diff --git a/gui.rkt b/gui.rkt
index e334928..d33a0bc 100644
--- a/gui.rkt
+++ b/gui.rkt
@@ -68,5 +68,5 @@
                     [label (format "Final Score: R: ~a, B: ~a" (first (GameState-scores game)) (last (GameState-scores game)))]))
   (send frame show #t))
 
-(define g (play-game (GameState (grid '() 6 6) 0 '(0 0) (list random-player random-player))))
+(define g (load-game! "/tmp/test.dbn"))
 (analysis-gui g)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/main.rkt b/main.rkt
index 3e351d6..f313b7b 100644
--- a/main.rkt
+++ b/main.rkt
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 
 ; represents the state of a game in play
 ; grid is the grid
-; player is the current player
+; player is the current player (ignored when the game is over)
 ; scores is a list of numbers for the score of each player.
 ; players is a list of two players who are playing in the game
 (struct GameState (grid player scores players) #:transparent)
@@ -255,4 +255,23 @@
        (lines
         (unquote (for/list ([l (grid-lines g)])
                    (list (point-x (line-from l)) (point-y (line-from l)) (point-x (line-to l)) (point-y (line-to l)) (line-player l))))))) f)
-    (close-output-port f)))
\ No newline at end of file
+    (close-output-port f)))
+
+; path -> GameState
+; loads a game from a .dbn file into a GameState structure
+; TODO lines, scores, etc
+(define (load-game! p)
+  (let* ([f (open-input-file p)]
+         [data (read f)])
+    (close-input-port f)
+    (GameState
+     (grid
+      (for/list ([i (last (assoc 'lines data))])
+        (line (point (first i) (second i)) (point (third i) (fourth i)) (fifth i)))
+      (second (assoc 'grid data)) (last (assoc 'grid data)))
+     0 ; assumed, the game is over
+     (list (second (assoc 'score data)) (last (assoc 'score data)))
+     `(
+       ,(player (last (assoc 'player0 data)) 0)
+       ,(player (last (assoc 'player1 data)) 0)
+       ))))