Game engines

I remember the time when I developed my first game using the BASIC programming language on my old Amstrad CPC. In those times, every game was hardware-specific, which means that you had to take into account every machine's low-level characteristics.

A game engine is a collection of software instructions that eases the process of game development by providing abstraction between the hardware and software layers. This way, you don't need to waste your efforts when performing important tasks, such as handling user inputs, playing sound and video, rendering images, or simulating physics.

As mentioned previously, SpriteKit is an engine developed by Apple to create games, and it's one of the most powerful tools that are used to build native 2D games for both iOS and Max OS X.