Settings, System, Skin, Story

[droqen]

Settings (or Metagame)
The player's agency to choose what part of the game they want to play, and how they want it to work.
Covers things like controls, difficulty settings, and accessibility... but also equipment, level selection, and hub worlds.

System
The interesting decisionspace's material. Minmaxing, optimization, economy.
One half of gamefeel.

Skin
Juice, control, feeling. Presentation. Sensation.
One half of gamefeel.
One half of narrative.

Story
Words and memories. The stories you remember and transmit? Not the story of the game (though that may reside here). The themes, but not the emotions.
One half of narrative.

[droqen]

Change log

Changed 'Settings' to 'Metagame' (lost the SSSS alliteration. Oh well.)

Changed 'Skin' to 'Sensation' (less fun, but reads better. thanks randy!)

Change log 2

Changed them back. Flip-flopping.