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{{Short description|American stock photographer (born 1983)}}
{{Db-notnotable}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2022}}
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[[File:Evan Amos and the Wikipedia Effect.webm|thumb|right|''Evan Amos and the Wikipedia Effect'', 2016]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
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'''Evan Amos''' (born 1983)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Evan-Amos/AboutMe|title=User:Evan-Amos/AboutMe - Wikimedia Commons|website=commons.wikimedia.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-13}}</ref> is a [[video gaming]] [[photographer]] of high-quality [[stock photography]] of [[video game consoles]], which he releases into the [[public domain]]. Known for contributing these images to the online encyclopedia [[Wikipedia]], Amos is {{as of | 2015 | lc=yes}} working on The Vanamo Online Game Museum,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Evan-Amos|title=User:Evan-Amos - Wikimedia Commons|website=commons.wikimedia.org|language=en|access-date=2018-11-28}}</ref> a free digital archive of video game hardware.<ref name="Destructoid">{{cite web|url=http://www.destructoid.com/evan-amos-is-gaming-s-most-popular-photographer-264824.phtml|title=Evan Amos is gaming's most popular photographer|website=[[Destructoid]]|last=North|first=Dale|date=2013-03-11}}</ref> As of 2018, Amos resides in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]].<ref name=":0" />
{{Infobox person
| name = Evan Amos
| image = Screenshot from Wikimedia Foundation - Wikimedia community feature Evan Amos - the Wikipedia Effect for photography (cropped).png
| alt = Headshot of Evan Amos in an interview with the Wikimedia Foundation. He is a middle-aged white man with glasses wearing a dark-colored shirt.
| caption = Amos in 2016
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1983}}
| nationality = American
| occupation = Photographer
| years_active = 2010–present
| known_for = Freely licensed photos of video game items
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}}

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'''Evan Amos''' (born 1983)<ref name="self">{{cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Evan-Amos/AboutMe|title=User:Evan-Amos/AboutMe – Wikimedia Commons|website=commons.wikimedia.org|access-date=October 13, 2018}}</ref> is a photographer of [[stock photography]] of [[video game consoles]], which he licenses freely to the [[public domain]]. He contributes these images to the online encyclopedia [[Wikipedia]], and {{as of | 2015 | lc=yes}} works on The Vanamo Online Game Museum, a free digital archive of video game hardware.<ref name="Destructoid">{{cite web|url=http://www.destructoid.com/evan-amos-is-gaming-s-most-popular-photographer-264824.phtml|title=Evan Amos is gaming's most popular photographer|website=[[Destructoid]]|last=North|first=Dale|date=March 11, 2013|access-date=April 30, 2015|archive-date=April 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428154948/http://www.destructoid.com/evan-amos-is-gaming-s-most-popular-photographer-264824.phtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2018, he resides in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]].<ref name="self" />


==Work==
==Work==
[[File:Wii-console.jpg|thumb|right|The first picture of a gaming console Amos took for Wikipedia was the above picture of the [[Wii]].]]
[[File:Wii-console.jpg|thumb|left|The first picture of a game console Amos made for Wikipedia is of the [[Wii]].]]
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Being "annoyed" at the poor quality of images of video game consoles on Wikipedia, Amos decided to document these systems before they were "forgotten in time." Starting in 2010 with [[Nintendo]]'s [[Wii]] console, which he happened to own, Amos soon "felt addicted" and started a list of every console he could think of. After putting up an ad on [[Craigslist]], Amos came into contact with a collector in [[Huntington, Long Island]], where he was able to photograph a collection of various consoles starting with those from [[Sega]] and [[Atari]]. He has expressed "surprise" at the increasing popularity of his freely licensed photos among print, television, Internet, and other media — though he is still rarely credited for them.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{cite web|url=http://gamasutra.com/blogs/EvanAmos/20131029/202882/The_power_of_Wikipedia_How_I_became_gamings_most_popular_and_anonymous_photographer.php|title=The power of Wikipedia: How I became gaming's most popular and anonymous photographer.|website=[[Gamasutra]]|last=Amos|first=Evan|date=2013-10-29}}</ref><ref name="Mashable">{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2013/11/10/gaming-photographer/|title=Introducing the Invisible Photographer Whose Photos Are Everywhere|publisher=[[Mashable]]|last=Larson|first=Eric|date=2013-11-10}}</ref>


