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Swaeft

The Lensation - Issue 1

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Hello, one and all!

Welcome to the Lensation (name inspired from the words "Lens" and "Sensation"), my unofficial blog covering the weekly picture competitions (Game Picture of the Week/Picture of the Week/Unedited Screenshot of the Week), in which I aim to provide a set of commentary each week as the polls go up. If you have some game screenshots tucked away in your PC, I strongly encourage you to head over and participate. If throwing your hat into the ring is not exactly your cup of tea, never fear, you can simply browse through the lovely screenshots on display, and perhaps, if you find yourself liking some of them, vote for the ones you like best.

I have to stress that this is simply my opinion on each week's submissions, and is meant to be general, relaxed commentary, nothing more.

For the first entry, I'll be doing a bit of background on myself.

About me My screenshot shenanigans (no, it really isn't an obsession...just a hobby ) began when I played first person shooters when I was younger. I would always take a picture of the final scores, and when my Kill/Death ratio was particularly high I would do a little victory dance...and forget to take the screenshot. After that I thought: "Hey, why don't I capture the moments of ownage instead of the final score screen? And what about the in-game world as well?" And thus, my screenshot obsession began. Did I say obsession? No, I think you read that wrong, or your browser is misquoting me. Anyway, moving on...

I discovered the POTW forum by accident, actually. I usually dwell in the warm, cozy environment of the Writers' Study, and one time I accidentally clicked on the "TWC Library and Creative Workshop" link instead of the "The Writers' Study" link. It was then I realized there was a whole other subforum, and out of curiosity I delved in. I wasn't disappointed! I actually had a whole bunch of screenshots sitting on my computer hard drive, so I figured, why not give the competition a go? At the very least it would serve as a platform for me to publish those screenshots.


What I look out for But enough about me, I'm sure you didn't come here to read about my interests. Here's a little info on what I usually look out for in the screenshots, in no particular order unless otherwise specified:


  • Level of editing as compared to the original - This is what I always look for first, though it is not always easy to tell. One thing I am not a fan of, however, is over-editing.
  • The amount of "flashy stuff" in the picture - I love bright lights, contrasting colors, and a vibrant setting. I find that those details draw me in easily.
  • Significance - They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I like those that allow me to conjure up a story behind what is going on in the screenshot.
  • Graphics - I do not expect much from a graphical standpoint, as I know some of the games might be older, and I myself play many such games. However if the distinction between some photos are too huge, I cannot in good conscience place the photo with older graphics on the same level as one with polished, updated graphics.
  • Landscape shots - With all that goes on in games, sometimes we do not stop to appreciate the beauty of the in-game world itself. I have always preferred the tranquility and beauty of shots of the landscape or environment, as opposed to combat intensive shots, though not by much!


These are just some of the factors that are on my mind when I scroll through the screenshot submissions. I must stress that I do not vote simply based on the above-mentioned factors, but I will usually take them into consideration when casting my vote.


I have Araval to thank for coming up with this idea, as well as the rest of the POTW community for being a friendly and supportive bunch. This blog is dedicated to them.

Thanks for stopping by, and I will have this week's commentary up soon in the next post.

Cheers
Swaeft

Updated January 28, 2019 at 02:24 AM by Swaeft (Grammar and formatting)

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Comments

  1. NorseThing's Avatar
    Subscribed! This might be interesting if you indeed do this often.
  2. Swaeft's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by NorseThing
    Subscribed! This might be interesting if you indeed do this often.
    That's nice of you, thanks! Yes, that is the plan, though I must admit a 3 week hiatus after the first commentary post isn't looking good on me