No one likes waiting, right? Endless loading screens, annoying distractions, and meaningless content run rampant throughout the video game industry. However, when used properly, loading screens and intros can surprisingly be effective in keeping the player hooked and engaged for longer. In this article, I’m going to talk about some of the ways I’ve applied these two features into my game and my reasoning behind it.

First, I want to talk about the intro. When you first play the game, you’ll be greeted with a blue-fog with my logo, the CodesNorth badge, in the middle. Intro’s are not uncommon - many game creators employ the use of them in order to build brand recognition and ensure a consistent styling between games. Intros can be a great way to build trust and recognition through repetition, but can go awry when used in the wrong way. Too-long intros can often leave a player bored and annoyed, so it’s important to keep it minimal, well under 10 seconds. It’s vital to find the perfect balance in order to build a brand name without distracting the player and feeling more like a barrier to the actual gameplay.

Loading screens are a bit more common - and can be used functionally or decoratively. Some of the largest games take a while to load, and players often frustrate at the immense waiting time before they can access their gameplay. However, in my game, (which is so small it needs practically zero time to load the assets), I chose to use a loading screen in a more decorative manner.

Similar to the intro and other non-gameplay concentric content, it’s important to keep the loading screen short and sweet - don’t ever let the player become restless or bored. However, loading screens can be used as a moment to reset the game, give the player a time to think and pause before they jump into the next moment of gameplay.

Also, loading screens give the illusion of quality. We often see these types of loading screens in the best of the best of games, which take many resources and a lot of time to load. Implementing a loading screen, while it may seem silly, actually contributes to a player as perceiving your game as high quality and polished.

Thanks for reading! Read more of my devlogs here:

00 - Devlog Overview - Homepage

01 - What Makes A Game Feel Unique?

02 - The Magic Of Sound Effects

03 - Here's A List Of All The Goofy, Wacky Easter Eggs I Included.

04 -My Interpretation Of The Theme - & Themes In General

05 - The Most Important Part of Game Design - Community

06 - The Psychology of Loading Screens & Intros

07 - I Planned My Entire Game In Less Than A Minute - Here's How