Games News

‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ screenshot wins Virtual Photographer Of The Year

During London Games Festival, a Red Dead Redemption 2 screenshot won a competition promoting the art of virtual photography.

The winning entry was submitted by Joe Meizies and featured a silhouetted figure on horseback. All entries were displayed around Trafalgar Square as part of the London Games Festival, which ends on April 10.

“The challenge celebrates the new artistic medium of virtual photography where creators can bring video game design and virtual worlds to life. From a stunning landscape to intimate portrait, candid street to abstract architecture or historical to sci-fi fantasy,” said London Games Festival.

The competition was supported by Nvidia Studio and The Fourth Focus, with the latter providing the judging for the content. All entries submitted to the contest have been made available in a Google Drive folder, including other shots from Red Dead Redemption 2, Horizon Forbidden West, and The Last Of Us Part 2.

‘Horizon Forbidden West’ update now lets you quickly pick up resources
Horizon Forbidden West. Credit: Guerilla Games.

The exhibition in Trafalgar Square also showcases Ensemble and its initiative to promote diversity within the UK video game industry. Talking about the event, head of Games London Michael French said, “We wanted to celebrate these trailblazers from underrepresented backgrounds and tell their stories. Hopefully that will show others from all over the world that people that look like them, work in this sector. I think that’s the only way we can change that talent ratio over time.”

French said that Ensemble is “just the right thing to do. I can measure and record all of the business wins we get during the festival but actually, uplifting these people that haven’t had the chance to tell their story is incredibly rewarding.”

A recent census for the UK games industry found that 67 per cent of workers are male, while 30 per cent are female, and 3 per cent are non-binary. It also found that 66 per cent identify as White British, with 24 per cent as White Other. 5 per cent identified as Black, 2 per cent as Asian, 2 per cent as Mixed/Multiple ethnicities, and 2 per cent as Other. The census polled 3600 industry professionals.

In other news, Idris Elba has stated that he is “one hundred per cent a gamer”.