The secret to building great games with AI isn’t cramming everything into one massive prompt. Instead, build your game step-by-step, proving each component before adding the next. This approach prevents bugs and unneccessary complexity. Here is how to build games with careful iteration.

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Four Phases

1

Prove Your Core Concept

Start by getting the essential gameplay loop working. This is the one thing that makes your game unique and fun. For a puzzle game:
Create a 4x4 grid where players can swap adjacent colored tiles. When 3 or more tiles of the same color line up, they disappear and new tiles fall from the top.
For a tower defense:
Create enemies that walk along a path from left to right. Add one tower that shoots bullets at enemies when they’re in range.
Test this extensively. If the core isn’t fun, the rest of the game won’t be fun either.
2

Add Meaningful Challenge

Introduce obstacles, decisions, and rewards. Give players something to overcome and meaningful choices to make.
Add different enemy types that move at different speeds. When enemies reach the end of the path, the player loses health. Add a currency system where defeating enemies gives coins to buy more towers.
Pro tip: Use branching logic to create interesting gameplay states:
If the player has less than 20% health remaining, spawn a powerful healing item that the player must reach within 10 seconds.
3

Build Progression Systems

Create growth, advancement, and escalating complexity. Players need to feel they’re getting stronger or unlocking new possibilities.
After every 5 waves, unlock a new tower type with unique abilities. Increase enemy health and speed each wave, but also increase coin rewards.
Handle edge cases early:
When players reach the maximum upgrade level, convert excess coins into score bonuses instead of wasting them.
4

Polish the Experience

Add feedback, juice, and quality-of-life improvements that make the game satisfying to interact with.
Add particle effects when towers shoot, screen shake when enemies die, and smooth camera transitions between levels. Include a pause menu and save/load functionality.

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Key Principles

  • Test the game at each step. Don’t move to the next phase until the current one feels solid. A wobbly foundation will only get worse as the game gets more complex
  • Start with placeholder art. Use simple shapes and colors initially. Visual polish comes last - game mechanics come first.
  • Anticipate player behavior. What will players try to do that you didn’t expect? Build safeguards into your game accordingly.

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Next steps

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