Continue (video gaming)

Continue (English: continue ) denotes an option used in computer games. It allows you to continue a game, although the player 's stock of attempts (Life) has been used up.

The term originated when arcade games were equipped with more complex levels. The first arcade game with this feature was the space shooter Bosconian ( Namco, 1981). With the defeat of the slot machine now showed instead a game -over screen, the phrase "Continue? " And gave the players the opportunity to interject and continue another coin. Characteristic for this approach is a countdown (mostly 10-0 ), which triggers the game end in freezes.

In implementing these games on home computers or game consoles, and later also in new developments this approach has been widely adopted, although the stimulus pulse to a player still had to spend money no longer exists. The change in the use of a concept of video game culture show also games, how to set, for example, parts of the Contra series, in which there is to determine the degree of difficulty is not only possible the number of lives, but also those of Continues. At this arcade machines could the stand, in most games, set via DIP switches.

Other features of Continues are resetting the player's accumulated points, and usually a fresh start at the beginning of the level, or at least at certain specified points in this.

The term is also delineate English to games that use a data store and use the word to resume the last save point.

• Computer game concept