Picture This

Photography & Games

Since the 1980’s videogames have included photography elements in their design. One of the earliest examples is Nessie (1985) on the Atari. In the game the player has to take a photo of the Loch Ness Monster.

Recently games makers are finding new ways to incorporate photography, and the camera, within gameplay – not only for players to literally take photographs, but also to experience and interact with gaming spaces in new ways.

The Museum introduces Pokemon Snap (2000), Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, Toem: A Photo Adventure and Viewfinder. These games allow the player to take, share, and experiment with photos while traversing unknown worlds.

Picture This Collection

Our collection has many examples of how videogames include and experiment with photography in play. Some games can have camera-like accessories such as the Game Boy Camera and Game Boy Printer, which produces unique dot-matrix style photographs. In games like Pokemon Snap, the play not only takes photos but can use the camera as a tool or even a weapon.

Virtual Reality devices, like the PlayStation VR headset, use a digital camera to capture imagery which is converted into a live-action digital environment. Digital screenshots can provide a way of taking photos during gameplay, and this is one way we can document and share our experiences.