If people are pausing the game mid-scene to take a screenshot, it's fairly safe to say they're more impressed by the graphics than by the 'emotional heft' of the story. Personally I won't use photomode on the first time through story bits, but I'll replay it to capture some cool moment if I remember to.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Photo Modes Sacrifice Story to Turn You Into a Commercial | Escapist Magazine
- Thread starter stinkyguy666
- Start date
As a professional photographer, I prefer Photo Modes in games to... take pictures. Literally the last thing on my mind is marketing the images themselves. Hell, I spent more time using Photo Mode in Uncharted 4 than I did actually playing the game. Most games should have the feature tbh.
Also, "editing options endangers a story's emotional heft"? Wouldn't that really be up to the player to decide? Truly, if someone wanted to remain "immersed" in the moment, Photo Mode always exists as an option but isn't required, although if the story itself was gripping enough, you wouldn't be thinking of the photo options in that moment in the first place.
This in particular just feels a bit backwards. You can do the exact same thing with movies or most other media, and in the same sense, there are different levels of attention given to the work itself depending on if you're attempting to be "immersed" or not. Or, just maybe, you want to take pictures in a cool video game world.
Also, "editing options endangers a story's emotional heft"? Wouldn't that really be up to the player to decide? Truly, if someone wanted to remain "immersed" in the moment, Photo Mode always exists as an option but isn't required, although if the story itself was gripping enough, you wouldn't be thinking of the photo options in that moment in the first place.
This in particular just feels a bit backwards. You can do the exact same thing with movies or most other media, and in the same sense, there are different levels of attention given to the work itself depending on if you're attempting to be "immersed" or not. Or, just maybe, you want to take pictures in a cool video game world.
I don't agree all that much but I see a little of when the author's coming from. I love a "simple" photo mode that just removes the HUD and allows me to place/rotate the camera. But ones like God of War and Shadow of the Tomb Raider where they add in animations and stuff like that aren't otherwise part of the game and can change the tone dramatically aren't my thing at all. I'd never stop anyone else from using them, of course, but I'd never use those aspects of them.
The advert thing is particularly prevalent for sharing clips on Playstation when it would (last I checked, at least) tweet a store link alongside.
I mean, I don't think it's some big deal or anything, just a little weird.
I also find it real silly that Life Is Strange of all games doesn't have a photo mode, considering that Max Caulfield is a photographer. Yes, I know it was before the mode really blew up, but I don't care damn it. Get me pictures of Spider-Max!
The advert thing is particularly prevalent for sharing clips on Playstation when it would (last I checked, at least) tweet a store link alongside.
I mean, I don't think it's some big deal or anything, just a little weird.
I also find it real silly that Life Is Strange of all games doesn't have a photo mode, considering that Max Caulfield is a photographer. Yes, I know it was before the mode really blew up, but I don't care damn it. Get me pictures of Spider-Max!
I like it a lot. I already got to replay games (God Of War and DOOM) because such games had no photomode at launch and then received via patch.
I'm still hoping Capcom will add this on Resident Evil 2.
I'm still hoping Capcom will add this on Resident Evil 2.
Photo mode is really no more intrusive than having to go into a menu. In fact it's less so because it is totally optional. Yes, photo modes are basically free advertising because people will post them on social media and it's that reason I don't really get why every game doesn't have one however it's also really enjoyable to take cool photos.
This is one of those dumb things where someone gets annoyed by something that doesn't affect them but wants to take potential enjoyment from other people because they don't like the thing.
This is one of those dumb things where someone gets annoyed by something that doesn't affect them but wants to take potential enjoyment from other people because they don't like the thing.
I have more than 800 captures of some individual games and of those I may not have even shared a single one. I don't even have a powerful pc or revised console, I play on a base ps4 or Wii U and still take captures for myself.
Hell, screenshots stopped selling me games, the new hot shit is arguably gameplay gifs, and you can't make many of those out of paused game photo modes. And the people who makes those, I'm sure they do it just for their own fun. They're absolutely not paid and they probably share their captures as a tribute to the games. They just like to appreciate what they see and keeping it and also sharing it.
Yeah I mean SunhiLegend and Much for example. Curious what they think about this article.
I'm sorry, we don't put photo-modes in games because it's good free marketing, that was just a plus. We put them in because everyone REALLY enjoys them and you'll get an onslaught of "WHERE IS YOUR PHOTO MODE" if you don't.
Plus after all that work, having an option to appreciate it at a greater depth is nice. It's not a big conspiracy.
And your gifs, videos and streams are way more enticing for marketing over your artistic photo's.
Plus after all that work, having an option to appreciate it at a greater depth is nice. It's not a big conspiracy.
