The core loop

Every good game has a core loop: the short cycle of actions the player repeats over and over. In a platformer it might be "see obstacle → time jump → land → repeat." In a farming game, "plant → wait → harvest → sell → buy more." If the core loop is fun on its own, the game has a foundation. If it is not, no amount of content will save it.

1. Write your core loop as a short cycle of verbs (move, shoot, dodge, collect)
2. Ask: is this fun to do for the tenth time, not just the first?
3. Make sure each step feeds the next (a reward that fuels the next action)
4. Only add secondary systems once the core loop is genuinely fun