How do think about games?

[RepentantSky]

This thought came to me while reading the thread talking about features that should be in very game. When I posted in it, I thought mechanics and couldn't come up with a proper answer because I can't think of any mechanics that should be in every game, yet everyone else was talking about actual features like difficulty settings and the like. It could be that I just missed the point while everyone was on it and yet it could also be that my way of thinking just brought me to that based on me watching things like Extra credits, game theory and also reading articles about mechanics that work and don't work in some games, or even at all, as opposed to ones that work in many different games. I might also just think like a developer. I think when it comes to games, I think more about how their made, rather than what features outside of mechanics make it work. So having said that, I wonder where everyone else's mind is when they initially think about gaming.