And your gifs, videos and streams are way more enticing for marketing over your artistic photo's.
In most games I play, you have to turn it on in the menu then activate it in game, so you have to literally want to use photo mode for it to affect you in any way. Screen caps are obviously a hugely popular feature, I mean yeah I guess it is technically marketing but so is just saying a game's title in any kind of interpersonal interaction so... why is this an issue?
Never used it myself but it also doesn't bother me. However, I do use the share button quite a bit.
This is really dumb because photomode are frequently a largely requested features as most games at the start didn't even have them so it gradually grew into standard to have them in games. It's optional no different than accessing menus. Photo mode gives users larger ability to take shots they want.
Yeah, count me out of this nonsensical "oh but the poor story" shit.
Plot twist: the author wrote a purposely stupid hot take article to generate fan-fueled controversy and visibility, in the exact same way that he criticises photo mode of doing.
Plot twist: the author wrote a purposely stupid hot take article to generate fan-fueled controversy and visibility, in the exact same way that he criticises photo mode of doing.
I love photo modes for their artistic value but it's true that it's a marketing thing. Just look at all the "best gfx"-threads. Sometimes I think it's not even the same game I'm playing when I have low LoDs and bad image quality while fanboys are showing off with photo mode pictures that don't represent the actual experience very well.
I understand where the author is coming from.
It's like filming and basically watching a live concert through your smartphone screen instead of simply experiencing it.
I think some people can't experience and enjoy a thing without documenting and sharing it.
It's like filming and basically watching a live concert through your smartphone screen instead of simply experiencing it.
I think some people can't experience and enjoy a thing without documenting and sharing it.
This is a terrible take. It goes both ways too. I've seen plenty of games torn down because of the photos taken and shared online. Ask Fallout 76, ME Andromeda, and countless others if they love photomode marketing.
That's an awful take. Photo modes allow people who like to appreciate a game's aesthetic to frame it and have fun. Also, a lot of them have ridiculous filters and/or goofy selfies that just make it a nice, funny feature.
The Escapist continues to be gutter trash.
The Escapist continues to be gutter trash.
Honestly, there's been games that I had more fun with the photo mode than with the game itself.
Also, photo modes allow me practice an actual hobby - photography - when I can't go out and, well, photograph, due to weather, etc.
Also, photo modes allow me practice an actual hobby - photography - when I can't go out and, well, photograph, due to weather, etc.
This is ridiculous. I don't feel it takes anything away from the narrative flow at all. Most photos are taken during gameplay for pete's sake.
"Dramatic propulsion is severely hindered if any piece of gameplay can be paused..."
This reads like it was written by someone who has never played a modern videogame.
This reads like it was written by someone who has never played a modern videogame.
Photo mode is one of the best features from this gen, along with sleep mode.
As an amateur photographer in real life, I really enjoy the artistic possibilities offered by photo modes in games. Being able to pause, reframe, adjust aperture, exposure, colors etc lets me enjoy one of my passions within games.
I don't put them on social media, so the publishers aren't getting any advertising out of me. But if they were, where's the harm ? They're not exploiting me, it's a win-win situation, I get to do something I like, and they maybe sell more games thanks to me. Why would I be against them selling more games if I'm enjoying the games myself ?
Some people will find a way to complain just about anything. Maybe next time they'll make an article about how electricity providers make more money on our backs thanks to sleep mode.
As an amateur photographer in real life, I really enjoy the artistic possibilities offered by photo modes in games. Being able to pause, reframe, adjust aperture, exposure, colors etc lets me enjoy one of my passions within games.
I don't put them on social media, so the publishers aren't getting any advertising out of me. But if they were, where's the harm ? They're not exploiting me, it's a win-win situation, I get to do something I like, and they maybe sell more games thanks to me. Why would I be against them selling more games if I'm enjoying the games myself ?
Some people will find a way to complain just about anything. Maybe next time they'll make an article about how electricity providers make more money on our backs thanks to sleep mode.
Photo modes are great, although I mostly use them for getting a better look at the level/art than you can with the in game camera, rather than actually taking photos. My favourite photo mode is in The Order 1886. Most linear games, like Uncharted 4 or God of War severly limit where you can move the camera so as to stop you breaking the illusion the level designers have carefully created, but in The Order you can move it to areas you're not supposed to be able to see, going behind the curtain to see the shortcuts and tricks they use to build the levels
I mean, you don't have to press the photo mode button if you're afraid the photo mode is going to "sacrifice the game's story" or w/e. Meanwhile, as someone who likes games, I love having the opportunity to play around with the camera to look closer at characters and the environment, so I really think this is the worst take ever.
