I am currently [ participating in the Nexon PEAK Post Challenge].

To “start” a game, you first have to “launch” it.

And in that brief moment when the machine busily sets everything in motion so the game can run,

all we can do is wait.

What greets us in that wait is the loading screen.

There is no other choice.

Anyone who plays games is bound to know the experience.

Sometimes dull, sometimes barely noticed, and sometimes unexpectedly fascinating,

these are three loading screens that have stayed with me.



First

Sid Meier's Civilization IV

Majestic music, a low and steady male voice, and the swell of anticipation that rises alongside them

Civilization is, by nature, a large game. That is probably because it contains leaders and civilizations from so many different nations. Because of that, when I play Civilization VI, I usually end up waiting through fairly long loading times. That is especially true because my preferred way to play Civilization is on continents with the same size and starting positions as the map itself.

From the introduction to the civilization I chose and its leader, to the explanations and traits gathered onto a single screen, everything is accompanied by grand music that makes the greatness of that civilization feel immediate. The low, calm voice, steady but full of weight, always stirs a deep sense of excitement in me. By the time I actually enter the game, I am already thinking like a real ruler, determined to lead my civilization to success. What could have been a tedious wait instead becomes the very moment that draws me most fully into the game.



Second

Reverse: 1999

A kind guide that introduces the world’s lore and many layers of setting

Reverse: 1999 unfolds in a world where everything is reversed by a storm. It has a worldview unlike our own reality, inhabited by humans, arcanists, awakened beings, and more. Because it feels familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, it can be a little confusing, but each loading screen places its explanatory text in a way that keeps it from ever feeling dull while still making it intriguing. Even the waiting begins to feel like picking up another clue. There are many different loading screens, but I will only show a few here.





Third

Mabinogi Mobile, Nexon

A symbol so unmistakable that anyone can tell at a glance: this is a Nexon game

Mabinogi Mobile is a game from Nexon and devCAT Studio. So when you launch it, Nexon’s large logo appears. But in truth, I remember another loading screen even more clearly than that logo. Two steps, two steps, one step, and then two more. With the light rhythm of a game of hopscotch, the character walks up to a door, and once they pass through it, the child who had been green changes into the blue of the other side. Then comes the little chime, 띠리링~. No matter who sees it, Nexon’s loading screens create the distinct impression that you are now entering the world of a Nexon game.



The screen that appears after the symbol, before the game begins, is not a loading screen in the strict sense, but it still tells the player something. Are you ready to enter the world of Mabinogi Mobile? We begin. I think that giving you a sense of the place you are about to enter before you fully step into the game serves a role similar to a loading screen, even if it is not one in the most exact sense.

With that, I hope everyone
reading this today finds a little happiness,
and this has been Jagyeongssi.