Virtual photography is a form of new media art where images are created by taking screenshots of video games or other virtual worlds.
Although virtual photography has been featured in physical art galleries worldwide, the validity and legality of this art form are sometimes questioned because virtual photographers are taking photos of artwork created by the game’s designers and artists.
In May 2016, Nvidia unveiled Ansel, a software development kit which allows game developers to add a free camera mode designed to simplify virtual photography. However, the chipmaker no longer supports Ansel, and it hardly seems needed with games like Red Dead Redemption 2, released in 2018, and earlier games with native photo modes. Gran Turismo 4, a 2005 game, may have been the first.
Tech site Crucial has been investigating the most popular games for virtual photography.
| Game | Year released | Total Number of Instagram Posts | Number of Photography Posts | Percentage of Game Photography |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2018 | 2,283,299 | 501,531 | 21.97% |
| Ghost of Tsushima | 2020 | 413,272 | 75,614 | 18.30% |
| No Man’s Sky | 2016 | 212,555 | 35,274 | 16.60% |
| Horizon Forbidden West | 2022 | 249,859 | 32,380 | 12.96% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2020 | 1,233,756 | 107,102 | 8.68% |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 2021 | 681,294 | 47,092 | 6.91% |
| The Last of Us | 2013 | 1,626,951 | 74,530 | 4.58% |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | 2020 | 352,827 | 12,290 | 3.48% |
| Gran Turismo 7 | 2022 | 151,068 | 5,175 | 3.43% |
| Spider Man | 2018 | 835,311 | 28,273 | 3.38% |
Crucial also investigated the most graphic-intensive games, and there does not seem to be much of a link. A Plague Tale: Requiem ranked top, needing some 16GB, Intel Core i7-8700k AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and a GPU like an Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 AMD Radeon RX 6800.
I note the site argues for building PCs with upgrades and components in mind except the CPU. Why? They say;
Your CPU is no exception to this, as it can be one of the more expensive parts to upgrade. Intel and AMD Ryzen are the most recommended CPUs on the market for these highly demanding games, offering some of the fastest gaming experiences available.
As for the GPU, Crucial say;
For those crisp gameplay visuals, most developers recommend using a top-notch GPU. In most cases, Nvidia tops the list for photorealistic gameplay.
