Automate repetitive task in PHP?

Hi,

I am building a game using PHP. The game server needs to be run every minute. What i do now, is using cron job to run the server every minute. Another alternative, I am thinking of using loop, but the drawback is, it cannot be stopped whenever i want. Is there a better way to do this other than using CRON JOB and LOOP command? Is there a PHP command that can be time-triggered? Help please. Thanks in advance.