A Brief History of Graphics

If I remember from my time in Video Game Law several years ago, this is the time of year when there is lots of time to spare. Law students, having done all their studying and completed their papers weeks in advance, long for something to occupy their time.

There is hope! Here is a five part YouTube documentary on the evolution of graphics technologies since the dawn of video games. The first four episodes each focus on specific graphics technologies, while the final episode looks at today’s state of the art before asking where games are headed in the future.

While the documentary does not discuss the many legal issues surrounding graphics, the technologies and games featured are industry milestones that are discussed throughout the course. If nothing else, the documentary provides a historical context to inform discussion of game graphics and games more generally.

Part 1 is below, or jump straight to the five part playlist.