[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.67,0:00:08.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They say graphics aren't important - but every\Ngame I've ever played has had them.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.01,0:00:14.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Game visuals are the most obvious indicator\Nof their technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.00,0:00:20.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,From naive origins, to an explosion of arcades\Nand home consoles, and the emergence and refinement
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.03,0:00:25.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of three-dimensional games: graphics have\Ncome a long way over the course of video game
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.03,0:00:25.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,history.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.08,0:00:30.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, what are the most important graphical\Nmilestones?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.02,0:00:36.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How has available technology shaped the type\Nof games we play?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.74,0:00:43.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And shouldn't it be about the gameplay instead?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.34,0:00:51.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In their earliest days, video games amounted\Nto little more than electronic novelties.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.65,0:00:56.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These pixel pioneers broke new ground with\Nevery step - in an era when simply moving
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.15,0:01:02.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a flicker of light across a television screen\Nwas incredible.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.43,0:01:08.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Games like Pong were a space age wonder, tapping\Nin to a surge in sci-fi interest and becoming
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.01,0:01:11.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the earliest major success of the video game\Nindustry.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.33,0:01:17.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For the first time ever, video games were\Ncool.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.33,0:01:22.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It wouldn't last forever, of course - and\Nonce the novelty wore off, the need for more
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.10,0:01:27.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,advanced hardware - and more impressive visuals\N- became clear.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.00,0:01:33.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Full-colour graphics were an early threshold\Nfor arcade games: and while colour television
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.19,0:01:37.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had existed since before the second world\Nwar, most early video games were limited to
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.01,0:01:40.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a monochrome display.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.100,0:01:46.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some games used coloured overlays to spruce\Nup their playfields - a translucent plastic
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.26,0:01:50.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sheet applied on top of a black and white\Ndisplay.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.61,0:01:55.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Obviously quite a limited solution, but it\Nwas at least a cheap one: and while monochrome
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.90,0:02:01.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,games continued to rake in coins, technology\Nwould have a chance to catch up.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.48,0:02:07.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The very first arcade game to use a coloured\Ndisplay is difficult to pin down - some existed
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.07,0:02:13.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,only as prototypes, such as a colour variant\Nof Gotcha!
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.03,0:02:18.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some early multiplayer racing games used colour\Nto differentiate each player's car: Indy 4
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.09,0:02:25.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in 1976 is one early example, and Car Polo\Nin 1977 was the very first colour arcade game
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.01,0:02:28.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to use a microprocessor.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.05,0:02:33.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These early examples are normally glossed\Nover in favour of the first truly successful
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.02,0:02:37.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,RGB colour game: Galaxian.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.02,0:02:43.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Essentially a fancier version of Space Invaders,\Neach of the brightly-coloured alien ships
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.04,0:02:47.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could flit freely across the screen: and perhaps\Nmore impressive were the multiple colours
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.02,0:02:54.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,used in each sprite - for its time, the game\Nwas an audiovisual treat.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.03,0:03:01.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By 1980, colour graphics were the norm: Pac-Man\Njust wouldn't be the same without its colourful
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.33,0:03:07.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ghosts and the familiar yellow protagonist.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.00,0:03:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Pixels haven't always been the norm.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.00,0:03:13.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the early days of the arcade, there were\Ntwo principal paradigms for rendering an image
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.10,0:03:19.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the screen: raster and vector.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.01,0:03:24.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Raster comes from the latin word 'rastrum'\Nmeaning rake, - and today is the more familiar
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.00,0:03:27.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,method of drawing on-screen.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.07,0:03:32.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The electron beam rapidly sweeps every line\Nof the display in sequence, forming a grid:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.06,0:03:37.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and line-by-line, a picture is assembled.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.24,0:03:43.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Vector graphics directly manipulate the electron\Nbeam to form their images, in a similar manner
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.04,0:03:50.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to an oscilloscope: indeed, very early games\Nlike Tennis For Two used an oscilloscope display.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.01,0:03:59.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The most famous vector arcade title is Asteroids:\Nand while its graphics might be sparse, the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.13,0:04:04.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,perfectly smooth polygons do boast a certain\Ncharm.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.77,0:04:10.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Compare the appearance of two similar games\Nusing each of these methods: the smooth vector
