photo – Page 20 – arts, ink.

I walk into my bedroom tonight.
Like second nature after a long, busy day,
I get up to turn off the light
and scroll my time and confidence away.

But the fan on the ceiling distracts me.
The blades create a patterned shadow on the walls
and the breeze touches my face lightly.
Have I not felt this before?

And then I am bothered by the crooked lamp on the table.
A soft buzz emanates from the fluorescent static
and it stands there mocking me with its instability.
Have I not seen this before?

Finally my eyes wander over to a marathon medal.
The shiny bronze engraving hangs on a white and blue ribbon
and makes a systematic click every so often.
Have I not heard this before?

*Source: One Point Perspective Drawings*

I get up to turn off the light,
Like second nature, I assume.
But as I sit on the floor
in another corner of the room,
I remember this is not home.

Video games are undoubtedly a work of art: they combine immersive graphics, impressive design, originally composed music, and complex writing and storytelling to create a cohesive masterpiece. Of course every game is different, and each has its strengths and weaknesses, but overall they’re one of the most unique and interesting ways in which many different art forms can come together. Surprisingly, I had never consciously acknowledged the cinematic qualities of video games, but I always found myself taking screenshots of amazing moments, or lining up the camera in just the right way to show off an impressive view or landscape. It could be argued that I’m a bit overly sentimental, and that’s probably true, but there is something so powerful about a cinematic picture of a great game and the associations that it creates. I’m not the only one that feels this way; many games have even added photo modes, allowing normal players to take stunning pictures in-game and share them with other players, plus the PlayStation 4 has both a snapshot and screen recording feature, testifying to the popularity of saving favorite gaming moments. I find this trend interesting, especially as games get more and more realistic. Is there a potential future where video games become a dominant medium for photography? Is it possible that video game photography could be its own art form? And who gets credit for the artistic value of the photo; the game developers who created it, or the photographer that took it? Regardless, here are some of my own video game photos as inspiration, and perhaps to get you thinking about the artistic value of the medium:

Tag: photo

The Poetry Snapshot: Another Corner of the Bedroom

Video Game Photography