"Press Start"

[Jerkface Killah]

This is something I was thinking about recently and I decided to write about it. Comment here or on my site at: http://www.gamereviewswithjm.com/home/T ... Start.html Thanks!

Follow along now. You crouch down in front of your “insert preferred console here”. You insert the game disc. You walk back to your plush leather sofa and sit down, controller in hand, looking at your 50 inch LCD LED TV. Maybe it’s even 3D. Your game system starts. You navigate to the disc and press start. Some logos and disclaimers are shown and then maybe an intro video. It ends and you are finally at the main menu. You can’t wait to play. It’s all you have been thinking about at work all day. As your boss told you to do this and that, you were picturing yourself at home, on your couch, in this moment. So why the hell is the menu asking you to “Press Start”?

Most games do this. They get to the main menu and display a message that says “Press Start” or “Press A” or “Press X”. They then take you to the actual menu with “Start Game”, “Options” etc. Why does the “Press Start” screen exist? You obviously want to play the game. You did the legwork of getting the game going. The only reason I can see for it existing is, in some games, if you don’t press start, it will play a video. It may be the same video you already watched or perhaps a cut of different movies from throughout the game. This may help avoid burn-in on plasma TVs. But you could easily just have a video start if the player doesn’t select an options after, say, 30 seconds.

That’s my rant for today. What are your thoughts on the “Press Start” screen?

-Jonathan Mitchell

[Hobie-wan]

Sometimes I'll put in a game and go grab a snack or run to the bathroom while it loads and I plop down for some gaming. Granted older systems had longer load times, but still. Maybe I just died in my previous game and I'm stepping away for a moment before starting another game. Same thing.

[Amon]

Not everybody uses a controller that is connected to controller port 1, thus the press start screen checks to see which controller port to use by having the user press start. At least that is my understanding.

[Jerkface Killah]

Not everybody uses a controller that is connected to controller port 1, thus the press start screen checks to see which controller port to use by having the user press start. At least that is my understanding.

Isn't that handled by the system? The 360 pauses the game and gives an on-screen message if the controller is disconnected and the PS3 tells you to press the PS button. I assume the game would be told by the system which controller is being used.

[CRTGAMER]

That’s my rant for today. What are your thoughts on the “Press Start” screen?

A carry over, since Arcades first appeared. Advertising the game with Title followed by tease footage, that quarter got replaced by the Start button. As in a DVD player with an optional default to the Menu, maybe the next series of consoles should give the gamer a choice to start immediately upon load.

[Veno]

I thought it was tradition. It's not often to not find a start screen, it's like an ongoing theme everyone puts into their games. As to being useful, some games input codes there, while other people might use it to prepare for the actual game. Whether you just wanna rest your mind and fingers, or prepare everyone's controllers for a fighter or beat em up, the start screen is a convenient place to do it.

[Hobie-wan]

If it is a game where you might be copying or moving save files around it is more convenient to find it along with an options choice on the title screen instead of doing so once inside a game that started automatically.

[Hatta]

It's like the frontispiece of a book. No practical purpose.

[lisalover1]

If it is a game where you might be copying or moving save files around it is more convenient to find it along with an options choice on the title screen instead of doing so once inside a game that started automatically.

I agree; the start menu is the perfect place to put the options and data management menus.

[Jerkface Killah]

If it is a game where you might be copying or moving save files around it is more convenient to find it along with an options choice on the title screen instead of doing so once inside a game that started automatically.

I agree; the start menu is the perfect place to put the options and data management menus.

I should reiterate that I am in no way questioning the actual main menu with "Start Game" "Options" and the like. Just the screen that says "Press Start" before getting to that real menu. Thanks for the comments.