Game Design Prompts

The best game prompt defines the loop, not the lore.

World-building is seductive but secondary. The core loop — what the player does every 30 seconds — determines whether a game works. Prompting for games means specifying mechanics, feedback, and escalation before story.

The Template

Element	What It Controls	Example
Core loop	30-second action cycle	"Explore, collect, craft, sell"
Reward structure	What reinforces play	"Variable ratio — random rare drops"
Difficulty curve	Escalation pattern	"Linear first hour, exponential after"
Mechanics	Rules of interaction	"Tile-matching with resource management"
Narrative	Story wrapper	"Post-apocalyptic merchant sim"
Aesthetic	Visual and audio tone	"Pixel art, chiptune, cozy"

Techniques

Core Loop Definition

Start with the verb chain. Everything else serves the loop.

"Design a game where the core loop is: Observe (scan environment for threats) → Decide (choose path or hide) → Act (move or engage) → Learn (see consequences). Each cycle takes 15-30 seconds. Tension builds because resources deplete on observation."

Reward Structure

Match reward psychology to player motivation.

"Fixed ratio: Every 10 enemies drops a health pack (reliability). Variable ratio: Boss chests have 5-40% chance of legendary item (excitement). Social: Leaderboard updates every round (competition). Design a system that layers all three."

Difficulty Curve

Describe the experience arc, not just numbers.

"First 5 minutes: player feels powerful, everything dies in one hit. By minute 20: enemies require strategy, resources are scarce. By hour 1: the player has died at least twice and learned something each time. No difficulty spikes — only steady pressure."

NPC Behaviour

Prompt for personality, not dialogue trees.

"This merchant NPC is paranoid and greedy. They overcharge new players by 40%. If you've traded with them 5+ times, prices drop to fair. If you try to steal, they remember permanently. They gossip about other NPCs — some true, some lies. Implement as state machine with memory."

Narrative Branching

Consequences over choices.

"The player can save the village or save the artifact. Saving the village: 3 new quests, grateful NPCs, but the artifact's power is lost forever. Saving the artifact: village is destroyed, refugee NPCs follow you as burden, but artifact unlocks final area. Neither is 'correct.' Show consequences, don't moralize."

The Prompt

A complete game design document prompt. Defines the core loop first, then builds outward — mechanics, reward structure, narrative, and art direction.

You are a veteran game designer who has shipped 5+ titles. Design a
complete game concept from the core loop outward.

GAME CONCEPT:
[One sentence: genre + core fantasy + platform.
 Example: "A cozy merchant sim where you trade between floating
 islands, playable on mobile and Steam."]

DESIGN DOCUMENT:

1. CORE LOOP (the 30-second cycle)
   - Verb chain: [Observe] → [Decide] → [Act] → [Reward]
   - What does the player do every 30 seconds?
   - What makes cycle 100 feel different from cycle 1?
   - What creates the "one more turn" compulsion?

2. REWARD STRUCTURE
   Design three interlocking systems:
   | Type | Trigger | Example | Psychology |
   | Fixed ratio | Every N actions | Health pack every 10 kills | Reliability |
   | Variable ratio | Random chance | 5-30% legendary drop | Excitement |
   | Social | Player interaction | Leaderboard, gifting | Competition/belonging |

3. DIFFICULTY CURVE
   - Minutes 0-5: Player feels powerful (teach through success)
   - Minutes 5-20: Introduce one mechanic at a time (no walls)
   - Minutes 20-60: Require combinations (mastery begins)
   - Hour 1+: Player has died twice and learned something each time
   - Never spike. Steady pressure only.

4. KEY NPCS (3 minimum)
   For each: name, personality trait, secret motivation, how they
   change based on player behaviour. State machine with memory —
   not dialogue trees.

5. MONETIZATION (pick one)
   - Cosmetic-only (respect the player)
   - Expansion packs (respect the content)
   - Season pass (respect the time)
   Explain why this model fits the core loop.

6. UNIQUE SELLING POINT
   One sentence a player would text to a friend to get them to play.

OUTPUT: A 2-page design document with tables, not walls of text.
End with 3 risks that could make this game boring.

Paste into Claude for design docs, then Unity or Unreal for prototyping.

Tools

Tool	Strength	Link
Unity + AI	Rapid prototyping, ML-Agents toolkit	unity.com
Unreal Engine	High-fidelity, Blueprint visual scripting	unrealengine.com
Claude / ChatGPT	Design docs, mechanics iteration, narrative	claude.ai
Scenario.gg	AI game asset generation	scenario.gg
Inworld AI	NPC behaviour and dialogue	inworld.ai

Context

• Games — Game theory, loops, and design principles
• VVFL Loop — The feedback loop that makes games (and products) work
• Creativity Prompts — Ideation techniques for design
• Prompts — First principles across all modalities

Mantra

Fun is a feedback loop.

Questions

If the core loop is the game, and everything else is decoration — what's the core loop of YOUR work?

• What makes an AI-designed game feel designed vs generated?
• When NPCs have real memory and personality, does the distinction between scripted and emergent narrative collapse?
• If difficulty is about learning, not punishment, how do you prompt for teaching through failure?