I think that's a great list, and for the most part, how I'm going about it. But I don't think these need to be done before you actually make your first 'game'.

I think that's a great list, and for the most part, how I'm going about it. But I don't think these need to be done before you actually make your first 'game'. It's perfectly okay to use other peoples' methods for a while until you solidify what you think is wrong with them, and how you think you can improve them. At that point, it's probably time to code your own and find out all the little intricacies. You will eventually want to know all this, though.