Build the smallest loop that is still a game

A project becomes a game when a player can do something, see the result, and want another try. Everything else can wait.

One action

Pick a single verb. Shoot, place, dodge, answer. If the prototype needs two verbs before it is fun, you are probably designing a menu.

Tingbase is a large combat game. It still started from a smaller question: what does one ability exchange feel like? The classes came after the exchange was worth repeating.

One result

The action needs a visible result in the same moment. A number on a spreadsheet is not enough. The player should be able to tell a hit from a miss without reading a log.

If you cannot show the result, the action is not ready. Add feedback before you add content.

A reason to repeat

The loop is a game when the next try can be better than the last one, and the player can tell why. That reason might be a score, a surviving wave, or a cleaner combo. It has to be obvious.

Stop adding features when a stranger can play the loop twice and explain what changed. That is the prototype. The rest of the game is built on top of it.

Common questions

What counts as too small?

If a stranger cannot tell a success from a failure, the loop is too small. Add feedback, not a second mode.

When do systems belong?

After the loop is fun once. Matchmaking, inventories, and progression sit on top of a loop. They do not replace it.