Games have always tried to wow players when in motion—that’s the primary intention, after all. That said, even going back to some of the earliest titles, screenshots have served as a key selling point to the customer.
From gawking at the back panel of a new physical game on the ride home from the store, to combing over the details in a magazine issue, screenshots have long been a portal into a game’s world when it’s not running on-screen. For the longest time, the creation of screenshots was up to game developers. But, in recent years, such power has been shared with that of the player themselves by means of the increasingly complex and important Photo Mode.
Looking through the viewfinder
“Virtual photography,” as it has become known, is a very self-explanatory term. A lot of the same principles that apply to snapping a shot in the real world also apply when using a game’s Photo Mode. To that effect, some developers have opted to include a very robust virtual camera system in their projects, giving players a wide array of tools and parameters to manipulate to their liking.
Even games with a simpler tool set often include routine functionality that, while anyone can use, the more expert shutterbugs can further exploit for some truly beautiful compositions.
Whether they’re trying to mimic a full-scale DSLR with a handful of lenses, or a simple point-and-shoot that your family used on holiday, Photo Mode in all its renditions has become paramount to the modern gaming experience.
But, why is that?
Sharing with the world
The modern camera as we know it has existed since the 1800s. Thus, for the last 200 years, society has had the means to capture the moment in a literal flash. Virtual photography works much the same way.
Polyphony Digital has the award for building gaming’s first ever photo mode, appearing in 2004’s Gran Turismo 4 for the PS2. Things have only gotten more interesting since then.
Just as there are key points in real life that we love to composite, so too are there numerous moments in games that simply look far too good to not frame.
That said, people don’t do much literal framing these days; at least not like they used to. Your parents and grandparents may have some thick, encyclopedia-sized albums up on the shelf of special moments from their life. But, most folks today have moved on to keeping their memories almost entirely in a digital format.
Not only has the use of smart devices encouraged this, but so too has the growth of social media and its instant-sharing capabilities.
Yes, photos are great personal mementos, but sharing them with others has arguably always been their primary purpose. Sharing photos gives us something to talk about, to reflect on. Screenshots do the same for gaming.
A picture paints a thousand words
Particularly in the realm of social media, seeing a beautifully composed shot while scrolling tends to be rather exciting, if not simply alluring. It could be a gorgeous scenic view, or a really engaging action shot.
Either way, the creation of these shots has a two-fold effect; the virtual photographer has the thrill of framing the shot, letting the final image speak their artistic vision to the viewer who then gets wrapped up in the details.
There’s arguably even a third pillar to this formula—free publicity.
A little effort goes a long way
As mentioned earlier, screenshots initially emerged as a way to advertise to would-be consumers. While print media is no longer as popular, screenshots have only been used more in the digital era. From various online publications releasing early previews to, once again, players sharing their Photo Mode compositions out to the world.
It’s the latter that tends to have more legs, as there are often thousands and thousands of posts about a single game that are just screenshots. Of course, developers further encourage these creations by running community-driven competitions, often weekly. This creates a fun challenge for players, while also serving as an easy, and free way to drive engagement with more posts.
This isn’t meant to make such efforts sound scummy or manipulative; quite the opposite. While soft advertising is no doubt the underlying goal, the fact that players still get to enjoy themselves while also potentially generating new interest ultimately makes it a win-win situation across the board.
Not to mention, there are user-created communities that also center around virtual photography, Such communities offer a big social aspect for thousands of players to connect with like-minded creators that derive inspiration from each other’s work.
In a sense, it’s almost like each game with its own unique healthy virtual photography group ends up having a bespoke art gallery. And much like a real art gallery, not only does it attract viewers, but collectors as well.
I, for one, have downloaded a wide array of shared screenshots and use them as wallpapers. It helps that a lot of modern devices offer auto-changing background functionality, creating a fluid frame, of sorts.
It should go without mentioning that every unattributed image you’ve seen in this piece happens to be a screenshot that I’ve taken, such as this from Riders Republic:
It’s become intertwined with my writing over the years; I genuinely love creating shots to go with my articles, reviews, and news posts, especially when it’s for a game I’m genuinely fond of. Of course, I also love participating in screenshot competitions or simply just sharing a quick post here and there on X to contribute to the various VP communities I follow.
Good work, good feelings
Humans innately love putting their skills to good use; there’s a healthy satisfaction that comes with stepping back and taking a gander at a ‘finished piece.’ Whether it’s a sculpture, or beautifully prepared plate of food—we love making things, and screenshots are no different.
It’s no wonder why virtual photography has now become a tent pole feature in modern gaming, even to the point where some players dedicate their entire social presence to the craft.
Today’s games look better than ever before, and we now have the tools to capture every detail and share our creations with our friends and the wider community. Some developers have particularly leaned into it, such as how Playground Games provided an extensive update to Forza Horizon 5’s Photo Mode a few years ago.
It’s certainly one of the healthier aspects of today’s gaming landscape. While microtransactions, season passes, and various other components of the ‘Games as a Service’ have created woeful trends, at least this trend has done a great job at encouraging an atmosphere of fun and friendliness among players, not to mention a very cathartic tool for self-expression.
So, keep on with the Photo Modes game devs. Keep giving us crazy filters and intricate DSLR menus to tinker around with.
From racers, to simulators, to even platformers—thousands of games have adopted this tool, and no doubt thousands more will.
Check out more from the games featured in this piece:
Forza Horizon 5 races its way to PS5 this Spring | The Crew Motorfest review for PC — Pomp, pageantry and problems | Train Sim World 5 PC review — Around the bend, again | Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 early impressions – Broken clouds
