# Video game graphics
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{{short description|Computer graphics related to video games}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2010}}
{{VG Graphics}}
{{Art and video games}}
A variety of [computer graphic](/source/Computer_graphics) techniques have been used to display [video game](/source/video_game) content throughout the [history of video games](/source/history_of_video_games). The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to [hardware](/source/Graphics_hardware) advances and restrictions such as the processing power of [central](/source/Central_processing_unit) or [graphics processing unit](/source/graphics_processing_unit)s.
==Text-based==
{{main|Text-based game}}
Some of the earliest video games were '''text games''' or '''text-based games''' that used [text characters](/source/character_set) instead of [bitmap](/source/bitmap)ped or [vector graphics](/source/vector_graphics). Examples include [MUD](/source/Multi-user_dungeon)s (''multi-user dungeons''), where players could read or view depictions of rooms, objects, other players, and actions performed in the virtual world; and [roguelike](/source/roguelike)s, a subgenre of [role-playing video game](/source/role-playing_game_(video_games))s featuring many monsters, items, and environmental effects, as well as an emphasis on [randomization](/source/procedural_generation), replayability and [permanent death](/source/permanent_death). Some of the earliest text games were developed for computer systems which had no video display at all.
Text games are typically easier to write and require less processing power than [graphical games](/source/graphical_games), and thus were more common from 1970 to 1990. However, [terminal emulator](/source/terminal_emulator)s are still in use today, and people continue to play MUDs and explore [interactive fiction](/source/interactive_fiction). Many beginning programmers still create these types of games to familiarize themselves with a [programming language](/source/programming_language), and contests are still held even today on who can finish programming a roguelike within a short time period, such as seven days.[{{cite web |url=http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=7DRL |title=7DRL - RogueBasin |publisher=Roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org |date=2011-05-12 |access-date=2011-11-22 |archive-date=2011-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204171321/http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=7DRL |url-status=dead }}]
==Vector graphics==
{{main|Vector graphics}}
{{redirect|Vector game|the 2012 video game|Vector (video game){{!}}''Vector'' (video game)}}
[[File:Space Rocks (game).jpg|thumb|''[Asteroids](/source/Asteroids_(video_game))''-clone played on an [oscillograph](/source/oscillograph) configured as a vector display|alt=]]
'''Vector graphics''' refer to the use of geometrical [primitive](/source/Primitive_(geometry))s such as [point](/source/point_(spatial))s, [lines](/source/line_(mathematics)), and [curve](/source/curve)s (i.e., shapes based on mathematical equations) instead of resolution-dependent bitmap graphics to represent [image](/source/image)s in [computer graphics](/source/computer_graphics). In video games this type of projection is somewhat rare, but has become more common in recent years in [browser-based gaming](/source/browser_game) with the advent of [Flash](/source/Adobe_Flash) and [HTML5 Canvas](/source/Canvas_element), as these support vector graphics natively. An earlier example for the personal computer is ''[Starglider](/source/Starglider)'' (1986).
