Photography is so vast that it challenges our perception of time. If you look at an image, and were to guess which year it was shot, you may give the wrong answer. This is not only due to the number of images created every year, but also how we judge an image based on its contents, colors, or grains. If you are someone who is usually up for a challenge to test your photography knowledge, then this is your chance. A new game designed by a Reddit user is simple, fun, and will keep you engaged.
Created by Far-Note5060, this photography game is designed to see how many images you can recognise and if you are able to distinguish the year they were shot in. To play the game, you type whichyr.com on your web browser, where you will come across a ‘how to play’ window. The game is quite simple and user-friendly. A photograph will be shown to you, and the year below the image will be showcased in blank space. There is also a timeline bar below the blank spaces, where you see the years 1850 to 2025 mentioned. Here is a look at what you do next:
According to the creator, the game can be played once a day, every day, and they will get five new images to test their knowledge. “I curated the images to reward a keen eye. Things like fashion, technology, film quality, or context clues can all help,” the creator said on Reddit. The closer you are to guessing the year (in my case, it was an average of 16 years of difference between my guess and when the image was actually shot), the more points you get. Once you are done, you can also see your all-time stats. The more you play, the more points you get. Since the website is pretty new, the images so far were from the United States. However, with time, we may see more images from around the world.
While still in early stages, the Which Year is an exceptional way to rekindle your love for photography. We are so tied to social media and work that we sometimes forget the importance of looking back at history and seeing the images that came before us. Whether you are a seasoned photographer or a new enthusiast, you get a chance to learn more every day. In addition, a game like this may spark new ideas for your own project, or you may find yourself looking for other historical images to learn more about. Either way, you spend your valuable minutes learning more about the history of photography. And that is truly needed in an AI-driven world, where we are forgetting the very roots we come from.
