Photos in Final Fantasy XV and Prompto’s in-game photography

In Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix, 2016) one of the character, Prompto Argentum, has photography skills and will take pictures of the gameplay, which are shown to the player when the characters are resting.

Prompto could be seen as an alternative Photo Mode “outsourced” to an NPC.

 

source: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/719092-final-fantasy-xv/74657693

Prompto’s photography skill is a passive ability that is used throughout your time playing Final Fantasy 15, requiring no input to progress. It generally progresses naturally as Prompto takes photographs of various things as you explore the game world.

At the end of each day Prompto will show you a list of photographs he has taken that day. You do have the option of saving the pictures into a gallery or even sharing them with your friends on social media, although this has no impact on leveling the skill itself.

Typically Prompto will take shots of exciting events throughout the day. Boss encounters, group exploration and meeting new figures within the story are all popular points for Prompto to take a quick snapshot.

At some points during the game you can influence Prompto’s photograph choices. When driving Prompto will ask Noctis what he wants to see in his photographs, you can reply with any of the main characters as a response – prompting Prompto (see what I did there?) to take more photographs featuring that specific character.

source: http://www.gamersheroes.com/game-guides/final-fantasy-xv-promptos-photography-skills-guide/

Interestingly, the photo feature was explicitly built to encourage circulation of images online and “impact social media”:

The photos feature was born out of the idea that more people are using smartphones and thus being connected to social media, and the developers wanted Final Fantasy XV to have an impact in that sphere.

If people are playing on their smartphones, then a lot of them are also using social media, right? So one of my goals in creating 15 was to craft a game that could have a big impact on social media. That’s what you’ve seen with the photographs and all the videos the players are sharing, and that’s a way of sort of reaching this audience. I think we did a pretty good job of it.

—Hajime Tabata, director of Final Fantasy XV

 

source: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Photos

However, some players have complained about the Prompto’s photographic skills:

The game also contains photography as game mechanics, and photo shoot “missions”.

 

A Photo Mode that can be operated by the player is also available:

 

more info on Prompto’s photography AI: http://gdcvault.com/play/1024023/Prompto-s-Facebook-How-a

“THE iDOLM@STER: Gravure for You! vol. 1-9” and “THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Gravure For You! Packs vol. 1-9”

THE iDOLM@STER: Gravure for You! vol. 1-9 (Bandai Namco Games, 2011-2012)

THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Gravure For You! Packs vol. 1-9 (Bandai Namco Games, 2015-2016)

 

On October 2, 2013, the series was re-released on the PS3 for iM@S CHANNEL. […] Pictures can be saved into a gallery. Certain features were added to these volumes to make the photos more customizable including:

• Camera Tilt via controller motion sensor tilt
• The ability to add a black frame around the photos
• Different photo sizes
• The ability to display a guide grid
• A vignetting effect
• A button to change BGM playlists
• 150% angle swing of the camera
• An option to hide the menu

source: https://www.project-imas.com/wiki/THE_iDOLM@STER:_Gravure_For_You!

Paparazzi

Paparazzi for Playstation 2 (HuneX, 2005, original title: The Camera Kozou) is a photography simulation game where the player has to take pictures of models, with the possibility to request the model to look at the camera, to “adopt a charming pose”, “adopt a sexy pose” and “get a kiss on the fly”. The player/photographer can also dance, jump and wave hands to build empathy with the subject and it’s possible to move around the photo shoot location to take the best shots of the model’s performance.

While the content of the game is questionable, with much of the game’s 3D physics simulation spent on rendering the bouncing of the models’ oversized breast, the camera simulation in manual mode contains many parameters rendered directly from analogue cameras (namely flash, zoom, focus, aperture and shutter speed).

Grand Theft Auto – cameras and photo missions

Grand Theft Auto has incorporated an in-game camera in its franchise since 2002, growingly giving importance and expanding the capabilities of photography in the gameplay and as a free photo tool independent from the game missions. Camera simulation in GTA is always a first person view, with the frame of the camera viewfinder. The player has the ability to zoom, but no other control (like focus, aperture…) is available. Alternative to the camera, there is also a smartphone with a camera app, in more recent GTA editions (GTA IV and V).

[…] The device was also available in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, albeit with more functionality, allowing Carl to use it freely. It can be used in San Fierro to collect snapshots, which is required to achieve 100% completion. The camera has a capacity of 36 pictures per film, and pictures taken can be saved. If the player recruits a gang member, the player can give the camera to him by walking up to him and pulling the left trigger. After that, the game is viewed through the perspective of the gang member and pictures of CJ can be taken. The player can also aim the camera at a girlfriend and CJ will say something related to photo-shooting and she will wave. If you aim the camera at a gang member, CJ will say something like he says to his girlfriend, but the gang member will not respond or wave unless the player has recruited him.

[…] [In Grand Theft Auto IV] The camera is used in certain missions where a picture is required. Outside of missions, snapshots can be taken, but there is no way of saving them.