⚫
Being "annoyed" at the poor quality of images of video game consoles on Wikipedia, Amos decided to document these systems before they were "forgotten in time". Starting in August 28, 2010, with [[Nintendo]]'s [[Wii]] console, which he happened to own, Amos soon "felt addicted" and started a list of every console. He put an ad on [[Craigslist]] and met a collector in [[Huntington, Long Island]], where he photographed various consoles from [[Sega]] and [[Atari]]. He has expressed "surprise" at the increasing popularity of his freely licensed photos in print, television, Internet, and other media – though he is still rarely credited for them.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{cite web|url=http://gamasutra.com/blogs/EvanAmos/20131029/202882/The_power_of_Wikipedia_How_I_became_gamings_most_popular_and_anonymous_photographer.php|title=The power of Wikipedia: How I became gaming's most popular and anonymous photographer.|website=[[Gamasutra]]|last=Amos|first=Evan|date=October 29, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Mashable">{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2013/11/10/gaming-photographer/|title=Introducing the Invisible Photographer Whose Photos Are Everywhere|publisher=[[Mashable]]|last=Larson|first=Eric|date=November 10, 2013}}</ref>
{{quotation | There is a huge need for this. There is no one else trying to provide this service at this level, at this quality, at this reach (Wikipedia) and in a format (public domain) that will ensure that these photos will last for decades from now. The work that I've already created and its impact thus far is a testament to the importance of the project. These are the reasons why I do this work, and why I do it for free. | Evan Amos, 2013<ref name="Gamasutra" />
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}}


After purchasing and photographing video game consoles, Amos donates them to the [[New York University Game Center]] and the [[National Museum of Play]], where he is allowed to access them at any time if he needs to re-shoot them.<ref name="Mashable" />
After purchasing and photographing video game consoles, Amos donates them to the [[New York University Game Center]] and the [[National Museum of Play]], where he is allowed to access them at any time.<ref name="Mashable" /> His library expanded to food items.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/08/17/evan-amos-video-game-museum/|title="It's incredible that history decays almost immediately": Evan Amos and the Vanamo Online Game Museum – Wikimedia Blog|website=blog.wikimedia.org|date=August 17, 2016|access-date=October 13, 2018}}</ref>


⚫
In 2013, Amos raised {{USD|17,493}} on [[Kickstarter]] to expand his hardware collection and build the Vanamo Online Game Museum, for online preservation of the history of video games.<ref name="Polygon">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/31/5051928/preserving-video-game-history-one-photo-at-a-time|title=Preserving video game history one photo at a time|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|author=TraceyLien|date=October 31, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Kickstarter">{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1699256938/the-vanamo-online-game-museum|title=The Vanamo Online Game Museum Kickstarter campaign|publisher=[[Kickstarter]]}}</ref> It is intended to include an extensive history of each console and its development.<ref name="Gigaom">{{cite web|url=https://gigaom.com/2013/11/01/wikipedia-photographer-launches-kickstarter-campaign-for-an-online-video-game-museum/|title=See a Wikipedia photographer's Kickstarter campaign for an online video game museum|publisher=[[Gigaom]]|last=Hockenson|first=Lauren|date=November 1, 2013|access-date=April 30, 2015|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030111623/https://gigaom.com/2013/11/01/wikipedia-photographer-launches-kickstarter-campaign-for-an-online-video-game-museum/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Amos has also taken and added pictures of [[fast food]] items and [[candy]] onto Wikipedia, claiming that he is a "horrible eater".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/08/17/evan-amos-video-game-museum/|title="It’s incredible that history decays almost immediately": Evan Amos and the Vanamo Online Game Museum – Wikimedia Blog|website=blog.wikimedia.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-13}}</ref>


⚫
On November 6, 2018, Amos released a book published by [[No Starch Press]], titled ''The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox'', showcasing video game console photos, their hardware, and some history.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox|last=Amos|first=Evan|date=November 6, 2018|publisher=No Starch Press|isbn=9781593277437|edition=1st }}</ref><ref name="Out">{{Cite news|url=https://kotaku.com/an-outstanding-book-for-people-who-like-looking-at-vide-1830286341|title=An Outstanding Book For People Who Like Looking At Video Game Consoles|last=Fahey|first=Mike|work=Kotaku|access-date=November 16, 2018}}</ref> A second edition was published in 2021.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amos |first=Evan |title=The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox |publisher=No Starch Press |date=September 8, 2021 |isbn=9781718500600 |edition=2nd |language=English}}</ref>
==Projects==
⚫
In 2013, Amos raised {{USD|17,493}} through a [[Kickstarter]] campaign to purchase more hardware. His goal is to build the Vanamo Online Game Museum, an online archive of video game hardware in order to preserve the history of video games.<ref name="Polygon">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/31/5051928/preserving-video-game-history-one-photo-at-a-time|title=Preserving video game history one photo at a time|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|author=TraceyLien|date=2013-10-31}}</ref><ref name="Kickstarter">{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1699256938/the-vanamo-online-game-museum|title=The Vanamo Online Game Museum Kickstarter campaign|publisher=[[Kickstarter]]}}</ref> In addition to photographs, the Vanamo Online Game Museum is intended to include an extensive history of each console and its development.<ref name="Gigaom">{{cite web|url=https://gigaom.com/2013/11/01/wikipedia-photographer-launches-kickstarter-campaign-for-an-online-video-game-museum/|title=See a Wikipedia photographer’s Kickstarter campaign for an online video game museum|publisher=[[Gigaom]]|last=Hockenson|first=Lauren|date=2013-11-01}}</ref>

