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[Hanmik]

The Last of Us Remastered is a post-apocalyptic video game released earlier this year on PlayStation 4 with an in-game Photo Mode, which freezes the game and lets players shoot, edit and share photographs of their achievements.

TIME assigned conflict photographer Ashley Gilbertson to use the Photo Mode to document the game’s protagonists as they fight to survive in a zombie-infested world. Gilbertson writes about his experience.

I’ve spent a few days inside the body of an angry Hugh Jackman-lookalike.

TIME asked me to work as a photographer within the video game called The Last of Us Remastered, a hyper violent game in which a player must kill people that are infected with some type of brain and flesh condition. The game, which is very carefully rendered to look as real as possible, gives the player access to a wide variety of weapons, but it also provides players with a camera to shoot their own action. I loved the concept – it brought to mind the ideas of photojournalism produced without a physical camera, best embodied in Mishka Henner’s brilliant series, No Man’s Land, a project that uses Google Street View to document Europe’s prostitution issues.

My approach with The Last of Us Remastered was to enter each situation, or level, and work the scene until I was confident I’d gotten the best photograph I could before moving on. It’s the same way I work in real life. Yet, I found it was more difficult to do in a virtual reality because I was expected to fight my way through these levels to get to the next situations. That involved chopping off people’s heads, shooting them point blank in the face or throwing bombs near them. If I failed, I’d have my neck bitten, with blood exploding from my jugular in some pseudo-sexual zombie move, forcing me to restart the level.

I initially played the game at home. But after a short time playing it, I noticed I was having very strong reactions in regards to my role as the protagonist: I hated it. When I covered real war, I did so with a camera, not a gun. At home, I’d play for 30 minutes before noticing I had knots in my stomach, that my vision blurred, and then eventually, that I had simply crashed out. I felt like this could well be my last assignment for TIME.

Call me soft, but I’m pretty sure it was my brain being overwhelmed and shutting my body down. It sounds extreme perhaps, but I’m wired that way.

An additional challenge was that I could make photographs that seemed almost “perfect”. It wasn’t hard to make images that recalled posters for a war film, or that might be used in an advertising campaign for the game itself. It was too clean. The last thing I wanted to do was to advertise the game, so I tried to mess with the photos a little. Put unimportant information in the foreground. Tilt the camera. Pull back too wide. I needed to make the shots imperfect because, I believe, imperfections make photography human. In advertising things look perfect. In journalism, there’s always something off. What some people see as visual weaknesses in our work, I see as part of our tableau.

http://lightbox.time.com/2014/09/15/war-photographer-video-game/#end

much more at the link...

I think this is a strange article.. the photographer didn´t really understand the game..

"I shot through a dirty window at one point trying to emulate the refugee-in-bus-window-at-border-crossing image, but the subject, my virtual daughter, didn’t have the required expression of distress."

If I failed, I’d have my neck bitten, with blood exploding from my jugular in some pseudo-sexual zombie move, forcing me to restart the level

but it´s fun to read and see how a seasoned war photographer goes through a ame like this..

 

[abstract alien]

This reads and sounds odd, as if it doesn't add up.

 

[SgtCobra]

Seems like he really didn't like it at all.

 

[- J - D -]

This guy has covered wars, you know.

 

[Yaphett Kotto]

How he is describing some parts of the game reminds me of that one female from US Gamer when she described Castlevania earlier this year. Especially this part:

If I failed, I’d have my neck bitten, with blood exploding from my jugular in some pseudo-sexual zombie move, forcing me to restart the level

 

[fabricated backlash]

To be honest, if you're surrounded by genuine human tragedy and suffering for your job, I doubt that the crude depiction of human reactions in video games might come off as genuine.

He also makes a valid point about the range of emotions that the characters display in this game in particular. There is mostly anger and apathy, and little else.

