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A loading screen is a screen shown by a computer program, very often a video game, while the program is loading (moving program data from the disk to RAM) or initializing.
A loading screen is a user interface element that appears while a computer program, application or video game completes background process or system initialization. Its purpose is to inform users that their system is still working and to provide feedback during delay. Loading screens may display animated graphics, rotating symbols or other indicators while complex calculations takes place in the background. As the internet became more accessible, two common types of loading indicators became widely used: the throbber, an animated icon that signifies ongoing activity, and the progress bar, a linear visual element that estimates the completion status and remaining loading time.
In early video games, the loading screen was also a chance for graphic artists to be creative without the technical limitations often required for the in-game graphics. Drawing utilities were also limited during this period. Melbourne Draw, one of the few 8-bit screen utilities with a zoom function, was one program of choice for artists.
While loading screens remain commonplace in video games, background loading is now used in many games, especially open world titles, to eliminate loading screens while traversing normally through the game, making them appear only when "teleporting" further than the load distance (e.g. using warps or fast travel) or moving faster than the game can load.
Libra
- 2025-02-14T00:00:00.000000Z
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