A game engine (game environment) is a specialized

development environment In software deployment, an environment or tier is a computer system or set of systems in which a computer program or software component is deployed and executed. In simple cases, such as developing and immediately executing a program on the same m ...

for creating

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s. The features one provides depends on the type and the

granularity Granularity (also called graininess) is the degree to which a material or system is composed of distinguishable pieces, "granules" or "grains" (metaphorically). It can either refer to the extent to which a larger entity is subdivided, or the ...

of control allowed by the underlying framework. Some may provide diagrams, a windowing environment and

debugging In engineering, debugging is the process of finding the Root cause analysis, root cause, workarounds, and possible fixes for bug (engineering), bugs. For software, debugging tactics can involve interactive debugging, control flow analysis, Logf ...

facilities. Users build the game with the game IDE, which may incorporate a

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games which generally includes relevant libraries and support programs such as a level editor. The "engine" terminology is akin to the term " software engine" u ...

or call it externally. Game IDEs are typically specialized and tailored to work with one specific

. This is not to be confused with game environment art, which is "the setting or location in which game takes place." This is also in distinction from domain-specific entertainment languages, where all is needed is a

text editor A text editor is a type of computer program that edits plain text. An example of such program is "notepad" software (e.g. Windows Notepad). Text editors are provided with operating systems and software development packages, and can be used to c ...

. They are distinct from integrated development environments which are more general, and may provide different sets of features. There is also a distinction from

Visual programming language In computing, a visual programming language (visual programming system, VPL, or, VPS), also known as diagrammatic programming, graphical programming or block coding, is a programming language that lets users create computer program, programs by ...

in that programming languages are more general than Game Engines.

Examples

Below are some game engines and frameworks which come with specialized IDEs. * 3D Game Creation System *

Adventure Game Studio Adventure Game Studio (AGS) is an open source development tool primarily used to create graphic adventure games. It is aimed at intermediate-level game designers, and combines an integrated development environment (IDE) with a scripting language ...

* Blender Game Engine (discontinued) * Buildbox * Construct * Clickteam Fusion *

CryEngine CryEngine (stylized as CRYENGINE) is a game engine designed by the German game developer Crytek. It has been used in all of their titles with the initial version being used in ''Far Cry (video game), Far Cry'', and continues to be updated to sup ...

* FPS Creator *

Game Core A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art (suc ...

* Game Editor *

GameMaker GameMaker (originally Animo, Game Maker (until 2011) and GameMaker Studio) is a series of cross-platform game engines created by Mark Overmars in 1999 and developed by YoYo Games since 2007. The latest iteration of ''GameMaker'' was released ...

* Gamut from CMU (not Stanford) * Gamestudio * GDevelop * Godot * Goji Editor * GameSalad * Magic Work Station * PlayCanvas *

Roblox Roblox (, ) is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation that allows users to program and play games created by themselves or other users. It was created by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 200 ...

RPG Maker ''RPG Maker'', known in Japan as , is a series of programs for the development of role-playing video games (RPGs) with genre-driven varieties as well as machinima, originally created by the Japanese group ASCII. The Japanese name, ''Tsukūru'', ...

SdlBasic SdlBasic is a multiplatform interpreter for BASIC, using the SDL libraries. Its interpreter core is based on wxBasic. The interpreter can be very useful for people who are familiar with ANSI-BASIC interpreters and are curious or needing SDL libr ...

* SharpLudus * Stencyl * The 3D Gamemaker * Unity *

Unreal Engine Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter video game '' Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of ...

* Virtual Play Table *

VASSAL A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

References

{{Video game engines Integrated development environments Video game development