What Makes a Game?
Every game - from Pong to Minecraft - is built from the same simple pieces.
Let's take apart a classic game and see what's inside.
Every game - from Pong to Minecraft - is built from the same simple pieces.
Let's take apart a classic game and see what's inside.
Toggle each layer to see how games work
What you see
Sprites are the images that make up everything you see in a game.
💡 Early games like Pong used hardware circuits to draw - no sprites at all!
What you hear
Sound effects give feedback and make games feel alive.
💡 The original Pong had just ONE sound - a simple "boop" for everything!
How things move
Physics controls speed, direction, and movement of objects.
💡 The ball speeds up each time it hits a paddle - that's physics making it exciting!
When things touch
Collision detection checks if objects are overlapping.
💡 Games check for collisions up to 60 times per second!
Your controls
Input handling turns your keypresses into game actions.
💡 The original Pong used rotary knobs, not keyboards!
Game logic
Game rules define winning, scoring, and what's allowed.
💡 Changing just ONE rule can create a completely different game!
Sprites and visuals that bring the game to life
Audio feedback that makes actions feel real
Speed, direction, and movement rules
Detecting when objects touch
Turning keypresses into actions
The logic that makes it a game
Every game - from simple Pong to massive open worlds - uses these same building blocks. The only difference is scale.
You know the building blocks - now put them together yourself!