell, even Mario Kart Tour has one. But what we’re starting to see now are games that are entirely based on shooting photos.
We featured one recently that’s actually a Photography Simulator (at least that’s the name of it), but Toem is a game where you play the part of an amateur photographer, going on expeditions and helping to solve problems by “snapping photos in [a] hand-drawn adventure game”. And it’s not for smartphones. This one’s actually for the PC.
“Photography Simulator” is a video game designed to help you be a better wildlife photographer
Video game photography has definitely seen its rise during the pandemic. While photographers have been able to capture photos within video games and their own stories, now there’s a game that’s completely dedicated to photography. Photography Simulator is, as the name suggests, a game that lets you become a photographer in a virtual world.
Can you turn video game photography into your career?
With the pandemic and all limitations it brought upon us, some photographers turned to video games for shooting alternatives. But is there a career path potential lying in video game photography? Folks at Repair Outlet did a little research to see which games are used for honing photography-related skills. As it turns out, there are plenty of them, and we can even see it become a career in the future.
Is video game photography becoming a new genre?
Many people argue that video game photography can never be equally valid as real-life photography. However, there are plenty of photographers who turned to taking photos in video games while they were in isolation. Heck, Getty Images even licenses photos from video games! So, could it be that video game photography is slowly becoming a new genre? In this video from eurothug4000, you’ll hear an interesting discussion on this topic.
Getty is now licensing “photos” from video game worlds. For real
This is probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever read in my life, but Getty Images is apparently going to be the “dedicated in-game sports photographers” for the FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships. Yes, that’s right, video game screenshots are now “photography”, according to Getty and Polyphony Digital, the developers of Gran Turismo for the Sony Playstation.
And it turns out this isn’t the first year that this has happened, either. Getty says that “the new service was debuted during the 2019 season” and “used its expertise in photographing live racing” to… create better screenshots, I guess.
Photographers in isolation turn to computer games for shooting alternatives
I am amazed by the ideas creatives have come up with to keep shooting in isolation. Some have turned to self-portraits, some to macro photography experiments, some to online photo shoots, and so on. There are also those who have turned to video games, and when you think about it – it’s a perfect strategy if you shoot street photography. During quarantine, streets from video games have become the place where some folks take their photos, and to be honest – they look darn amazing!
Epic pre-wedding photo shoot turns a couple into characters from Diablo III
If you and your significant other are huge fans of Diablo and you even met in-game, what would be better than a Diablo-themed pre-wedding photo shoot? Singaporean photographer Mezame Shashin-ka created a fantastic photo series that turned Alvin Lau and Alexis Loo into characters from Diablo III. It took some time and it was challenging. But thanks to imagination, creativity and effort – it turned out awesome!
The Last Of Us: A Video Game That Lets Players Become Photographers
Released in the summer of last year, The Last of Us has quickly gone from one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2013 to the most awarded video game of all time. Just recently, Sony even announced plans to develop a full motion picture based off the story. Last week, The Last of Us was released as a remastered exclusive for the PlayStation 4; the game came upgraded in 60fps and 1080p HD, along with a handful of extras to offer. One of the biggest highlights to come out of them was something called Photo Mode.
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