Cyberpunk Community Interview Series

[Gothic_Wizard]

We are back! This week we talk to ScorpionTank from the misty vampire infested regions of Eastern Europe who does some amazing VP work as you will see below. He took some time to answer our questions, take a look;

---

----
First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into this art form?
Hello and thanks for having me here! I grew up in Romania and I still live here. I was never into virtual photography before, in fact I was just your average gamer that knew nothing about this form of art.

My only source of inspiration that got me into this was nexus mods. I always used to check nexus images whenever I went there to look for mods, and one day when I was bored, I just decided to try some screenshots myself.

It is thanks to a few people that encouraged me in those early weeks that convinced me to not give up on this little adventure of mine that eventually turned into a hobby.

How did you learn this form of digital art?
Through trial and error. I had no prior experience with any kind of photography or art, in real life or digital. My only goal was, and still is, to enjoy how my screenshots end up looking like.

What drew you to cyberpunk 2077 or/and the cyberpunk genre as a whole?
I’m a big fan of sci-fi and technology, so when I learned that Cyberpunk 2077 is a game set in a dystopian future, I knew this was something I would enjoy playing.

What in your view is the best aspect of the cyberpunk genre CDPR got right with 2077 and what do you feel they missed the mark on?
In my opinion, one of the things that CDPR did a great job of in Cyberpunk 2077, is the architecture and design of the city.

I think Night City is a great representation of how a dystopian city should looks like, with certain districts being densely packed with crumbled and patched up houses, forming this urban jungle that’s hard to traverse and easy to get lost in, as well as areas that are the complete opposite of that, such as the city center with brutalist-styled skyscrapers that imply a dominating stance over the rest of the city.

I wouldn’t say CDPR purposely missed the mark on anything. However, the world does not feel as immersive as it could’ve been, because there isn’t much to interact with besides the quest objectives.
---
Full interview in my sig link

 

[Gothic_Wizard]

This week we go to South France and talk to TheCruellestFate whose had some issues with Twitter as of late. As his old account got shadow banned oddly. We discuss that as well as his thoughts about virtual photography and his views on 2077. Comment below with your thoughts;

---

----
First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into this art form?
Well, my username is TheCruellestFate, I currently live in the south of France. I started taking screenshots on Fallout 4 in 2017 (Under another name), and since February 2023 i'm on Cyberpunk 2077 actively. I really like the fact of being able to capture a character or a scene and to be able to share my vision of it.

How did you learn this form of digital art?
I learned on my own, I'm a little self-taught. But also people who helped me like Hyst and Subleader for certain technical aspects as for Cyberpunk 2077.

What drew you to Cyberpunk 2077 or/and the cyberpunk genre as a whole?
I really like this question, to begin with, I grew up with movies such as Blade runner / Judge Dredd / Matrix / the fifth element. I am a very big fan of the Dystopian Cyberpunk genre. As for the game, I've been waiting for it since 2013 with the first CGI trailer. So I followed the game closely until it's released.

What in your view is the best aspect of the cyberpunk genre CDPR got right with 2077 and what do you feel they missed the mark on?
To be honest, Cyberpunk 2077 is a bit of a disappointment for me in some aspects. Let's start with the negative one, I don't like the 80s side with Johnny Silverhand and his band, I find that it distorts the cyberpunk genre and makes it less accurate to what it should look like in 2077. As for the positive one, I really like the city and the "No man's land" that surrounds it, the megabuildings and the atmosphere in general.
---

Full interview in my sig link

 

[Gothic_Wizard]

After we took a week off due to the Phantom Liberty info dump last weekend, we are back with our next community interview this time from VP Ayghan who hails from France. We dig deep into his past, his thoughts on the VP scene and what he'd like to see for the 2077 franchise going forward;
---
First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into this art form ?
Hi ! I’m Ayghan, I’m from France and I work as a community manager in the video game field. I've always loved open worlds and contemplative games so I started taking captures to keep them as memories, but as time went by, it became a great escape and a way to highlight the sublime work of the developers. Now I spend so much time in photo modes that it takes a loooong time to finish a game x)

How did you learn this form of digital art ?
By practicing a lot and by drawing inspiration from other work. There are lots of incredible Virtual Photographers offering a variety of fantastic shots from various game. Participating in challenges or themed hashtags also helps a lot.

What drew you to cyberpunk 2077 or/and the cyberpunk genre as a whole ?
Stories about advanced technologies, AI, hacking, that explore moral, societal, and philosophical issues. Matrix and Blade Runner are among my favorite franchises, so Cyberpunk 2077 quickly became my favorite game.

What in your view is the best aspect of the cyberpunk genre CDPR got right with 2077 and what do you feel they missed the mark on ?
CD Projekt did an excellent job of depicting this dystopian future and Night City, its violence, corruption, whether through the environment or the characters. It's packed with details everywhere. The game's only flaw is the lack of possible interaction outside a mission. Just hanging out with others characters or dealing with random events for example, that would've been awesome !
----

Hit link in my sig for full article

 

[Gothic_Wizard]

Today we speak to NrKlaW from Belgium. He digs into his art and what he's like to see from 2077 and the community going forward, take a read and feel free to comment below;

First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into this art form?
I introduce myself, NrKlaW, i come from a small country called Belgium, i have always liked to take screens during cinematics on different games, when the environment allowed, i started the Cyberpunk adventure in December 2022 and I looked more seriously at the subject in early January 2023.

How did you learn this form of digital art?
I learned on the job by myself, as said just before, as soon as the environment allowed me, i took the opportunity to take different shots, even if at first it was more for myself, but later, i started to share them with my Cyberpunk period, i obviously received a lot of support and advice from several people, but more particularly of a person whom i consider a friend at the present time by the name of Grindera, he helped me a lot and advised me on what i could improve and it helped me improve on a daily basis.

