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Bob Nystrom - Is There More to Game Architecture than ECS?

Roguelike Celebration · talk · Watch on YouTube

Game programming & enginesSoftware architecture & design

What it is

Bob Nystrom, author of Game Programming Patterns, gives a Roguelike Celebration 2018 talk questioning whether entity component systems are the only way to structure a game. He walks through alternative architectures drawn from roguelike development.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN commenters cite it as a level-headed counterpoint to ECS zealotry and a good intro to game architecture beyond ECS.

  • 3 people recommended it
  • 3 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2020, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “Here's a good start”

    Good starting point on how game development handles data-oriented design

    hu3, 2020-09 · Recommendation · in “An Introduction to Data Oriented Design with Rust”

  2. “Bob Nystrom has an excellent talk on roguelike architecture [0]”

    Excellent talk on roguelike architecture beyond ECS.

    halvnykterist, 2021-10 · Recommendation · in “Hands-On Rust: Effective Learning Through 2D Game Development and Play”

  3. “This is a good talk about roguelike software design in general”

    Good general talk on roguelike software design; channel full of inspiration.

    marcingas, 2026-05 · Recommendation · in “Xs of Y – roguelike that names itself every run. Written in 4kLoC”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: ecs, roguelike, game programming patterns, software design, entity systems

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