No engine doesn’t imply a board game.
Gamedev was defiled the moment it became a battle of game engines rather than actual game development.
The very topic is ridiculous; just make a video game. It differs in no way from any other piece of software, and if you know how to program, it should be no problem for you.
I don’t intend to hijack the topic with a debate, however “no engine” is as valid of an alternative as any.