'''Vector game''' can also refer to a [video game](/source/video_game) that uses a [vector graphics display](/source/vector_monitor) capable of projecting images using an electron beam to draw images instead of with [pixel](/source/pixel)s, much like a [laser show](/source/Laser_lighting_display). Many early [arcade games](/source/arcade_games) used such displays, as they were capable of displaying more detailed images than [raster displays](/source/raster_graphics) on the hardware available at that time. Many vector-based arcade games used full-color overlays to complement the otherwise monochrome vector images. Other uses of these overlays were very detailed drawings of the static gaming environment, while the moving objects were drawn by the vector beam. Games of this type were produced mainly by [Atari](/source/Atari), [Cinematronics](/source/Cinematronics), and [Sega](/source/Sega). Examples of vector games include ''[Asteroids](/source/Asteroids_(video_game))'', ''[Armor Attack](/source/Armor_Attack)'', ''[Aztarac](/source/Aztarac)'', ''[Eliminator](/source/Eliminator_(1981_video_game))'', ''[Lunar Lander](/source/Lunar_Lander_(arcade_game))'', ''[Space Fury](/source/Space_Fury)'', ''[Space Wars](/source/Space_Wars)'', ''[Star Trek](/source/Star_Trek_(arcade_game))'', ''[Tac/Scan](/source/Tac%2FScan)'', ''[Tempest](/source/Tempest_(arcade_game))'' and ''[Zektor](/source/Zektor)''. The [Vectrex](/source/Vectrex) [home console](/source/Video_game_console) also used a vector display. After 1985, the use of vector graphics declined substantially due to improvements in sprite technology; rasterized 3D Filled Polygon Graphics returned to the arcades and were so popular that vector graphics could no longer compete.[{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&q=top+gunner%2C+last+vector+based+arcade+game&pg=PA71 |title=The video game explosion: a history ... – Mark J. P. Wolf – Google Books |isbn=9780313338687 |access-date=2011-11-22|last1=Wolf |first1=Mark J. P. |year=2008 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic }}]
==Full motion video==
{{main|Full motion video|Interactive film}}
'''Full motion video''' ('''FMV''') games are [video game](/source/video_game)s that rely upon pre-recorded [television](/source/television)- or [movie](/source/film)-quality recordings and [animation](/source/animation)s rather than [sprites](/source/Sprite_(computer_graphics)), [vectors](/source/vector_graphics) or 3D models to display action in the game. FMV-based games were popular during the early 1990s as [CD-ROM](/source/CD-ROM)s and [Laserdisc](/source/Laserdisc)s made their way into the living rooms, providing an alternative to the low-capacity [ROM cartridge](/source/ROM_cartridge)s of most [consoles](/source/video_game_console) at the time. Although FMV-based games did manage to look better than many contemporary sprite-based games, they occupied a niche market; and a vast majority of FMV games were panned at the time of their release, with many gamers citing their dislike for the lack of interaction inherent in these games. As a result, the format became a [well-known failure in video gaming](/source/List_of_commercial_failures_in_video_gaming), and the popularity of FMV games declined substantially after 1995 as more advanced consoles started to become widely available.
A number of different types of games utilized this format. Some resembled modern [music/dance games](/source/Music_video_game), where the player timely presses buttons according to a screen instruction. Others included early [rail shooter](/source/rail_shooter)s such as ''[Tomcat Alley](/source/Tomcat_Alley)'', ''[Surgical Strike](/source/Surgical_Strike_(video_game))'' and ''[Sewer Shark](/source/Sewer_Shark)''. Full motion video was also used in several [interactive movie](/source/interactive_movie) [adventure game](/source/adventure_game)s, such as ''[The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery](/source/The_Beast_Within%3A_A_Gabriel_Knight_Mystery)'' and ''[Phantasmagoria](/source/Phantasmagoria_(video_game))''.
==2D==
{{see also|2D computer graphics}}
Games utilizing [parallel projection](/source/parallel_projection) typically make use of two-dimensional [bitmap graphics](/source/bitmap_graphics) as opposed to 3D-rendered [triangle-based geometry](/source/Polygon_mesh), allowing developers to create large, complex gameworlds efficiently and with relatively few art assets by dividing the art into sprites or [tiles](/source/Tile-based_video_game) and reusing them repeatedly (though some games use a mix of different techniques).
===Top-down perspective===
{{See also|Bird's-eye view}}
{{anchor|Top-down perspective}}{{anchor|Top-down view}}
thumb|right|An example of a typical top-down, third-person view game, ''The Heist 2''
'''Top-down perspective''', also sometimes referred to as '''bird's-eye view''', '''Overworld''', '''Godview''', '''overhead view''', or '''helicopter view''', when used in the context of video games, refers to a camera angle that shows players and the areas around them from above. While not exclusive to video games utilizing parallel projection, it was at one time common among [2D](/source/2D_computer_graphics) [role playing](/source/Role-playing_game_(video_games)) video games, [wargames](/source/Wargame_(video_games)), and [construction and management simulation games](/source/construction_and_management_simulation_games), such as ''[SimCity](/source/SimCity_(1989_video_game))'', ''[Pokémon](/source/Pok%C3%A9mon_(video_games))'', and ''[Railroad Tycoon](/source/Railroad_Tycoon)''; as well as among [action](/source/action_game) and [action-adventure game](/source/action-adventure_game)s, such as the early ''[The Legend of Zelda](/source/The_Legend_of_Zelda)'', ''[Metal Gear](/source/Metal_Gear)'', and ''[Grand Theft Auto](/source/Grand_Theft_Auto)'' games.
