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Start From the Verb, Not the World

1. Start From the Verb, Not the World

Modern pitches often start with setting or story ("a post-apocalyptic survival game about..."). Old-school pitches started with a single verb: jump, shoot, push, match, dig, rotate, flee.

Rule of thumb: If you can't describe the core action in one word, you don't have a concept yet — you have a theme.

  • Pac-Man: evade / chase
  • Tetris: rotate / stack
  • Dig Dug: dig / inflate
  • Metroid: explore / backtrack

Everything else — art, story, enemies — was decoration layered on top of the verb, added only if there was room.