{
  "schema": "unitiqx.game-benchmark-registry.v1",
  "observed_on": "2026-10-10",
  "method": "Official Steam chart and game pages; patterns analyzed, no game source, graphics or audio copied",
  "examples": [
    {
      "game": "Factorio",
      "url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/",
      "genre": "automation and engineering",
      "lessons": [
        "Clear causal production chains",
        "Visible bottlenecks",
        "Complexity from simple composable systems"
      ],
      "original_spin": "Civic Grid evolves into water/power/data outage and capacity simulation",
      "not_claimed": "Comparable scale or review rating"
    },
    {
      "game": "Risk of Rain 2",
      "url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/632360/Risk_of_Rain_2/",
      "genre": "action roguelike",
      "lessons": [
        "Replayability through variation",
        "Readable combat feedback",
        "Increasing challenge"
      ],
      "original_spin": "Adaptive procedural traffic, tactical agents and unlockable jobs"
    },
    {
      "game": "Grounded",
      "url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/962130/Grounded/",
      "genre": "survival sandbox",
      "lessons": [
        "Curious exploration",
        "Resource crafting loops",
        "Systemic consequences"
      ],
      "original_spin": "Biosphere, municipal planning and repair system classes"
    },
    {
      "game": "Counter-Strike 2",
      "url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_2/",
      "genre": "tactical first-person action",
      "lessons": [
        "Readable movement and aim feedback",
        "Skill expression",
        "Meaningful strategy"
      ],
      "original_spin": "Original top-down adversarial AI tactics and Neon Sentinel"
    },
    {
      "game": "Dota 2",
      "url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/570/Dota_2/",
      "genre": "competitive strategy",
      "lessons": [
        "Distinct roles",
        "Synergistic choices",
        "Systems mastery"
      ],
      "original_spin": "Systems-engineer roles and progression across simulators"
    }
  ],
  "criteria": [
    "Time-to-fun",
    "Controls on touch and keyboard",
    "Skill and mastery",
    "Replay variety",
    "Accessibility",
    "Originality",
    "Stability and mobile performance",
    "Learning outcomes",
    "Ethical monetization",
    "Provenance and security"
  ],
  "do_not_copy": [
    "proprietary art",
    "original audio or music",
    "protected characters",
    "game source code",
    "trademarks in our branding",
    "maps and level geometry"
  ]
}