A game’s engine is what makes it work—its fundamental structure, interactions, and systems. Just like a car’s engine, it determines how the game runs and it’s what keeps players engaged.
Engine design focuses on three key questions:
What is the Core Play Loop?
What is the Fundamental Tension?
Why is this Fun?
A well-designed engine guides the entire experience, influencing player decisions, mechanics, and long-term engagement. You can find examples from popular games further down in this lesson, but for now, let’s dig into the three key elements of engine design.
The Core Play Loop
A core play loop is the basic pattern of play at the heart of your game. It should be describable in one or two sentences and should repeat multiple times throughout a session.
Below are some examples of Core Play Loops, with additional detailed examples provided later in this article.
Go: Place stones to control territory and capture the opponent’s stones.
Call of Duty: Gather weapons and ammo, seek enemies, and eli…
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