⚫
On November 6, 2018, Amos released a book published by [[No Starch Press]], titled ''The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari To Xbox'', in which he showcases various video game consoles, their hardware, and some of their history throughout the generations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nostarch.com/gameconsole|title=The Game Console {{!}} No Starch Press|website=nostarch.com|language=en|access-date=2018-11-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/Game-Console-Photographic-History-Atari/dp/1593277431/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542405553&sr=8-1&keywords=the+game+console+book|title=The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox|last=Amos|first=Evan|date=2018-11-06|publisher=No Starch Press|isbn=9781593277437|edition=1st }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://kotaku.com/an-outstanding-book-for-people-who-like-looking-at-vide-1830286341|title=An Outstanding Book For People Who Like Looking At Video Game Consoles|last=Fahey|first=Mike|work=Kotaku|access-date=2018-11-16|language=en-US}}</ref>


==Selected works==
==Selected works==
<gallery>
<gallery mode="packed">
File:GameCube-Set.jpg|The [[Nintendo GameCube]]
File:GameCube-Set.jpg|[[GameCube]]
File:Nintendo-Famicom-Disk-System.jpg|The [[Famicon|Nintendo Famicon]] shown with the [[Famicon Disc System|Disc System]] add-on
File:Nintendo-Famicom-Disk-System.jpg|[[Family Computer|Famicom]] and [[Famicom Disk System|Disk System]]
File:Sega-SG-1000-Console-Set.jpg|The [[Sega SG-1000]]
File:Sega-SG-1000-Console-Set.jpg|[[Sega SG-1000]]
File:PS2-Versions.jpg|The "fat" and "slimline" iterations of the [[PlayStation 2]]
File:PS2-Versions.jpg|"Fat" and "slimline" [[PlayStation 2]]
File:Microsoft-Xbox-One-Console-Set-wKinect.jpg|The [[Xbox One]]
File:Microsoft-Xbox-One-Console-Set-wKinect.jpg|[[Xbox One]]
File:Commodore-64-Computer-FL.jpg|The [[Commodore 64]]
File:Commodore-64-Computer-FL.jpg|[[Commodore 64]]
</gallery>
</gallery>

==Reception==
⚫
[[File:Evan Amos and the Wikipedia Effect.webm|thumb|Evan Amos and "the Wikipedia Effect"]]

Destructoid called Amos "gaming's most popular photographer".<ref name="Destructoid"/> ''[[Popular Science]]'' called him "gaming's most famous photographer".<ref name-"PS">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.popsci.com/article/gadgets/youve-never-heard-gamings-most-famous-photographer|title=You've Never Heard of Gaming's Most Famous Photographer|magazine=[[Popular Science]]|last=Lechter|first=Colin|date=November 1, 2013}}</ref> Kotaku called ''The Game Console'' "an outstanding book for people who like looking at video game consoles".<ref name="Out"/>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 35: Line 48:
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Sources==
===Sources===
* {{cite magazine|url=http://www.popsci.com/article/gadgets/youve-never-heard-gamings-most-famous-photographer|title=You've Never Heard of Gaming's Most Famous Photographer|magazine=[[Popular Science]]|last=Lechter|first=Colin|date=2013-11-01}}
* {{cite web|url=http://petapixel.com/2013/10/31/power-wikipedia-became-gamings-popular-anonymous-photographer/|title=The Power of Wikipedia: How I Became Gaming's Most Popular and Anonymous Photographer|publisher=PetaPixel|last=Amos|first=Evan|date=October 31, 2013}}
⚫
* {{Cite magazine|date=December 27, 2018|title=A Moment With... Picture Perfect |magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] |issue=189 |page=12}}
* {{cite web|url=http://petapixel.com/2013/10/31/power-wikipedia-became-gamings-popular-anonymous-photographer/|title=The Power of Wikipedia: How I Became Gaming’s Most Popular and Anonymous Photographer|publisher=[[PetaPixel]]|last=Amos|first=Evan|date=2013-10-31}}
*{{cite web|last1=Kozlowski|first1=Tomasz|last2=Grigas|first2=Victor|title="It’s incredible that history decays almost immediately": Evan Amos and the Vanamo Online Game Museum|url=https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/08/17/evan-amos-video-game-museum/|website=blog.wikimedia.org|language=en|date=17 August 2016}}
⚫
* {{Cite magazine |last= |first= |date=27 December 2018 |title=A Moment With... Picture Perfect |magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] |issue=189 |page=12 |location= |publisher=[[Future plc]] }}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{commons category inline|Evan-Amos}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{Wikipedia person user link|Evan-Amos|Evan Amos}}


