Vector games use vector graphics displays instead of raster displays. They were popular in early arcade games and some home systems. Vector graphics offered more detailed graphics but were typically monochrome. Modern games use vector images, but they are unlikely to be considered true vector games.
A vector game is a type of video game that uses a special vector graphics display, rather than the more common raster display. How graphics are generated and how they are drawn on a display are the main differentiators between vector games and other video games. Vector graphics were popular in early arcade games, as they were often more detailed than the blocky and pixelated graphics found in raster-based games of the time. There was also a short time when vector gaming systems were available for home use. A number of modern games, especially Flash®-based games, use vector graphics, although they don’t appear on vector graphics displays and are unlikely to be considered true vector games.
Vector graphics offered both advantages and disadvantages over raster graphics of the same time period. Many vector games offered more detailed graphics than pixel-based raster games rendered by similarly powered hardware. However, most vector graphics displays were monochrome, and raster graphics could display a number of colors. Some vector game arcade cabinets had colored overlays on the monitors to compensate for this. Overlays could represent static scenes in more detail, while the vector game rendered moving characters and other things in more detail than many raster games.
Other vector games used special displays that could reproduce a handful of different colors. While the electron beam itself was typically only capable of displaying a single color, some displays had two layers of phosphor that could be illuminated together or separately, depending on the power of the beam. This left the inability of a vector display’s electron beam to create complex text or a very large number of vectors at once, as the format’s only major drawbacks.
Most home video game systems used raster graphics and connected directly to consumer televisions. Vector games have also made their appearance in home systems. These vector game systems typically had dedicated monitors to display their graphics. While a special cathode ray tube (CRT) is not required to display vector graphics, several control circuits are required to draw the vectors rather than the scan lines typical of televisions.
Vector graphics are images created from geometric primitives rather than bitmaps. Modern vector graphics can differ markedly in appearance from early video games, although the concept is the same. While no vector graphics display is involved, many modern games use vector images rather than bitmaps. Vector graphics are commonly found in Flash® games and can be easily identified by the fact that vectors can be scaled up or down without pixels.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
