When analyzing game design for learning, the first thing I focused on was how goals, rules, and mechanics shape the player’s experience. I played both my mentor game, Egypt: Old Kingdom, and a Construct 3 community game called Ultra Pixel Survive. Despite being very different in style and complexity, both offered clear examples of how ludic design directly influences learning and engagement.
Core Loop
In Egypt: Old Kingdom, the core loop revolves around resource management and strategic planning. The player gathers food, constructs buildings, advances research, and maintains population stability. Each cycle builds on the last, encouraging long-term thinking and historical systems awareness. The loop consists of four major steps: assess resources → allocate labor → execute actions → evaluate outcomes.
In contrast, Ultra Pixel Survive operates on a much faster and more reactive loop.
The player’s cycle is collect → build → fight → survive, repeated continuously. Each loop lasts only seconds rather than turns or years, which keeps engagement high but emphasizes reflex and prioritization over reflection.
Rules and Goals
Egypt: Old Kingdom defines success through expansion and stability. Its rules are layered—environmental constraints, population needs, and time pressure all interact to create meaningful challenge. The player’s goal (develop Egypt into a prosperous kingdom) includes sub-goals such as maintaining food surplus, constructing monuments, and researching technologies.
Ultra Pixel Survive, on the other hand, has one clear goal: survive as long as possible. Its rules are direct—resource scarcity, enemy waves, and tool durability. These straightforward mechanics keep the gameplay accessible while still requiring players to strategize resource use and positioning.
Assessment and Feedback
In Egypt: Old Kingdom, feedback is embedded in the simulation itself: resource fluctuations, citizen satisfaction, and population growth all serve as assessments. The game indirectly measures player understanding of management systems.
Ultra Pixel Survive uses immediate feedback—health bars, survival time, and materials collected. While not educational in the traditional sense, its loop teaches quick decision-making and resource prioritization.
Learning Reflection
Playing both games side by side revealed how different rule systems shape cognitive engagement. Egypt: Old Kingdom promotes analytical reasoning and long-term problem-solving, while Ultra Pixel Survive reinforces short-term resource management and adaptability. Both illustrate that rules and goals are more than structural—they guide how players think, react, and learn within a system.
References
Clarus Victoria. (2018). Egypt: Old Kingdom [Video game]. Clarus Victoria. https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Egypt_Old_Kingdom/
Ultrabit Games. (2021). Ultra Pixel Survive [Browser game]. Construct 3 Games Community. https://www.construct.net/en/free-online-games/ultra-pixel-survive-33254
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