 

[MisterHero]

He's not Frank West

Edit:

Yet, I left the experience with a sense that by familiarizing and desensitizing ourselves to violence like this can turn us into zombies. Our lack of empathy and unwillingness to engage with those involved in tragedy stems from our comfort with the trauma those people are experiencing.

It’s the single largest issue I face as a photographer. How do we reach a readership that is accustomed to seeing people dying en masse in war zones as a result of games like this one? I’ve been trying to find alternative approaches to the topic for the past seven years, with limited success – the work I’m most proud of, Bedrooms of The Fallen, was just published as a book. It examines the intact bedrooms of soldiers killed overseas.

Gilbertson is absolutely right about games' ability to desensitize the general public. However, that is a problem that is shared with all entertainment mediums. The Last of Us is an unfortunate target of his point.

 

[Dastardly Jerks]

Don't really think the artist is looking at this as a video game, people.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

Yeah seems like he missed the point of the brutality.

Still a fascinating read from a different perspective, especially one so seasoned in seeing war.

I felt like this could well be my last assignment for TIME.

wut

 

[Corpekata]

What about calling her a virtual daughter makes you think he didn't understand the game?

 

[Prototype Viktor]

whatever happened to their official photo contest, i didn't keep track of it b/c it started right as mine and VisceralBowl's on gaf ended

 

[Clefargle]

I don't get it

 

[uncleniccius]

Considering they've been in the world for so long and are so used to it I don't find the fact he didn't see it surprising.

 

[Hanmik]

What about calling her a virtual daughter makes you think he didn't understand the game?

she isn´t his daughter.

 

[maquiladora]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=895583

 

[Corpekata]

she isn´t his daughter.

Genetically, yes. But a pretty big chunk of the story is devoted to her basically being a daughter surrogate. Referring to her that way is a pretty accurate reading of the character.

 

[supernormal]

The way I read this is that the photographer thought the photo aspect of the game was the main focus and the gameplay secondary. It sounds like he didn't like to fight the war and photograph it as well.

 

[POWERSPHERE]

Been done better in GTA and this take is pretty corny

 

[Famassu]

He also makes a valid point about the range of emotions that the characters display in this game in particular. There is mostly anger and apathy, and little else.

That's not really true. Yeah, the character models don't always show much emotion on their faces in in-game situations but there's some light-hearted banter, jokes and other emotions shown through dialogue even during playable scenarios. Yeah, the characters are often angry & filled with apathy when they are fighting other humans, but I don't see how that's any different from similar movies where people are just trying to survive in a shitty, harsh world where humans can be other humans' worst enemies. The characters do show a range of emotions other than anger & apathy in various points in the game.

 

[EGM1966]

Very interesting read. Understandable someone who covers unpleasant material gets minimal enjoyment out of playing violent material. If that was my career I doubt I'd want to touch a violent video game.

But also interesting that've didn't like the shift from passive recorder to active instigator.

I'd love to see more examples of people trying games who are likely to have an uncommon view of them.

Good pics too.

 

[MormaPope]

Very interesting read. Understandable someone who covers unpleasant material gets minimal enjoyment out of playing violent material. If that was my career I doubt I'd want to touch a violent video game.

But also interesting that've didn't like the shift from passive recorder to active instigator.

I'd love to see more examples of people trying games who are likely to have an uncommon view of them.

Good pics too.

Yup.

 

[Infernal Monkey]

No wonder he was getting headaches after playing for half an hour.

 

[fabricated backlash]

Considering they've been in the world for so long and are so used to it I don't find the fact he didn't see it surprising.

I think that's a pretty weak excuse for it's one dimensional depiction of such a world (during gameplay). Especially since some of the cutscenes still show that people do grief, even after such a long time of crisis, after so many losses, even the loss of a brother or son is throwing people into grief.

During gameplay however (which is what he was talking about) the characters faces are little else but angry/stressed and blank/emotionless. Sure it's mostly down to technical limitations, and not developer ambition, but this aspect weighs heavily for someone who has seen brutal suffering in human faces for so long.

