This three-part photo series recreates scenes from two video games and one film using practical effects, real-world materials, and minimal editing. Originally a class assignment meant to mimic film or TV scenes, I gravitated toward video games instead. I reference games frequently in my practice—their imagined worlds inspire me visually, and there’s a kind of creative potential in that digital space that other media can’t always reach. I often wished video games could be real life. Luckily, games and film share a cinematic language, which gave me room to explore that desire. The sense of play in games becomes creative play in image-making: fiddling, trying things out, figuring things out. That’s where creativity starts. Even theater uses the word play to describe performance. These fictional worlds—each with their own logic, lore, visual language, and character motivations— may offer escape, or expansion: a way of stepping sideways into something else. Whether in games, film, photo, or theater, these universes carve out imaginative space where different rules, feelings, and aesthetics can exist—interrupting reality in ways that feel both imaginative and necessary.