The Video Game Loading Interface Archive

This is the companion website for the paper, A Proposed Taxonomy for the Design Qualities of Video Game Loading Interfaces and Processes, published in the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) 2023 Conference proceedings.

Though ubiquitous, the design and development of loading interfaces and processes has not received the critical attention in games studies that their presence deserves. This website contains the archive of loading screens discussed in the paper. They were gathered through an archaeogaming perspective, looking at how the design of video game loading interfaces and processes is a response to ever-increasing demands for higher fidelity gaming experiences on the behalf of players and designers in the face of hardware limitations.

Through an interface study, the following design qualities of loading screens were derived: hypermediacy and transparency, diegetic and non-diegetic, passive and interactive, and pedagogic and misdirection. Each game in the archive is labeled accordingly.

The game Skyline Attack published on the Commodore 64 in 1984 had an interactive and hypermediated loading screen.

Submit a Loading Screen to the Archive

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Game Name

This is the title of the game. Please check the database to ensure the entry does not exist before submitting.

Loading Interface and Processes Properties

You can choose multiple properties. Interfaces that demonstrate hypermediacy draw attention to the medium. Interfaces that demonstrate transparency attempt to hide the process of loading. Diegetic interfaces for loading are woven into the narrative or story. Nondiegetic loading interfaces exist outside of the game or narrative world. Passive interfaces do not involve user interaction. Interactive loading interfaces allow users to interact with content while they wait. Pedagogic loading interfaces and processes teach the player something useful. Interfaces and processes that demonstrate misdirection draw the user’s attention away from game content.

Describe the Hypermediacy or Transparency Characteristics (If Applicable)

Describe the Diegetic or Nondiegetic Characteristics (If Applicable)

Describe the Interactive or Passive Characteristics (If Applicable)

Describe the Pedagogic or Misdirection Characteristics (If Applicable)

Image URL

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Other Resources URL

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