Tempest
Date
1981
Credits
- Dave Theurer Game Designer
Format
- Video Game 69
Type of Work
- Finished work 5481
Publishers
Techniques
- digital 154
Related Items
"Held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art as an example of game design, Tempest was the first arcade video game produced using color vector drawing. Known more colloquially as 'wireframes,' these graphics were created from jagged line segments, resulting in fairly crude drawings of characters and objects. Yet Theurer managed to inventively exploit these limitations—conceptually and visually—to produce what hardcore gamers reverently consider 'one of the most innovative and beautiful video games ever made.' As related by video-game writer Paul Drury, players encountered 'multicolored Fuseballs dancing skittishly inside the abyss [and] deadly Pulsars crackling with electricity.' The game’s captivating and beautiful abstract aesthetics echo earlier decades of technical experimentation: think Fischinger, Whitney, Trumbull. Equally remarkable are the game’s title graphics. A minor extravaganza, they serve to introduce not only the game but also its new technological features, its capacity to convey a sense of movement as well as a colorful electronic experience overall. Tempest reveals Theurer as possessing a visual prowess equal to his programming genius, and an ability to conceive a game with a compelling theme."—–Louise Sandhaus, Earthquakes, Mudslides, Fires & Riots: California and Graphic Design 1936-1986, p 196
