{"id":8503,"date":"2024-12-12T12:02:56","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T12:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truhu.app\/blog\/?p=8503"},"modified":"2025-02-21T10:52:09","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T10:52:09","slug":"video-game-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truhu.app\/blog\/video-game-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Video Game Photography Art? Deep Dive with Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Video game photography is an area of digital art that\u2019s taken my attention lately. As a color professional with a longstanding interest in the graphical arts, I am intrigued by the concept of virtual photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I went ahead and researched – what it is, how it\u2019s done, what it actually means, and if it can rival actual<\/em> photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, as graphics capabilities keep advancing with companies like NVIDIA and AMD constantly pushing for higher visual fidelity, video game photography is graduating from simple screen-grabbing to something more<\/em>. Whether that is art or even photography is a topic of some contention, one I\u2019ll be looking at here. But first, let\u2019s begin with some definitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Video Game Photography?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Video game photography, also known as gaming photography or virtual photography, is the practice and result of capturing virtual \u201cphotographs\u201d within a video game. Typically, it involves screenshotting a particular moment in the game, either through the regular screen capture method on the respective device or through in-game photo modes, which are only available on some titles. The resulting images are then edited to match the artistic vision of the person taking the shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video game photography is part of the larger virtual photography category which includes all forms of images captured on a computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Virtual Photography?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Virtual photography is the practice and result of taking screenshots within any virtual world, be it a video game or otherwise. To put it simply, all video game photos are virtual photos, but not all virtual photos are video game photos. For example, other types of virtual photos can be seen in real estate, 3D design, videography, cinematography, and more. However, for the most part, the term virtual photography is used to mean images captured within video games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The true heart of virtual photography is freezing in time a unique, unrepeatable, millesimal moment in a game played by millions of people for billions of hours.<\/em><\/p>Emanuele Bresciani<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Virtual Photography and Arts<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So Wait, Is It Truly<\/em> Photography?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Technically, not exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"photography
Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If we\u2019re to follow the definition, virtual photography would not qualify as photography because it\u2019s typically not captured by the action of light on an optical sensor or film. In many instances, this optical sensor is itself virtual, simulated in the game world, such as NVIDIA\u2019s Ansel which many games employ to offer the \u201cPhoto Mode\u201d option to players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, virtual photography seems to be a term that has stuck. Even the games themselves use the term \u201cphoto.\u201d So maybe it\u2019s time to expand the definition to include virtual images.<\/p>\n\n\n

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