

In the rogue-like example, it builds upon the basic actions players can use to take meaningful decisions: the game’s central mechanics.

Collecting coins, beating the level, reaching and beating the end boss. They echo the player’s short, mid and long-term goals. They exist on a moment-to-moment basis, can last a few minutes, etc. Game loops also depend on the timeframe you focus on. Just like there’s a core gameplay loop, there are core economic loops that will derive from your business models ( or vice-versa), level design loops, what the player must do to beat a level and advance in the game’s main plot, etc. There are several loops that structure your projects, depending on the lenses you use. A simple premise: explore every castle until you found the princess. In other words: to exploit the core loop to its fullest, and add extra depth to the experience. They are here to surprise the player, challenge his skills and keep the experience fresh. The various enemies, bosses, and environments stem from the core mechanics. In the original Mario, this would be walking, running and jumping. It’s part of the essence of the game, something you cannot remove without fundamentally altering the experience.

In short, it’s the main activities that structure the entire design and the players engage into repeatedly, in a looping sequence. At the heart of your game’s design, there are core mechanics, and the core gameplay loop.
