To set a Scene, to take a Shot – Players as Photographers

Photography is ubiquitous nowadays. Also, the interrelations of photography, digital games and players became more and more diverse during the last 30 years. In the early 1990s, analogue screenshots were used to document game victories and high scores. Around the turn of the millennium, photographically motivated ways of playing became more creative and advanced. Players expanded their playing strategies with explicit photographic intentions. The gaming industry increasingly implemented complex photo modes in video games. In addition to simple screenshots, the photomodes also enabled photo shootings to be integrated into the running game processes. When they set a scene and take ashot the players make aesthetic decisions, as they are familiar with from the compositional history of photography to its most recent forms. Image production and distribution became an integral part of the player's life. Shared on platforms like Instagram, computer game photography is competing with photos from other genres for the viewer's attention. What role does In-game photography play in the vibrating field of computer-generated images and image sharing practices – in the gaming cosmos and beyond?