Skyrim Timelapse

          The video below is timelapse photography from the recently popular video game - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by a professional photographer in Chicago, Tom Harris, who made this on a PC with ultra-high game settings. Skyrim has received a lot of attention and notoriety lately being one of the many top blockbuster games released in this last quarter of 2011. Critics and players alike praise the game for its sense of immersion, many various tasks/activities to perform, great story, and perhaps most recognized - its outstanding visuals. Video games nowadays have incredible graphics engines that can deliver impressive results. Environments in games are becoming increasingly realistic and lifelike and the amount of detail put into some games are simply amazing. As the future progresses, more of society will realize that video games and art are slowly becoming synonymous with each other...its just a matter of time.

          Harris used Skyrim's incredible graphics to create timelapse photography within the game. Timelapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured is much lower than that which will be used to play the sequence back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing (Wikipedia). Timelapse videos have been around for quite some time now and the most popular themes are usually - clouds or celestial motion, plant growth, fruit rotting, evolution of a construction project, or people in the city. Harris used timelapse photography to show the amazing environments of Skyrim and really emphasizes the landscapes and weather in the game. Plants sway in the wind, the aurora borealis lights up the night, the moon drifts slowly with the clouds and stars, fog crawls over the mountaintops....all while the player is controlling their character throughout these environments. Without seeing this video, some people may never realize and appreciate how beautiful the world in Skyrim is. Game developers are creating realms where the player really feels like they are interacting in a living, breathing world. 

          Below is another timelapse made in Red Dead Redemption, a western style GTA-like game that is also recognized for its realistic graphics and environments

          I own Red Dead Redemption for Xbox and have also noticed the wonderful landscapes and weather. Riding your horse through dusty trails hunting deer and rabbits never felt so engaging and real. Tumbleweeds constantly blow by while the warm, western sunlight shines over the mountains....it's very surreal. Being able to explore such a dense, vast landscape is very inviting and with all the living creatures running about, the possibilities of what you can/want to do are endless. Thinking back when I was a kid, I never thought I would start to appreciate video games in an artistic sense, but looking at video games in 2011, I believe they deserve all the acclamations they received.