The Importance of a Splash Screen

Generally speaking, I get annoyed with opening credits in movies because I'm ready for the movie to get started. However, there are a few rare movies whose opening credits are creative and interesting enough to make them an enjoyable introduction to the movie. A big part of the opening credits for movies is the movie title, which is akin to splash screens used in video games . Similar to movie titles, a splash screen in a video game should convey the theme of the game and possibly provide a sneak preview of what's to come in the game. Of course, it's also possible to deliberately show very little in the splash screen for a game, with the idea being that you want to shroud the game in mystery until the game play actually starts.

Regardless of how much or how little you give away in the splash screen for a game, it's important to at least communicate the title of the game and any other pertinent information, such as the copyright for the game. If a certain action is required to start the game, it's also a good idea to mention it on the splash screen as well. No one likes a game that immediately throws you in the action without any warning when the game is launched, so at a bare minimum the splash screen should give you a chance to initiate the game starting.

A splash screen is also a good place to include abbreviated instructions for a game, as well as tips and hints about how to play. In the 1980s when arcade games were the rage, you could often read the splash screen for a game to quickly learn how to play the game. This isn't as critical of a feature in computer games, but it never hurts to provide information that allows people to get started playing a game quickly. One final piece of information to consider for a splash screen is a high score list. This list contains the top scores people have achieved in the game, and is popular in classic arcade games. Hour 24, "Keeping Track of High Scores," shows you how to create a high score list that saves high scores for the Space Out game to a file.

Many commercial games these days go far beyond a splash screen by including an introductory animation or video sequence. This "splash animation" is a lot flashier than a simple splash screen, but it often requires a considerable amount of effort to create, especially if it's an actual video. For example, many popular sports games include video clips of the actual sports being played . On the other hand, some games just display animation sequences directly from the game, which serves as kind of a demo for the game. You find out how to turn a splash screen into a demo mode for the Space Out game in the next hour. For now, let's continue to dig deeper into splash screens and how they work.