Games with Graphics

Abstract

Commercial video games make extensive use of graphics. Arcades are full of machines that produce fantastic creatures in imaginary landscapes; mountains that rise up and spew out invading armies; grids appear from nowhere and roads disappear at the bottom of the screen; planes and rockets fire across galaxies and objects explode into a thousand pieces and reform into new shapes. How does the computer produce this scene vibrating with color and activity? If we examine one of these game programs more closely to discover its secrets we will find graphic symbols, command characters and numbers, and the whole thing is bound to look pretty unintelligible.