===Side-scrolling game===
{{main|Side-scrolling video game}}
[[File:Awesomenauts - Screenshot 09.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|''[Awesomenauts](/source/Awesomenauts)'' is a side scrolling [MOBA](/source/Multiplayer_online_battle_arena) game.]]
A '''side-scrolling game''' or '''side-scroller''' is a [video game](/source/video_game) in which the viewpoint is taken from the side, and the onscreen characters generally can only move to the left or right, though they often have a degree of control over their vertical movement, usually by jumping. Games of this type make use of [scrolling](/source/scrolling) computer display technology, and sometimes [parallax scrolling](/source/parallax_scrolling) to suggest added depth.
In many games the screen follows the player character such that the player character is always positioned near the center of the screen. In other games the position of the screen will change according to the player character's movement, such that the player character is off-center and more space is shown in front of the character than behind. Sometimes, the screen will scroll not only forward in the speed and direction of the player character's movement, but also backwards to previously visited parts of a stage. In other games or stages, the screen will only scroll forwards, not backwards, so that once a stage has been passed it can no longer be visited. In games such as [shoot 'em up](/source/shoot_'em_up)s like ''R-type'', the screen scrolls forward by itself at a steady rate, and the player must keep up with the screen, attempting to avoid obstacles and collect things before they pass off screen.
Examples of side-scrolling games include [platform game](/source/platform_game)s such as ''[Sonic the Hedgehog](/source/Sonic_the_Hedgehog)'' and ''[Ori and the Blind Forest](/source/Ori_and_the_Blind_Forest)'', [beat 'em up](/source/beat_'em_up)s such as the popular ''[Double Dragon](/source/Double_Dragon)'' and ''[Battletoads](/source/Battletoads)'', and [shooters](/source/Shooter_game) such as ''[R-Type](/source/R-Type)'' and (more recently) ''[Jets'n'Guns](/source/Jets'n'Guns)''. The ''[Super Mario Bros.](/source/Super_Mario_Bros.)'' series has used all three types of side-scrolling at some time in its history.
===2.5D, 3/4 perspective, and pseudo-3D===
{{main|2.5D}}
{{see also|Isometric graphics in video games|Parallax scrolling}}
'''2.5D''' ("two-and-a-half-dimensional"), '''3/4 perspective''' and '''pseudo-3D''' are informal terms used to describe graphical projections and techniques that try to "fake" [three-dimensional](/source/three-dimensional)ity, typically by using some form of parallel projection, wherein the point of view is from a fixed perspective, but also reveals multiple facets of an object. Examples of pseudo-3D techniques include [isometric](/source/Isometric_projection)/[axonometric projection](/source/axonometric_projection), [oblique projection](/source/oblique_projection), [orthographic projection](/source/orthographic_projection), [billboarding](/source/2.5D), [parallax scrolling](/source/parallax_scrolling), [scaling](/source/2.5D), [skyboxes](/source/Skybox_(video_games)), and skydomes. In addition, 3D graphical techniques such as [bump mapping](/source/bump_mapping) and [parallax mapping](/source/parallax_mapping) are often used to extend the illusion of three-dimensionality without substantially increasing the resulting computational overhead introduced by larger numbers of polygons (also known as the "polygon count").
These terms sometimes possess a second meaning, wherein the gameplay in an otherwise 3D game is forcibly restricted to a two-dimensional plane.
