Vector vs Raster

March 3 – May 12, 2024
Hours: Sundays 1-5pm
General Admission $8 (Ages 13+), Kids Admission $5 (Ages 5-12), Free Admission for Kids Under 5

Two competing graphic display formats duked it out in the early years of video game arcades. Vector games such as Asteroids, Battlezone, and Star Wars render graphics through the display of electronic lines, while raster games like Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong employ pixels to create digital mosaics. Chicago Gamespace is pleased to present an exhibition about the history of vector graphics in games, beginning with Larry Rosenthal’s pioneering and patented work in the creation of this technology for the arcade market in the late 1970s. Notable arcade games will be highlighted including vector’s best-selling title Asteroids (1979) by Atari, Inc, the acclaimed 1983 Star Wars (also by Atari), as well as genre breakthroughs such as the first-person Battlezone (1980, Atari). Visitors will also be able to compare Berzerk on the Vectrex (1982) — vector’s foray into the console market — as well as the Atari 2600. A recently-preserved emulation of 1973’s Moonlander will also be on display. Prominent playable titles in the raster graphic arcade field will also be exhibited including Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Defender, Donkey Kong, Pole Position, Centipede and more.