What drew you to the cyberpunk genre?
Regarding the game, what attracted me a lot is its futuristic universe, the aspect that humans have of imagining a limitless universe where everything can be possible, a bit like a free universe. i think the Cyberpunk genre has belonged to something new and iconic, whether in movies or otherwise.

What in your view is the best aspect of the cyberpunk genre CDPR got right with 2077 and what do you feel they missed the mark on?
For me the positive aspect of the game is its diversity, everyone is free to choose their path to evolve through Night-City and especially the way to do it, the choice of different classes of characters is an asset to rate it evolving, the point a little more negative for me, i find that outside the missions, it lacks a bit of interaction with the other characters in the game, when you finish a game with a secondary character, it is sometimes quite limited.
---

Full interview in my sig link

 

[Gothic_Wizard]

This week we have someone I have been following for some time. She is an amazing VP artist and I am so very glad she took the time for us. Here is Anna White 2077 VP from Europe;

First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into this art form?
My name is Anna, I'm 23. I was born in a small town in Kazakhstan but grew up in Portugal. My parents decided to go there to earn some money when I was 4 y.o. and when I was 11 they decided to move back to Kazakhstan, that's where I live right now.
I've always loved playing games on PC since early childhood and at the age of 15 my dad bought me a camera. I've been doing IRL photography for 8 years now and I always wanted to combine these 2 things that I like to do. That's what brought me here into Virtual Photography.

Where do you see the virtual photo art form 5 years from now? Will we be able to easily tell it from actual photos by then and if not does that concern you?
Seeing the progress of the graphics in games I believe that in 5 years Virtual Photography can also be used to make shots for real fashion magazines, posters or different commercials. I hope it'll be taken more like a real profession so VP'ers can get different contracts from companies. I saw lots of examples that are just perfect for these purposes. Soon we'll not be able to recognize what is real and what is not, it's already happening, I love to trick my friends and show them some of my shots, they don't believe some of them are not real taken photos. I don't see anything bad in this, that's the progress lots of people have been waiting for a long time since first games appeared and I'm glad I'm living in this era.

What trends in the VP space do you foresee becoming big in the field? What trends, aspects of VP do you hope gets left behind in the past?
Never thought about it, really. I like seeing more and more cinematic shots but in the unique style of each VP'er. I think it will be a forever trend. And also the experiments with the light and exposure. And about what I hope gets left behind - I love something that is not a typical shot where I can't even see the difference between two different pictures because they're too based. ( I'm not talking here about classic portraits and landscapes. It's good in some situations but let's be creative.) And I hope that screenshots (with UI turned on) will not be referred to Virtual Photography because a screenshot is not a photography. I still see it sometimes unfortunately.
---

Full interview in my sig link

 

[Gothic_Wizard]

Today we are talking to VP artist Wo1f and his thoughts on 2077, his art and the 2077 community.
---

What drew you to the cyberpunk genre?
The sci-fi themes, the futuristic technology, and cybernetics are very interesting, it gets me thinking about the distant future. I also absolutely loved The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and was excited when CDPR showcased Cyberpunk 2077, it got me pretty interested in seeing their take on the cyberpunk genre. Since playing the game I’ve grown a whole lot more interested in this genre.

What in your view is the best aspect of the cyberpunk genre CDPR got right with 2077 and what do you feel they missed the mark on?
Much of the aesthetic and the world design, it’s very beautifully crafted and fits the dystopian themes very well. All I’m too disappointed in is that the world isn’t immersive as it could have been and there’s just little to interact with besides the quest and story content.

What message, to you, does the cyberpunk genre imply or relay as a viewer, fan?
The means for survival within a cold dystopian society, how much of your humanity can you keep a hold of and what are you willing to sacrifice?

What photo/GFX tools that are not in 2077 would you like to see in the sequel Project Orion?
I’d like to see some depth of field improvements, more posing options with the potential to move some body parts around and it would be very helpful to be able to alter the time of day and weather conditions.

---
Full interview in my sig link

 

[Gothic_Wizard]

Today we talk to Nat, a VP artist based in the US whose been in the VP community for 7 years, enjoy;

Where do you see the virtual photo art form 5 years from now? Will we be able to easily tell it from actual photos by then and if not does that concern you?
I hope awareness of the medium increases. I wish for more opportunies of dev. Companies working in unison with VPs. They create such awareness for their products and extend the longevity of the game exponentially. As far as the latter, I hope graphics increase to that level but there are numerous games and VPs who photograph at all graphics range. I think as the technology improves that is very probable that we can no longer discern.

What trends in the VP space do you foresee becoming big in the field? What trends, aspects of VP do you hope gets left behind in the past?
My wish is that the space continues to grow and more spaces become available to showcase VP work. I recently showcased my VP work at the London Games Festival at an outdoor exhibition. I hope for many more of these opportunities for all VPs as it only increases appreciation of our medium. As far as trends, I hope photo mode tools increase and virtual photographers are able to convey necessary tools that become the standard for all games.

I hope that our passion for this medium does not result in paywalls which unfortunately has begun to already happen. Locked emotes, poses, skins/outfits these are tools we use to arrange a photo. Especially coming from the console, these are sometimes defining variables in how we are able to compose a photo. I hope we can get ahead of this trend now and convey that these things should be available to everyone.

What has been your most positive experience in the 2077 community and on the flip side what has been your most negative?
Luckily I have only had positive interactions. However, I think most of my VP in Cyberpunk circulated through my friends and followers. It’s hard to gauge if I would consider saying I have a foothold in the Cyberpunk community but after this interview I can now say otherwise!
---

Full article in my sig link