Art Direction and Photography
by Jan-Daniel S. Belmonte and Frances L. Hu
for The GUIDON, March 2014
This photo was used to accompany an article entitled "Virtual Vices". We conceptualized and created the photo which was published in The GUIDON's March-April 2014 Issue.
"Come on, just one round won’t hurt. You deserve a break for working so hard. Besides, you need to beat your high score. Just get that stupid bird to fly as far as you can without hitting the pipes.
Obeying this inner monologue has led many people to lose countless hours of sleep and productivity over the simple yet frustratingly difficult Flappy Bird. The Android and Apple iOS game skyrocketed to popularity months after its release in May 2013; its developer, Dong Nguyen, was estimated to be earning $50,000 a day in ad revenue. Despite this, however, he took the app down earlier this month."
The photo was created using empty transparent medicinal capsules, colored sand (from the local bookstore), and different brands of candy. It aims to portray the addiction that comes in small packages, in the form of Android and iOS games that have recently been gaining popularity. We also tried to replicate the visual composition of the game, Candy Crush, to make it more recognizable for the readers.
Photo by Frances L. Hu, for The GUIDON.