Quick definition:A software framework that provides the core tools for building a game, such as drawing graphics, handling input, playing sound and simulating physics, so developers need not build them from scratch.
Meaning
A game engine is the foundation on which a game is built. It handles repeated, technical jobs such as drawing three-dimensional scenes, reading controller input, playing audio, managing files, and calculating how objects move and collide.
Developers then add their own content: art, music, rules, levels and story. Because the core is reusable, a studio can make several games with one engine, and a small team can achieve results that would otherwise require years of low-level work. Many engines include editors that let designers build levels without writing code.
Engines range from tools made in-house by a single company to widely available commercial or open source products. The choice affects costs, performance and what a game can do. Some engines are best suited to certain types of game, such as two-dimensional puzzles or large open worlds.
Origin:The word engine suggests a machine that drives something else. In the 1990s, developers began to describe the reusable core of a game as an engine, because other games could be built on it by changing the content. The idea took hold as companies began to license their engines to outside developers.
Example:A student named Kofi wants to make a platform game but does not want to write code to draw sprites or detect collisions. He downloads a free engine, which already includes those tools, and spends his time designing levels instead. Within a month, he has a playable demo to show his friends. Did you know?Several engines are used by many different studios, which means games from different companies may share the same underlying technology. Some studios prefer building their own engine to control every detail and match it to their particular games.
