Glossary

Published: 29.12.2025

Game Development Terms

Game Engine: A software framework for creating video games, providing tools and libraries for rendering graphics, playing audio, handling physics, and managing game assets.
Game Asset: Any resource used in game development, such as 3D models, textures, animations, sound effects, music, or scripts.
Physics Engine: Software that simulates physical systems (like gravity, collision detection, and rigid-body dynamics) in real time to make game objects move and interact realistically.
Rendering: The process of generating a 2D image or frame from the data of a 3D scene or model.
Rasterization: The real-time rendering technique used by most game graphics hardware, which converts 3D geometry (triangles) into pixels on the screen each frame.
Ray Tracing: A rendering technique that simulates the paths of light rays to produce realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows in a scene.
Polygon: A flat, 2D shape made of straight edges and vertices (usually a triangle or quad) that serves as the basic building block of 3D models.
Vertex: A point in 3D space that defines a corner of a polygon (used to build the mesh of a 3D model).
Prefab: A template for a game object saved as an asset, which can be reused to create multiple instances of that object.
Game Loop: The continuous cycle in a game application that processes input, updates the game state (logic and physics), and renders the graphics every frame.
Frame Rate (FPS): The number of frames rendered and displayed per second in a game; a higher FPS generally means smoother motion.
NPC (Non-Playable Character): A character in the game that is controlled by the computer rather than by a player.
Mob: Short for “mobile object” or “monster”, typically referring to computer-controlled creatures or enemies in a game.
Level of Detail (LOD): A technique where models have multiple versions of varying complexity, and a simpler version is used when an object is far from the camera to improve performance.

Game Design Terms

Core Gameplay: The central actions and goals that players perform repeatedly during each play session (e.g. jumping on platforms in a platformer).
Metagame: All aspects of a game outside the core gameplay loop, such as progress systems, leaderboards, menus, or community activities.
Magic Circle: The conceptual boundary that separates the game world from reality, where real-world rules are suspended and only the game’s rules apply.
HUD (Head-Up Display): On-screen 2D interface elements (like health bars, ammo counters, and minimaps) that display information to the player during gameplay.
UI (User Interface): The set of on-screen controls and menus (buttons, icons, windows, etc.) through which the player interacts with the game.
UX (User Experience): The overall satisfaction and ease of use that a player perceives when interacting with the game, encompassing the design of the UI and gameplay.
Rock-Paper-Scissors: A game design pattern where elements are divided into categories that cyclically beat one another (like rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock).
First-Time User Experience (FTUE): The introductory part of a game (often a tutorial or first level) designed to teach new players the game mechanics and basics.
Experience Points (XP): Points awarded to players for completing actions (like defeating enemies or completing tasks), representing progress and often used to unlock new abilities or levels.
AAA (Triple-A): A term for games that have the highest budgets, production values, and development teams, typically from major publishers.