Also to those saying that he didn't get the point of the games brutality... yeah no, it seems he got it quite well, and still thinks that it makes the world building one dimensional.

 

[- J - D -]

Yet, I left the experience with a sense that by familiarizing and desensitizing ourselves to violence like this can turn us into zombies. Our lack of empathy and unwillingness to engage with those involved in tragedy stems from our comfort with the trauma those people are experiencing.

It’s the single largest issue I face as a photographer. How do we reach a readership that is accustomed to seeing people dying en masse in war zones as a result of games like this?

I find that it's here that the author of this article shows his lack of understanding of the game. If anything, the game asks us immediately to engage with those involved in tragedy. And if he's regarding those who've been turned, then it just becomes a bit silly to me.

The second part displays the kind of general reaction toviolent games from those who aren't able or willing to discern the nuances that separate oone from the other.

 

[fabricated backlash]

That's not really true. Yeah, the character models don't always show much emotion on their faces in in-game situations but there's some light-hearted banter, jokes and other emotions shown through dialogue even during playable scenarios. Yeah, the characters are often angry & filled with apathy when they are fighting other humans, but I don't see how that's any different from similar movies where people are just trying to survive in a shitty, harsh world where humans can be other humans' worst enemies. The characters do show a range of emotions other than anger & apathy in various points in the game.

In cutscenes, yes. But that's not what he was after. He was assigned to apply his skills as a war photographer to this game, and he found the disconnect between his experience of people in combat and extreme brutality, and the emotionless in game characters to be off putting to the point that his skills were worthless when applied to this assignment.

Again, it's not a fault of the game itself, but it is an aspect that future games could consider to improve massively on the narrative and world building that they want to push.

Just like feminist viewpoints, this as well can and should stop us and think critically about the medium and it's depiction of the human condition. And for all the great things that TLOU accomplished, it is still far far away from what it could become.
It's important to have criticism from various standpoints, as gaming has existed for too long in an incestuous circle of self criticism that shut out all external viewpoints for too long. And the derivative and self reproducing game design seen over the last 15 years is proof of that.

Very interesting read. Understandable someone who covers unpleasant material gets minimal enjoyment out of playing violent material. If that was my career I doubt I'd want to touch a violent video game.

But also interesting that've didn't like the shift from passive recorder to active instigator.

I'd love to see more examples of people trying games who are likely to have an uncommon view of them.

Good pics too.

This is my view as well. It can only be beneficial to game design as it helps it mature and evolve.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Someone send Time some pics from the GAF thread, show them what's up.

His pics are alright, the nitpicking about the characters not showing distress seems a bit odd though. I haven't been in a war zone but I imagine after a while the people living in such a situation manage to cope. From footage I have seen of Iraq, Afghanistan etc the people don't seem to be perpetually distressed. Ellie would have been born into it and Joel would have been living that life for some 20 or more years.

 

[EGM1966]

Someone send Time some pics from the GAF thread, show them what's up.

His pics are alright, the nitpicking about the characters not showing distress seems a bit odd though. I haven't been in a war zone but I imagine after a while the people living in such a situation manage to cope. From footage I have seen of Iraq, Afghanistan etc the people don't seem to be perpetually distressed. Ellie would have been born into it and Joel would have been living that life for some 20 or more years.

As someone who by your own admission has never been to a war zone are you arguing about the accuracy of someone who has been to a war zone based on what you imagine based on the short clips deemed acceptable to put on the news? Seriously?

Also let's be fair - characters are animated in cutscenes and the odd moment of choice. You only need a few plays with photo mode to see mostly they're fairly bland - understandable in context of a video game but also not lifelike.

 

[Earthpainting]

It doesn't entirely surprise me that he'd be turned off considering his resume. Games can be rather blasé and sometimes even glorifying when it comes to violence, and The Last of Us is no real exception. Violence may not be contextualised as a means to have fun, but it is systemised in such ways. For someone that covers this ugliness in the real world, I can see how this can feel pretty gross. It's easy to lose perspective when it is so normalised in the medium.