{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}

Latest revision as of 13:56, 20 August 2024

Evan Amos
Headshot of Evan Amos in an interview with the Wikimedia Foundation. He is a middle-aged white man with glasses wearing a dark-colored shirt.
Amos in 2016
Born1983 (age 40–41)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationPhotographer
Years active2010–present
Known forFreely licensed photos of video game items

Evan Amos (born 1983)[1] is a photographer of stock photography of video game consoles, which he licenses freely to the public domain. He contributes these images to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, and as of 2015 works on The Vanamo Online Game Museum, a free digital archive of video game hardware.[2] As of 2018, he resides in Brooklyn, New York City.[1]

Work

[edit]
The first picture of a game console Amos made for Wikipedia is of the Wii.

Being "annoyed" at the poor quality of images of video game consoles on Wikipedia, Amos decided to document these systems before they were "forgotten in time". Starting in August 28, 2010, with Nintendo's Wii console, which he happened to own, Amos soon "felt addicted" and started a list of every console. He put an ad on Craigslist and met a collector in Huntington, Long Island, where he photographed various consoles from Sega and Atari. He has expressed "surprise" at the increasing popularity of his freely licensed photos in print, television, Internet, and other media – though he is still rarely credited for them.[3][4]

After purchasing and photographing video game consoles, Amos donates them to the New York University Game Center and the National Museum of Play, where he is allowed to access them at any time.[4] His library expanded to food items.[5]

In 2013, Amos raised US$17,493 on Kickstarter to expand his hardware collection and build the Vanamo Online Game Museum, for online preservation of the history of video games.[6][7] It is intended to include an extensive history of each console and its development.[8]

On November 6, 2018, Amos released a book published by No Starch Press, titled The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox, showcasing video game console photos, their hardware, and some history.[9][10] A second edition was published in 2021.[11]

Selected works

[edit]

Reception

[edit]
Evan Amos and "the Wikipedia Effect"

Destructoid called Amos "gaming's most popular photographer".[2] Popular Science called him "gaming's most famous photographer".[12] Kotaku called The Game Console "an outstanding book for people who like looking at video game consoles".[10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "User:Evan-Amos/AboutMe – Wikimedia Commons". commons.wikimedia.org. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  2. ^ a b North, Dale (March 11, 2013). "Evan Amos is gaming's most popular photographer". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  3. ^ Amos, Evan (October 29, 2013). "The power of Wikipedia: How I became gaming's most popular and anonymous photographer". Gamasutra.
  4. ^ a b Larson, Eric (November 10, 2013). "Introducing the Invisible Photographer Whose Photos Are Everywhere". Mashable.
  5. ^ ""It's incredible that history decays almost immediately": Evan Amos and the Vanamo Online Game Museum – Wikimedia Blog". blog.wikimedia.org. August 17, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  6. ^ TraceyLien (October 31, 2013). "Preserving video game history one photo at a time". Polygon.
  7. ^ "The Vanamo Online Game Museum Kickstarter campaign". Kickstarter.
  8. ^ Hockenson, Lauren (November 1, 2013). "See a Wikipedia photographer's Kickstarter campaign for an online video game museum". Gigaom. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  9. ^ Amos, Evan (November 6, 2018). The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox (1st ed.). No Starch Press. ISBN 9781593277437.
  10. ^ a b Fahey, Mike. "An Outstanding Book For People Who Like Looking At Video Game Consoles". Kotaku. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  11. ^ Amos, Evan (September 8, 2021). The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox (2nd ed.). No Starch Press. ISBN 9781718500600.
  12. ^ Lechter, Colin (November 1, 2013). "You've Never Heard of Gaming's Most Famous Photographer". Popular Science.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Evan Amos.
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