Examples of games that make use of pseudo-3D techniques include ''[Zaxxon](/source/Zaxxon)'', ''[The Sims](/source/The_Sims)'' and ''[Diablo](/source/Diablo_(video_game))'' (isometric/axonometric projection); ''[Ultima VII](/source/Ultima_VII)'' and ''[Paperboy](/source/Paperboy_(video_game))'' (oblique projection); ''[Sonic the Hedgehog](/source/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(1991_video_game))'' and ''[Street Fighter II](/source/Street_Fighter_II)'' (parallax scrolling); ''[Fonz](/source/Fonz_(video_game))'' and ''[Space Harrier](/source/Space_Harrier)'' (scaling); and ''[Half-Life 2](/source/Half-Life_2)'' (skyboxes). In addition to axonometric projection, games such as ''[The Sims](/source/The_Sims)'' and ''[Final Fantasy Tactics](/source/Final_Fantasy_Tactics)'' also make use of a combination of pre-drawn 2D sprites and real-time polygonal graphics instead of relying entirely on 2D sprites as is the norm.
==3D==
{{see also|3D computer graphics}}
With the advent of 3D [accelerated graphics](/source/Graphics_processing_unit), video games could expand beyond the typically sprite-based 2D graphics of older graphics technologies to describe a view frequently more true to reality and lifelike than their predecessors. Federica Romagnoli has stated that in her opinion, high-budget 3D game graphics "display...levels of artistry once more commonly found in [films](/source/Film)"[{{Cite book |title=An Illustrated Guide to Samurai History and Culture: From the Age of Musashi to Contemporary Pop Culture |publisher=[Tuttle Publishing](/source/Tuttle_Publishing) |others=Foreword by Alexander Bennett |year=2022 |isbn=978-4-8053-1659-7 |location=North Clarendon, Vermont |pages=211}}] because of their capability to render complex [cinematography](/source/cinematography) and [CG](/source/Computer_animation) characters and the optimization of [video game consoles](/source/Video_game_console) and [PCs](/source/Personal_computer) to be able to handle such content. [Perspective projection](/source/Perspective_projection) has also been used in some earlier titles to present a 3D view from a fixed (and thus somewhat less hardware-intensive) perspective with a limited ability to move.
===Voxel engines===
Instead of using triangle meshes, voxel engines use [voxel](/source/voxel)s.
===Fixed 3D===
'''Fixed 3D''' refers to a three-dimensional representation of the game world where foreground objects (i.e. game characters) are typically [render](/source/Rendering_(computer_graphics))ed in [real time](/source/Real-time_computing) against a static background. The principal advantage of this technique is its ability to display a high level of detail on minimal hardware. The main disadvantage is that the player's frame of reference remains fixed at all times, preventing players from examining or moving about the environment from multiple viewpoints.
Backgrounds in fixed 3D games tend to be [pre-rendered](/source/pre-rendered) two-dimensional images, but are sometimes rendered in real time (e.g. ''[Blade Runner](/source/Blade_Runner_(1997_video_game))''). The developers of ''[SimCity 4](/source/SimCity_4)'' took advantage of fixed perspective by not texturing the reverse sides of objects (and thereby speeding up rendering) which players could not see anyway.[{{cite web | last = Pedriana | first = Paul | title = Is SimCity 4 3D? | publisher = [Maxis](/source/Maxis) | url = http://simcity.ea.com/about/inside_scoop/3d1.php | access-date = 2009-01-14 | archive-date = 2009-01-23 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090123062707/http://simcity.ea.com/about/inside_scoop/3d1.php | url-status = dead }}] Fixed 3D is also sometimes used to "fake" areas which are inaccessible to players. ''[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time](/source/The_Legend_of_Zelda%3A_Ocarina_of_Time)'', for instance, is nearly completely 3D, but uses fixed 3D to represent many of the building interiors as well as one entire town (this technique was later dropped in favor of full-3D in the game's successor, ''[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask](/source/The_Legend_of_Zelda%3A_Majora's_Mask)''). A similar technique, the [skybox](/source/Skybox_(video_games)), is used in many 3D games to represent distant background objects that are not worth rendering in real time.
