ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a history and a critical context for video game engines and surveys the software architectures of several major international game engine developers, including id Software, Epic Games and Unity Technologies. As an entry point to studying the coded rules of play that shape everyday life, this chapter interrogates the dual investments of multimedia companies in the build of serialized intellectual properties and the engines that govern them. Through a series of case studies on the use of each engine in video game production or as a codebase for other culture industries, this chapter highlights the particular influence of each parent company and situates each engine as a by-product of broader speculative business goals and deeply entrenched corporate philosophies.
