An atomic building block and organizational unit of a game's narrative. There is a distinct interruption of play at the end of each level, usually consisting of some manner of splash screen, and often also consisting of some kind of map or menu from which the player can choose what to do next. The technological requirement still applies for many games (It is usually during a break between levels that the game system loads from the disc), but even games which do not require it will often use levels as a convenient way to organize the narrative.