Used heavily in the [survival horror](/source/survival_horror) genre, fixed 3D was first seen in [Infogrames](/source/Infogrames)' ''[Alone in the Dark](/source/Alone_in_the_Dark)'' series in the early 1990s and imitated by titles such as ''[Ecstatica](/source/Ecstatica)''. It was later brought back by [Capcom](/source/Capcom) in the ''[Resident Evil](/source/Resident_Evil_(series))'' series. Gameplay-wise there is little difference between fixed 3D games and their 2D precursors. Players' ability to navigate within a scene still tends to be limited, and interaction with the gameworld remains mostly "point-and-click".
Further examples include the [PlayStation](/source/PlayStation)-era titles in the ''[Final Fantasy](/source/Final_Fantasy)'' series ([Square](/source/Square_(video_game_company))); the role-playing games ''[Parasite Eve](/source/Parasite_Eve_(video_game))'' and ''[Parasite Eve II](/source/Parasite_Eve_II)'' ([Square](/source/Square_(video_game_company))); the action-adventure games ''[Ecstatica](/source/Ecstatica)'' and ''[Ecstatica 2](/source/Ecstatica_2)'' (Andrew Spencer/[Psygnosis](/source/Psygnosis)), as well as ''[Little Big Adventure](/source/Little_Big_Adventure)'' ([Adeline Software International](/source/Adeline_Software_International)); the graphic adventure ''[Grim Fandango](/source/Grim_Fandango)'' ([LucasArts](/source/LucasArts)); and ''[3D Movie Maker](/source/3D_Movie_Maker)'' ([Microsoft Kids](/source/Microsoft_Kids)).
Pre-rendered backgrounds are also found in some isometric video games, such as the role-playing game ''[The Temple of Elemental Evil](/source/The_Temple_of_Elemental_Evil_(video_game))'' ([Troika Games](/source/Troika_Games)) and the ''[Baldur's Gate](/source/Baldur's_Gate)'' series ([BioWare](/source/BioWare)); though in these cases the form of graphical projection used is not different.
===First-person perspective===
{{main|First person (video games)}}
[[File:Stalkershot 2.jpg|thumb|alt=Screenshot of STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl|First-person perspective as seen in ''[STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl](/source/S.T.A.L.K.E.R.%3A_Shadow_of_Chernobyl)'' (2007)]]
'''First person''' refers to a [graphical perspective](/source/perspective_(visual)) rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, including [adventure game](/source/adventure_game)s, [flight simulator](/source/flight_simulator)s, and the highly popular [first-person shooter](/source/first-person_shooter) genre.
Games with a first-person perspective are usually [avatar](/source/Avatar_(computing))-based, wherein the game displays what the player's avatar would see with the avatar's own eyes. In many games, players cannot see the avatar's body, though they may be able to see the avatar's weapons or hands. This viewpoint is also frequently used to represent the perspective of a driver within a vehicle, as in flight and racing simulators; and it is common to make use of positional audio, where the volume of ambient sounds varies depending on their position with respect to the player's avatar.[{{cite book|last=Rollings|first=Andrew|author2=Ernest Adams|title=Fundamentals of Game Design|publisher=Prentice Hall|year=2006|url=http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_gamedev_1/54/14053/3597646.cw/index.html|archive-date=2017-12-31|access-date=2009-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231072651/http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_gamedev_1/54/14053/3597646.cw/index.html|url-status=dead}}]
===Third-person perspective===
{{main|Third-person (video games)}}
[[File:Dead Justice-Cat Mother-Third-Person-Shooter.jpg|thumb|Screenshot from the [third-person shooter](/source/third-person_shooter) ''Dead Justice'']]
'''Third person''' refers to a [graphical perspective](/source/perspective_(visual)) rendered from a view that is some distance away (usually behind and slightly above) from the player's character.