NEW LENSES: Experimental Capture and Release

I chose video game players as a subject of my portrait series.

I got this idea from the process of cleaning my own keyboard. Unlike the keyboard of laptops or mac, the keyboard designed for gamers focus more on providing feedback after pressing a key, cool backlight visuals and special designs on the keys that are widely used in video games.

As a video game player, I noticed that the WASD are easier to be covered in stains since I use them so much. And the situation of the keys related to the features in certain games are worse. For example, 3 is used to unequip weapons in Apex Legends and I have stains on this key (pink keyboard) but my roommate, who does not play that game, doesn’t have.

Also, I once lend my keyboard to a friend. When he returned it I noticed that the S button has worn off a lot and the letter was barely visible. In most video games, S would be a command of “moving backwards”. I then asked him what games did he played, and he said “Residential Evil”.

So I am wondering, what if we create a series of portraits for gamers by taking close-up pictures of their keyboards? Do the stains and dusts or other marks on our keyboards somehow signify our personality?

Rules:

1. Taking close up pictures of your keyboard, make sure to include LAlt and Space. LShift, Caplock and tab is optional but encouraged. The center of the picture should focuse on WASD.

2. Take one close up of the WASD and the keys around them.

3. Feel free to record more details of your own keyboard (the gaps between keys, specific keys, etc)

（Example pictures I took)