Abstraction is good for developers, right? Why else would you be programming in high-level languages like C++, Go, Python instead of assembly language? Well, it turns out the situation is not so straightforward for game programming.
In terms of graphics programming, after years of high-level graphics API, the trend has been to go as close to metal as possible (Apple’s Metal, OpenGL reborned as Vulkan, and now DX12). This article does a very good explanation of why this is happening.
In a way, this is a manifestation of the break-down of Moore’s law – at least in terms of clock-speed improvements. Games are among the most demanding type of applications in terms of performance, and for years we have been riding along the wave of “free” performance thanks to Moore’s law. In case you haven’t noticed, the party has ended. That, combined with increasing performance of the GPU, means we can no longer get free performance from CPU alone. Someone has to do the work to manage the GPU+CPU dichotomy and ensure that the “pipeline is full” so as to speak. Thankfully game engines are now taking on that role, but the graphics API needs to allow them to have full access to the low level capabilities.
Hint: it’s exciting. Expert Peter “Durante” Thoman takes a technical deep dive into the promising potential of DX12.
Source: What DirectX 12 means for gamers and developers – PC Gamer