Terrible article. Of course it helps market a game, it is a feature users love to use. How dare devs give us the OPTION to pause a game to take a nice picture for our collections.
I love all these "what a horrible hot take" type posts. The dude is 100% right about everything he said. The problem with his take isn't that he is wrong, it's that Photo Mode is 100% optional, no one forces you to use it, so no problem exists. So, yeah, I see his points but at the end of the day it's a personal choice to use so no harm, no foul.
Seems like a lot of you photo mode fans just saw someone criticizing it and immediately had to defend it without thinking.
Seems like a lot of you photo mode fans just saw someone criticizing it and immediately had to defend it without thinking.
Honestly, that shit actually ruined Shadow of the Tomb Raider for me for a different reason. The ability to stop cutscenes and change the facial expressions was so damn funny I could not stop myself making her grin like a maniac in every possible situation. At some point I gave up trying to enjoy the story, I just could not anymore.
Not with her smiling like that.
Not with her smiling like that.
Last edited:
This is true, tho I might phrase it a bit different. Sometimes people can't make up their mind what is more important or fun to them. With games it is a bit less dramatic as you can always go back to it and screenshot always all day while a concert is a one chance event.
But I had this dilemma in the past quite a few times (it's been years since I've screenshotted games) were I wasn't sure if the activity of taking screenshots/framing composition/digital photography, is in that moment maybe more desirable than what the game offered on an emotional-pacing story structured level "Am I missing something here and I don't even realize it because I'm occupied with something else?".
Not to say that games are always low quality anyway in that area but if you like this kind of digital photography it can give you something entirely different, a form of self fulfillment due to the creative process of being a digital photographer, hunting for the best shots. That can be quite powerful if you are into this kind of stuff and I guess many people are.
Honestly, that shit actually ruined Shadow of the Tomb Raider for me for a different reason. The ability to stop cutscenes and change the facial expressions was so damn funny I could not stop myself making her grin like a maniac in every possible situation. At some point I gave up trying to enjoy the story, I just could not anymore.
Not with her smiling like that.
Lol, maybe the story wasn't actually engaging and you were having more fun that way? I know the two previous games' stories and scripts are crap.
I loved doing that in games where I enjoyed the cutscenes anyway. One thing does not impede the other, and that's where the article totally fails because it assures so. It's so very wrong in that regard. Plus not everyone plays the same way.
I kinda see where they're coming from.
Yes, as is always the case, "it's optional," but as with many, many things the very existence of said photo modes and features encourages their usage by default; you're going to get people who might not have gone out of their way to use it doing so because it's there and because it's become such a big part of gaming culture (and, with the advent of share buttons/menus, console UIs themselves). I'd liken it to a game like Uncharted 4 having all its wacky extras and filters just right there in the menu when you pause the game even if you're experiencing it for the very first time. Sure, you don't have to use it, but very basic psychology will make sure that at least some people will even if they didn't intend to.
However that doesn't mean I think photo modes should be excluded from games, but I do think they should at the very least be disabled for a person's very first playthrough. It would also help if games didn't have such a massive allergy when it comes to level selects; that way people wouldn't think "Oh, I better get this *endgame picture* now because I don't want to play another 30 hours to get here once I'm finished."
But then again I also don't like it when developers make marketing memes out of their characters and think that TLoU:P2's use of meaningless ultra-violence as a marketing tool is disturbing so I'm clearly just a crazy hot-take machine that shouldn't be listened to.
Yes, as is always the case, "it's optional," but as with many, many things the very existence of said photo modes and features encourages their usage by default; you're going to get people who might not have gone out of their way to use it doing so because it's there and because it's become such a big part of gaming culture (and, with the advent of share buttons/menus, console UIs themselves). I'd liken it to a game like Uncharted 4 having all its wacky extras and filters just right there in the menu when you pause the game even if you're experiencing it for the very first time. Sure, you don't have to use it, but very basic psychology will make sure that at least some people will even if they didn't intend to.
However that doesn't mean I think photo modes should be excluded from games, but I do think they should at the very least be disabled for a person's very first playthrough. It would also help if games didn't have such a massive allergy when it comes to level selects; that way people wouldn't think "Oh, I better get this *endgame picture* now because I don't want to play another 30 hours to get here once I'm finished."
But then again I also don't like it when developers make marketing memes out of their characters and think that TLoU:P2's use of meaningless ultra-violence as a marketing tool is disturbing so I'm clearly just a crazy hot-take machine that shouldn't be listened to.
Last edited:
This is a really bad and dumb take. Goddamn.
People enjoy taking pictures of stuff, both in and out of games. It's really that simple.
People enjoy taking pictures of stuff, both in and out of games. It's really that simple.
