Grand Theft Auto V Players Journaling In-Game Combat

A group called Media Lens is recording Grand Theft Auto V combat and its aftermath in photo-journalistic fashion

Remember how much fun you had playing Pokemon Snap as a kid (and more than likely at least a few times as an adult too)? Well now you can bring that same awesomeness to Grand Theft Auto V! Photographer and filmmaker Christopher Murrie (who worked on Coraline and ParaNorman) has started a group called Media Lens, the members of which act as photo-journalists documenting in-game combat and its aftermath. The photographer announced on Reddit that he “started playing GTA Online in passive mode as a combat photographer” with his “character…wearing camo pants, a black jacket with “MEDIA” printed across the back, and a helmet. [Christopher Murrie tries] very hard to find and use the WEZL News van to drive to the hot spots to take pictures”. The group has taken off and is currently at 300 members.

The Media Lens members work in passive mode, where they can’t dish out damage and likewise can’t receive it, and use their in-game cell phones to take pictures of mayhem as it unfolds. The group is also working to unify their outfit and vehicles, so they can be widely recognized when they arrive at the scene. Murrie has stated that he will try to elevate the experience as the group gains momentum. He’s begun weekly subject-based photo competitions, the first of which being Women in Combat. He will take the best 6 or 7 submissions and create a narrative to weave them together into a story. So far the documentation looks great, even being shot on the low-resolution in-game phone camera. Using the editor to add borders and filters, the photographs come to life even more.

This is an exciting project in a game where it seems like everything that you could possibly imagine doing has already been done. It brings an extra touch of realism to Grand Theft Auto V, and gives players something to look forward to. Imagine being in the middle of an intense shootout when vans of Media Lens members screech up and capture the whole thing! The possibilities are endless, and with a bonafide Hollywood filmmaker/photographer heading the project, we can only imagine how big this venture could get.

And if the PC gamers out there are feeling left out of the fun, worry not! Amazon has inadvertently confirmed the release of Grand Theft Auto V for computers later this year.

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