Game engine

A game engine is reusable software that provides systems and tools for creating and running video games, including rendering, audio, physics, and input handling.

Game loop: A repeating cycle that updates a game's state and produces new frames. It coordinates input, simulation, and rendering during play.
Unity (game engine): A cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies. It exemplifies an engine used across independent and commercial game production.
Game framework: A software library that supplies reusable game-development components without necessarily providing a complete editor or runtime. Frameworks often leave more integration and tooling to developers than engines do.
Spacewar!: A 1962 computer game created at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its development illustrates game-making before modern reusable engines.
Scene graph: A data structure that organizes objects in a scene into hierarchical relationships. It lets engines transform and manage related game objects together.
Unreal Engine: A game engine developed by Epic Games, known for real-time 3D rendering tools. Its tools show how an engine can support high-fidelity production.
Game middleware: Third-party software that supplies specialized capabilities for games, such as audio, networking, or physics. Middleware adds focused services that an engine may otherwise implement internally.
id Tech: A series of game engines developed by id Software for its games. Its releases helped establish engine technology as a reusable commercial product.
Real-time rendering: The generation of images quickly enough to display interactive motion. It converts engine scenes and lighting into playable frames.
Godot: A free, open-source game engine for making two-dimensional and three-dimensional games. It offers a distinct open-source alternative for engine-based development.

Linked from 12 pages