So how does this actually work?
What if the basket was the player, and scoring was the thing to avoid?
So, I had this backwards idea for a game...
You control the hoop, balls are thrown at you, and letting one through means game over.
Hang on, this might actually be fun.
Move the hoop. Read the arc of incoming balls. Dodge.
The earliest greybox already had the basic ingredients: a moving hoop, incoming balls, and opponents around the edge of the arena.
Everything after that has been an attempt to make that single rule feel better in your hands.