Chapter overview

This chapter is a little different than the ones before because it isn't focused on a design pattern. Instead we will focus on the low-level details of graphics so we can better understand how our code affects moving and animating our game objects.

First, we will look at how a computer monitor works. We will dive into the details of pixels and screen resolutions. We will look at how pixels are drawn on screen as well as understand the concept of tearing, learn why we hear so much about frames per second (fps), and why games try to achieve 30 or 60 frames per second.

Next, we will look at timing in games. We will learn why we want a consistent frame rate. We will also look at what happens when our frame rate isn't consistent and how we can ensure that our frame time stays consistent throughout the game.

Your objectives

• Learn how computer monitors work and what a refresh rate is
• Learn about double buffering and why it is used for graphics
• Learn about time-based movement and animation...