Quick definition:The number of images a game draws on screen each second, usually measured in frames per second, which affects how smooth the movement looks and how quickly the game responds.
Meaning
Frame rate describes how often the picture on screen is refreshed. A game running at sixty frames per second draws sixty separate images each second, and when the frames arrive quickly enough, the eye sees continuous motion rather than a series of stills.
Higher rates generally look smoother and make a game feel more responsive, since the screen shows the result of an input sooner. Fast competitive games benefit most, and players often tune their settings to reach the highest rate their hardware allows. When the rate falls, movement can look jerky and controls may feel sluggish.
Frame rate depends on the power of the computer or console, the complexity of the scene and the settings chosen. It is related to, but different from, the refresh rate of a screen, which is how many times the display itself updates. Some games lock the rate to keep timing consistent, while others let it vary.
Origin:Frame rate is a term borrowed from film and animation, where a moving picture is made from a rapid series of still images called frames. Video games adopted it because they also draw a new image many times each second. The unit is frames per second, abbreviated to FPS.
Example:Isla notices that her racing game stutters whenever many cars appear on screen. A counter in the corner shows the frame rate dropping from sixty to about twenty-five. She lowers the graphics settings, the counter climbs back up, and the cars glide smoothly again, making the corners much easier to judge.
Did you know?Many games aim for thirty or sixty frames per second, and some monitors can display far more. A steady frame rate is often considered more important than a high one, because sudden drops are more noticeable than a constant lower number.
