What I Learned Photographing NPCs for a Year (2021)
149So, this is a little different from my usual videos — but, if there’s interest, maybe the start of a new series. I got really into people-watching and photographing NPCs throughout 2020 - 2021, and then I started writing about them. Here’s what I’ve learnt: about virtual photography, photo modes, representation, the NPCs themselves and the multitude of ways in which they fill a world.
I’ve also grown exhausted of seeing players nitpick small details and graphical hang-ups, and wanted to invert that: I really appreciate the intricacies I observed, even amidst the jank, because it helped me focus in on much more interesting conversations the game’s background characters were having with the worlds around them. It also let me hone in on the details that were being overlooked. I talk about representation a lot because I want to be holistic and it is one of the most fascinating things for me to look at when it comes to NPCs; for example, seeing the authentic hijab design in Spider-Man (2018) was an early epiphany towards what kinds of things I might learn by undertaking this project. This is my longest video yet and the one that I agonized over most — but it goes out to the game devs who tirelessly make this kind of storytelling so dang subtle and yet so dang rewarding to witness. Timestamps:
Intro: 00:00 - 02:40
Misc. Games: 02:40 - 13:30
Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018) / Miles Morales (2021): 13:31 - 24:48
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End / The Lost Legacy: 24:49 - 31:33
Gravity Rush 2: 31:34 - 42:41
Kingdom Hearts III: 42:42 - 53:17
Final Fantasy VII Remake / Final Fantasy XV: 53:18 - 1:08:45
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: 1:08:46 - 1:14:53
Astral Chain: 1:14:54 - 1:17:12
Horizon Zero Dawn: 1:17:13 - 1:28:20
Ghost of Tsushima: 1:28:21 - 1:37:19
Outro / Conclusion: 1:37:20 - 1:43:30
Music Credits: 1:43:31 - 1:44:20
Links to stuff I mention below:
======== NPCs of Gaming ========
NPCs of Gaming: Where I Post my Photos / Writing
https://www.instagram.com/npcsofgaming/
Follow me on Twitter! https://twitter.com/YouJustGotArfed
======== Spider-Man Articles ========
Interview With The Art Director Of Marvel's Spider Man (PS4) | Marvel Voices by MC DC
https://youtu.be/JvWO3hqolPI
======== Uncharted Articles ========
“Video Games Are Lagging Behind in South Asian Representation” by Saniya Ahmed
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/video-games-are-lagging-behind-in-south-asian-representation/1100-6503195/
======== Gravity Rush Articles ========
“Gravity Rush Central Interview With Keiichiro Toyama, Eric Bailey and Naoko Sato” by Draikin
https://www.gravityrushcentral.com/2018/05/09/gravity-rush-central-interview-with-keiichiro-toyama-eric-bailey-and-naoko-sato/
======== Kingdom Hearts III Articles ========
“Kingdom Hearts 3: The Challenges and Rewards of Working with Disney” by Joe Skrebels
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/02/11/kingdom-hearts-3-the-challenges-and-rewards-of-working-with-disney
“KH Insider Interviews Tasha Sounart”
https://youtu.be/7Rb4wJikugk
======== Horizon Zero Dawn Articles ========
“Horizon Zero Dawn’s Native American Influences” by Games of History
https://youtu.be/M3mCQoKNwFE
"Decolonization is not a metaphor": Settler Colonialism and Indigeneity in Video Games by Game Assist
https://youtu.be/mKqpMaOu-HU
“Horizon Forbidden West: An Authentic World” by Bo de Vries
https://blog.playstation.com/2021/11/22/horizon-forbidden-west-an-authentic-world/
======== Ghost of Tsushima Articles ========
“From Infamous to Ghost of Tsushima: Sucker Punch on the six-year journey it took to deliver its magnum opus” by Josh West
https://www.gamesradar.com/from-infamous-to-ghost-of-tsushima-sucker-punch-on-the-six-year-journey-it-took-to-deliver-its-magnum-opus/
“Ghost of Tsushima Photo Mode Top Tips” by Mik
https://www.thefourthfocus.com/post/ghost-of-tsushima-photo-mode-top-tips
======== Additional Readings ========
“The true story behind BioShock Infinite’s Bread Boy” by Simone de Rochefort
https://www.polygon.com/videos/23014794/gwen-frey-bread-boy-bioshock-infinite
“Final Fantasy VII Remake Revisited” Series by Sunil Godhania
https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/final-fantasy-vii-remake-revisited-chapter-1
======== Additional Resources & Works Cited ========
GDC Talks: https://www.youtube.com/c/Gdconf
The Fourth Focus (VP Resource, Hosts of Annual VP Awards):
https://www.thefourthfocus.com/
Follow me or support the channel if you're able!
-- Twitter: https://twitter.com/YouJustGotArfed
-- NPCs of Gaming: https://www.instagram.com/npcsofgaming/
-- Buy Me a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/solidarf
Other Videos By SolidArf
| 2023-05-04 | What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order |
| 2023-04-28 | Glass Onion & See How They Run: How a Mind Deceives Itself |
| 2023-04-14 | Hollow Knight's Loneliest Levels |
| 2023-02-11 | Art and the Environment in Concrete Genie |
| 2023-01-25 | TOEM, and Why I Love Scrapbooking in Games |
| 2022-12-19 | A Hundred Histories of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time |
| 2022-07-30 | What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Kingdom Hearts III |
| 2022-07-11 | What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) |
| 2022-07-11 | What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Gravity Rush 2 |
| 2022-07-11 | What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Final Fantasy VII Remake |
| 2022-07-10 | What I Learned Photographing NPCs for a Year (2021) |
| 2022-04-03 | The Camera(s) of NEO: The World Ends with You |
| 2021-10-10 | Gravity Rush: A Hierarchy of Sinking Worlds |
| 2021-07-20 | Rediscovering Spira |
| 2021-06-17 | Psychonauts: Video Game Drowning and The Aquato Solution |
| 2021-06-14 | Inside: Storytelling Without Words (But With 14 Exceptions) |
| 2021-06-14 | SolidArf - Channel Trailer |
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