Hideo Kojima Says Taking Photos in Games Can Make You Better at Taking Actual Photos

Famous video game developer Hideo Kojima is seemingly a fairly big fan of the inclusion of photo modes in video games as the Death Stranding creator recently took to Twitter to more or less defend the inclusion of photo modes in various titles. Notably, Death Stranding and the upcoming Death Stranding Director's Cut, which is set to release for the PlayStation 5 on September 24th, include photo modes. According to Kojima, in-game photo modes can actually help folks improve their ability to take photos out in the real world.

Kojima's argument is essentially that, while not every single skill is going to translate from within games to outside of them, the ability to understand what you want to photograph and what a good photograph is should improve. Things like your knowledge of composition, layout, and focus can all improve by using photo modes in video games like Death Stranding and the like, and that knowledge of what makes a good photograph should be easily transferable when using an actual camera.

You can check out what Kojima had to say about "taking virtual pictures" over on Twitter in full below:

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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.

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) August 29, 2021

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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.

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) August 29, 2021

As noted above, Death Stranding Director's Cut is set to release for the PlayStation 5 on September 24th. The PS5 version will add a number of new features, including new gear, fights, and other gameplay features. And as with the original Death Stranding, there is a photo mode where players can take pretty pictures. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the latest and greatest video game from Kojima Productions right here.

What do you think about photo modes in video games? Do you agree with Kojima that taking virtual pictures naturally leads to being able to take better actual pictures? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!