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.00,0:04:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,lines of Space War! versus the blockier pixels\Nof Star Cruiser.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.03,0:04:22.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Vector graphics are cleaner, but less versatile:\Nwhile raster images can't reproduce smooth
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.02,0:04:28.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,lines, their ability to render more complex\Nscenes and filled shapes helped to secure
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.03,0:04:32.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the pixel's dominance.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.05,0:04:38.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Early arcade games normally had fixed playfields:\Na game's arena was sized to fit the screen.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.07,0:04:43.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Scrolling the display to slowly reveal a level\Nrequired more grunt: it demands the ability
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.00,0:04:47.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to shift around large chunks of memory.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.08,0:04:51.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Early driving titles like Speed Race were\Nthe first to introduce scrolling, although
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.03,0:04:59.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the hardware limitations did force some concessions:\Nmirrored tracksides and a rather spartan roadway.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.08,0:05:05.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Defender in 1980 was an evolution of the space\Nshooter, and set the scene for future side-scrolling
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.03,0:05:10.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,shoot-em-ups: despite its simple graphics,\Nit offered freedom of movement across a planet's
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.02,0:05:15.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,surface - along with a host of aliens to shoot.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.03,0:05:20.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Similarly, the top-down view seen in Xevious\Nis often cited as the origin of the vertically
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.10,0:05:24.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scrolling shoot-em-up: with the player's ship\Nat the bottom of the screen shooting upwards
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.06,0:05:29.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the scenery slowly unravels below.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.00,0:05:36.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,SEGA's Zaxxon was the first isometric game,\Ncomplete with isometric scrolling: simulating
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.06,0:05:40.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,3 dimensions with a 2:1 dimetric projection.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.02,0:05:45.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This technique was employed by many later\Ngames - particularly strategy games of the
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.05,0:05:50.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,early 90s - with a psuedo-3D appearance that\Nstill fits the pixel grid.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.03,0:05:57.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Similarly, the use of sprite scaling - resizing\Nimages on the fly - is sometimes seen in games
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.08,0:06:02.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,attempting to lend their otherwise flat graphics\Na sense of depth.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.01,0:06:06.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Early Nintendo shooter Radar Scope shrank\Nsprites in the distance to give the impression
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.06,0:06:13.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you were gazing across a plane of space:\Nthe goal to repel any invaders.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.10,0:06:18.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,More impressive was the scenery in 1981's\NTurbo: although painted in garish colours,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.07,0:06:23.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and with quite some distortion - the effect\Nis nonetheless outstanding when compared to
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.01,0:06:27.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,other games from a similar time.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.08,0:06:32.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The advent of 16-bit arcade hardware brought\Nabout more colours, and the ability to shift
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.01,0:06:39.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more pixels than ever before: and SEGA's 'Super\NScaler' tech in the mid-1980s blew everything
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.07,0:06:42.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,else out of the water.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.06,0:06:45.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Truly, a new era was beginning.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.04,0:06:51.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hang-On combined smooth sprite scaling with\Nblistering frame rates - and alongside its
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.06,0:06:57.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,impressive lean-to-steer motorbike cabinet,\Nit certainly made an impact at the arcades.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.03,0:07:02.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Running on the same hardware was Space Harrier:\Nan into-the-screen rail shooter that would
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.02,0:07:08.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,set a benchmark in sound and graphics: as\Nwell as establishing the basis for the Top-Gun
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.04,0:07:11.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,inspired After Burner.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.09,0:07:16.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Perhaps the most incredible graphics of the\Nearly 1980s were those seen in Dragon's Lair:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.05,0:07:22.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leveraging the huge storage potential of laserdisc\Ntechnology, it was a bona-fide interactive
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.04,0:07:24.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,movie.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.08,0:07:29.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Too bad it wasn't much fun to play.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.07,0:07:34.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The middle of the 1980s saw the end of the\Narcade's golden era, and the rise of the home
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.06,0:07:38.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,consoles instead.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.00,0:07:43.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Arcades would still rule the roost as far\Nas graphical power was concerned, but the
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.01,0:07:47.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ground they broke earlier meant that cost-reduced\Nhome consoles could deliver both colourful
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.10,0:07:53.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,graphics and smooth scrolling.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.02,0:07:58.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Join me in part two for the next stage of\Nvideo game graphic development: a time when
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.02,0:08:04.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two-dimensional games reigned supreme; and\Nsprites were in their prime.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.05,0:08:06.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Until then, farewell.