How one image became the single most used Wallpaper for one summer.
Just like there are trends in the world of traditional art forms such as painting and sculpturing, modern media is going through visual time periods on it’s own. The big difference however, is the way in wich those creations are shared amongst their viewership. Just imagine how Rembrandt would have colleced upvotes if he were to post his newest masterpiece on the r/art subreddit.
With the sheer amount of imagery that is created and shared every day it’s getting increasingly difficult for artists to stand out from the masses. Still there are those few insances when a single image creates a buzz, that goes far beyond some niche web forums. One of those rare occasions was an image from a game released in 2016 that started spreading like wildfire — pun intendet.
Chances are, you have seen this picture in one version or another. It’s originating from a game called Firewatch by the developer campo santo. While there were a few images that were published with the presentation of the game it was this particular image, featuring a breathtaking vista of a forest and a lake, that should become the single most used wallpaper on the internet for one summer.
The image, known as “Firewatch Vista” captures the beauty of the game’s Wyoming wilderness setting. It features a panoramic view of a forest with tall pine trees, a massive mountain range and a firewatch tower in the center (hence the name of the game). All while constraining itself to a few shades of orange. I guess it’s a mixture of this simplistic and symmetric design combined with peacefulness of the landscape, that made people wonder if this might be the perfect fit between all the obsessivly aligned icons on their desktop or their meticulously color coded apps on their phone. Also the flexibility in aspect ratio and repeatability migth have helped the image gain popularity amongst the “enthusiasts” as this special breed of people, often uses widescreen or even multiple monitor setups, wich makes ist even harder to find nicely fittig wallpapers. Yes, i am speaking from personal experience here.
The image quickly spread through online forums and social media, with many users praising the image’s beauty and sharing it on their own devices. It has since become a popular subject for fan art, with many artists creating their own versions of the image.
The public acclaim has also led to the creation of various merchandise, such as t-shirts and posters, featuring the iconic “Firewatch Vista”. The image has become a symbol of the game and has even been used as the cover art for the game’s soundtrack.
The hype surrounding “Firewatch Vista” has led to a surge in sales of the game, as many players were inspired to purchase the game to experience the environment for themselves. Unfortunatly however the game received mixed reviews upon launch, as many critics complained about a lack of depth to the overall gameplay. The game, in fact fits the category of the (at the time ever so popular) “walking simulators”, in wich the story is mostly explored passivly by wandering tubular levels.
One can argue that Firewatch, maybe more than any other representative of the genre, set out to be just this. — A game that wants you to enjoy the calming nature, slowly and without distractions. This game keeps a special place in my heart and this is in a substantial part due to the iconic visuals it inherits.
And once in while there is this random Youtube video or a social media post that brings a smile to my face, when i see a screen in the background, showing “Firewatch Vista”.
