Ask HN: What is the purpose of the “press any key” screen in video games?
What is the purpose of the initial "press any key" screen that often displays before the main content of a game?
I found some potential answers online, but I wasn't satisfied with them; they often sounded slightly apocryphal ("my brother knows a guy who works in games" sort of thing). I'm hoping there are some folks here from the gaming industry who have firsthand experience implementing these initial screens.
The possible reasons I found included:
- The screen functions as a "book cover" for your game, showing the player what the game is about
- It allows for preloading without the user noticing
- If multiple input devices are connected, this allows the game to infer which one the player wants to use
- Some platforms may require user interaction within X seconds, and the initial screen enables this somehow (?? I am curious to know more about the mechanics of this in particular, if true)
I found some potential answers online, but I wasn't satisfied with them; they often sounded slightly apocryphal ("my brother knows a guy who works in games" sort of thing). I'm hoping there are some folks here from the gaming industry who have firsthand experience implementing these initial screens.
The possible reasons I found included:
- The screen functions as a "book cover" for your game, showing the player what the game is about - It allows for preloading without the user noticing - If multiple input devices are connected, this allows the game to infer which one the player wants to use - Some platforms may require user interaction within X seconds, and the initial screen enables this somehow (?? I am curious to know more about the mechanics of this in particular, if true)