Four verbs that define game design in popular strategy games: Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate.
Article: 4X
4X (abbreviation of Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate) is a subgenre of strategy-based games, including board games like Twilight Imperium and computer games like Civilization. The gameplay usually involves building an empire and making decisions on how to develop its economy and technology.
Each verb maps to a design pillar that guides the structure of any grand-scale strategy project:
- Explore gives players information on goals. Blacked-out maps, unidentified relics, or hidden tech options feed curiosity and set early pacing. Designers must tune the reward cadence of discovery to keep choices coming without flooding the cognitive load.
- Expand turns gathered knowledge into ownership. New cities or starbases raise production while stretching logistics, so every expansion decision changes the long-term economy. Territory pressure also seeds future conflict, teasing the final two verbs.
- Exploit is the economic heart. Mines, farms, or trading posts convert space and time into multipliers like science or influence. Balancing short-term yield against delayed breakthroughs forces players to plan across eras and creates meaningful trade-offs.
- Exterminate delivers resolution. Combat, cultural pressure, or diplomatic isolation lets players test the engine they built against rival engines. Victory conditions do not need to be pure conquest, yet a credible threat of removal raises the emotional stakes of every earlier decision.
What makes the 4X mechanism so powerful in game design? The 4X loop provides a clear progression that guides players through discovery, growth, resource management, and conflict resolution. This structure not only facilitates strategic depth but also encourages players to invest emotionally in developing their in-game civilizations. We see the Hooked Habit Model again in 4X!
By revisiting the four verbs during prototyping, designers can check that every feature either reveals, grows, converts, or resolves. Features that do not fit the rhythm can be cut or refocused, keeping the experience decisive and replayable.
However, the 4X formula won't make every game good. Here's another interesting post criticizing the 4X mechanism: The Curious Case of 4X Games, Efficiency Engines, and Missing Strategic Gambits.