'''Parallax scrolling''' is a special [[scrolling]] technique in [[computer graphics]]. It gives a 2D [[video game]] a greater sense of depth and immersion by creating the illusion of a third dimension.
There are three main methods of [[parallax]] scrolling used in titles for [[video game console]] systems. Parallax scrolling was first used in the [[1982]] [[arcade game]] [[Moon Patrol]]. PrallaxParallax scrolling, in short, simply means the background moves by slower than the foreground, creating an illusion of depth. This istechnique alsogrew sometimesout of the [[multiplane camera]] technique used in [[animetraditional animation]] since the 1940s.
== The layer way ==
Some display systems support multiple background layers that can be [[Scrolling|scrolled]] independently in horizontal and vertical directions and [[Compositing|composited]] on one another. On such a display system, a game can produce parallax by simply changing each layer's horizontal position by a different amount in the same direction. Layers that move more quickly are perceived to be closer to the virtual camera. However, placing too much in front of the ''playfield'', the layer containing the objects with which the player interacts, obscures the action of the game and may distract the player.
