When a game requires “Microsoft Visual C++ (year)” or “DirectX (number)” to be installed along with the game itself, what are those things and how does the game use them to work?

Question

Often when installing a game through a digital storefront, after the game has downloaded and installed, but before rubbing for the first time, it will download various files titled “Visual c++ library 2008” etc, even if previous games have installed them. I suppose the main things I’m wondering are; What are these things, why do the games need them to work, and why aren’t they included in the files Steam/Epic/Uplay downloads when you install the game?

In: Technology

Answer 1

Libraries are pieces of code that can be used by developers across different applications, so they don’t have to do things that have already been done (like directly control the mouse, interface with the operating system, read files, draw on the screen). Developers choose what libraries they want to use, but there has also been a lot of standardization by the game engines on using the ones use referenced.

So the engines and games are designed to specifically use those libraries, and thus need them installed to run.