Very interesting read. Understandable someone who covers unpleasant material gets minimal enjoyment out of playing violent material. If that was my career I doubt I'd want to touch a violent video game.

But also interesting that've didn't like the shift from passive recorder to active instigator.

I'd love to see more examples of people trying games who are likely to have an uncommon view of them.

Good pics too.

Agreed on all accounts. Especially the bolded is something that would interest me.

 

[Marky Mark]

I initially played the game at home. But after a short time playing it, I noticed I was having very strong reactions in regards to my role as the protagonist: I hated it. When I covered real war, I did so with a camera, not a gun. At home, I’d play for 30 minutes before noticing I had knots in my stomach, that my vision blurred, and then eventually, that I had simply crashed out. I felt like this could well be my last assignment for TIME.

Call me soft, but I’m pretty sure it was my brain being overwhelmed and shutting my body down. It sounds extreme perhaps, but I’m wired that way.

This sounds like the kind of wank description someone gives when trying to make whatever they're doing seem grander than it really is. He took some screenshots. lol

 

[TheF1BOB]

I’ve spent a few days inside the body of an angry Hugh Jackman-lookalike.

Someone watched Prisoners.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

This sounds like the kind of wank description someone gives when trying to make whatever they're doing seem grander than it really is. He took some screenshots. lol

He's simply stating that he really, really hates being an active participant of violence rather than just an observer.

 

[hidys]

This sounds like something VICE would do.

 

[televator]

Sounds like Time wanted to get in with the cool kids, but their photographer... was not about that. Dude's probably seen some real life shit and virtual violence is not on his palate.

 

[Renpatsu]

I wouldn't discredit his reaction to being a participant in the violence depicted in The Last of Us because I would say that the game is actively attempting to tap into that nerve in people whilst they play. I can only imagine being a war photographer those nerves are more sensitive than most.

 

[danmaku]

Interesting. I like his comment about the pictures being "too perfect", I noticed the same thing when I'm taking screenshots of my games. It's pretty easy to take the kind of screenshots you'd put on the back of the box, but they look boring.

Also, he should play Michigan. He'd love being the cameraman (and everyone loves peeking under skirts, right?).

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

I wouldn't discredit his reaction to being a participant in the violence depicted in The Last of Us because I would say that the game is actively attempting to tap into that nerve in people whilst they play. I can only imagine being a war photographer those nerves are more sensitive than most.

Yup. After 5 playthroughs, I'm still not used to the death animations in the game.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

As someone who by your own admission has never been to a war zone are you arguing about the accuracy of someone who has been to a war zone based on what you imagine based on the short clips deemed acceptable to put on the news? Seriously?

Not the news. Documentaries, liveleak etc but whatever, get all "seriously" if you want.

 

[Turin Turambar]

This has been done better before, with a photograph embedded in a squad in Arma 2 MP.

 

[ProfessorMoran]

http://lightbox.time.com/2014/09/15/war-photographer-video-game/#end

much more at the link...

I think this is a strange article.. the photographer didn´t really understand the game..





but it´s fun to read and see how a seasoned war photographer goes through a ame like this..

He's looking for human suffering when that has happened already and people are just dealing with the aftermath, these people aren't first world soldiers who are used to comfort and these aren't civilians who suffer from collateral damage, these are hardened survivors who managed to come out of a fungal apocalypse, they kill in order to survive, it's an everyday thing like breakfast.

 

[JB1981]

Pics in GAF thread are better

 

[Cave Johnson]

From the way he describes his experience it does sound like he's coming from the perspective of a non-gamer. However, I think it's incredible that he's able to "play" the game despite not understanding it.

 

[Whelan]

I didn't make it past:

best embodied in Mishka Henner’s brilliant series, No Man’s Land, a project that uses Google Street View to document Europe’s prostitution issues.