While thinking about loading screens this week, I was playing Witcher 3 and it hit me. Video games have mastered the art of the loading screen ages ago. From GTA’s cartoonish vignettes, to Bayonetta’s interactive open space for perfecting combos, to my personal nostalgia favorite of Assasin’s Creed. Who doesn’t love to roam through the animus! It’s beautiful and allows for the player to do something rather than just sit and wait. It’s sitting and waiting with a touch of flair. Design could take some hints from the video game world. Finding the liminal space between free will and determinism in the world of loading screens.
If you haven’t seen them, here’s a video.
DSGN 264-401 | Fall 2020 