I like to think that at the start of every game is a core experience that exists in the creator’s mind.

Finding this core experience is the best place to start.

Now, from this I can create a network of elements (features) that in turn will be the basis for

• Game mechanics: the verbs we let players use to play the game
• Elements: all the content required to allow playing the game
• Adjectives: the how of the verbs and elements; mood, style, all the emotions conveyed outside the interactive experiences