Kojima Makes A Great Point About Using Photo Modes As A Learning Tool

Hideo Kojima wants people to stop ragging on photo modes in games, and you know what? He’s right. On Twitter over the weekend, the Metal Gear and Death Stranding director had some encouraging words for those using in-game photography and how they can potentially improve the skills of aspiring shutterbugs.

“There are still some people who make fun of the fact that you are taking virtual pictures in the game. If you keep taking pictures, even in-game, your sensitivity and skills will naturally improve. Composition, layout, focus, etc,” Kojima says in his first of two Tweets on the subject. In games, you have complete control over your scenery, lighting, and character poses, giving the freedom to play around and experiment with capturing your subjects in ways that you may only have seconds to do in real life.

Developing that eye for composition takes time but using tools like photo modes could certainly speed up the process for the real thing. Kojima’s mini-thread concludes with that same sentiment, saying, “Most importantly, you will know what you want to photograph. After that, the in-game experience will surely come in handy when you shoot with a real camera or smartphone.”

Honestly, I hadn’t given too much thought to the benefit of photo modes before reading this series of tweets, but I’m in complete agreement with Hideo. If I’m ever itching to improve my photography skills, I’m going fire up Final Fantasy VII Remake or even Super Mario Odyssey, and see what kind of wild shots I can take, or even just brush up on the fundamentals. 

Have you had any success learning photography from photo modes in games? Do you have any favorite photo modes you’d like to share? Let our community know in the comments! And if you want to know about games with photography as a core mechanic, our newest associate editor Jill Grodt has you covered with a fantastic feature on the subject here.