[…]In Grand Theft Auto V, the camera is replaced by the Snapmatic app on smartphones. Snapmatic has the same function as regular cameras, but allows users to take selfies or use filters. In the mission Paparazzo, Franklin follows Miranda Cowan’sLimo so Beverly Felton can take pictures of the actress consuming drugs. Subsequent Paparazzo missions also feature the use of cameras. In the mission Casing the Jewel Store, Lester givesMichael a pair of glasses fitted with a camera, to study Vangelico’s vents and security systems, which can’t be used outside of missions.

Prominent appearances in missions

GTA: Vice City

• Martha’s Mug Shot

GTA: San Andreas

• Badlands
• Photo Opportunity
• Architectural Espionage

GTA: Liberty City Stories

• Snappy Dresser
• Stop the Press

GTA: Vice City Stories

• The Mugshot Longshot

GTA IV

• Photo Shoot
• First mission from Jeff
• …I’ll Take Her

The Lost and Damned

• Phone Ho

GTA V

• Casing the Jewel Store
• Paparazzo
• Paparazzo – The Highness
• Paparazzo – The Meltdown
• Paparazzo – The Partnership
• Paparazzo – The Sex Tape
• Scouting the Port

GTA Online

• Point and Shoot

source: GTA wikia, http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Camera

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[selected missions featuring photography]

GTA VICE CITY – “Martha’s Mug Shot”

Grand Theft Auto Vice City was the first GTA to feature a camera mode in its gameplay. In one mission the player had to take incriminating pictures of a politician.

http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Martha’s_Mug_Shot

GTA SAN ANDREAS – “Photo Opportunity”

In this mission, the player has to get on the roof of a building to take pictures of each target.

http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Photo_Opportunity

GTA LIBERTY CITY STORIES – “Snappy Dresser”

http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Snappy_Dresser

GTA VICE CITY STORIES – “The Mugshot Longshot“

http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mugshot_Longshot

GTA IV – “Photo Shoot”

In one mission in GTA IV called “Photo Shoot”, the player has to take pictures of gang members and send it to another character, to individuate the target for an assassination. The photo is taken with the character in-game camera phone, which allows zooming.

GTA V – “Paparazzo photo missions”

In GTA V, all of the three main character has a smartphone with camera capability, and the player has the ability to take pictures freely and indipendently from missions and gameplay objectives. Photography however is also integrated in missions related to the “Strangers and Freaks” side storyline. Here the player works with a Paparazzi to get pictures of specific targets.

http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Paparazzo_-_The_Meltdown

http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Paparazzo_-_The_Highness

GTA V – Wildlife Photography Challenge”

http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Wildlife_Photography_Challenge

Photography Games 2

A selection of videogames that attempt to incorporate photography (or better “photographing”) as game mechanics to a certain degree.

Polaroid Pete (Gekisha Boy Gekibo)

Gekibo: Gekisha Boy – screenshot of the 1992 PC game version

Gekibo: Gekisha Boy – screenshot from the 1992 PC game version

 

In this PC game from 1992 (ported to PS2 in 2002, and with a a sequel titled Gekisha Boy 2 released for PS2 in 2001), photography plays a big role in both story and game mechanics. This makingGekisha Boy one of the earliest examples of videogames to incorporate a camera and the act of taking pictures as core game mechanic. In each level the main character has to take snapshots of events happening around him, with points being assigned according to the player’s ability to catch the “decisive moment”.

 

Fatal Frame

In this series, the game takes inspiration from the Victorian born art of ‘Spirit Photography’. It lets the player capture images of spirits through a Camera Obscura, while exploring abandoned ruins and fend off hostile ghosts.

 

Dead Rising

the main character of Dead Rising is a photo journalist, Frank West, who has to survive a zombie-infested environment while documenting the events with his camera. Shots taken with the in-game camera are evaluated (genre of the photos is analysed, e.g. brutality, drama, …) and rewarded through a point system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spiderman 3

Spiderman 3 lets you play as Peter Parker, and in some missions you are required to get pictures for the Daily Bugle. A basic camera interface allows you to zoom and frame an image before taking the shot. Pictures are given points (photo score).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

in an easter egg within Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the player is transported to a white environment where it is possible to take pictures of the female character, posing as if in some sort of weird erotic photo shoot.

 

Grand Theft Auto V

in GTA V, there are a number of missions where you work with/for a paparazzi photographer and you have to take pictures with a DSLR or with your in-game smartphone camera.

Camera Sim 3D

Camera Sim 3D is a DSLR simulator, developed with the purpose of teaching the basics of photography and how to operate a DSLR camera. It is still in production at the time of writing, but a live demo is available online.

play a demo here: http://camerasim.com/apps/camerasim/

an early camera simulator demo from 2011 (this one uses video footage instead of in-game textures): http://camerasim.com/apps/camera-simulator/

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source: http://bokeh.digitalrev.com/article/10-games-about-photography
more Photography Games covered in this previous post: https://ingamephotography.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/photography-games/

note:

the original article included “Life Is Strange” as one of the games about photography, but it was not featured in our list because the mechanics for taking a picture in the game offer very little control or similarity with the act of photographing (no possibility of framing, zooming, focusing).