Game engine

A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games, and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software industry. Furthermore, game engine may also refer to the integrated development environment as an interface behind the given framework, typically a suite of visual development tools and features for developing video games. Game developers can use game engines to create and publish video games across platforms, such as desktops, mobile devices, video game consoles, and other types of computers. The core functionalities commonly covered by a game engine are a 2D or 3D renderer, physics engine, audio engine, scripting, animation, artificial intelligence, networking, streaming, memory management, threads, localization support, scene graph, and cinematics. Game engine developers often economize game development through reuse or adaptation of abstractions built into game engines for production of various games, or through porting of videogames from a single to other target platforms.