Use Case: CEO Creating a Mobile Game Business Plan
A CEO/Founder with no coding background can use AI to brainstorm ideas, design a detailed game, and create a comprehensive spec + implementation plan for a new mobile game -- all in a single work session.
Context
You're the CEO of a small startup. You want to develop a casual mobile game but:
- Seed capital ~$50K
- No game dev team yet
- No specific game genre decided
- Need a spec document and implementation plan to pitch investors or brief a dev team
Tools:
- Claude Code with Superpowers framework installed
What You'll Learn
- Brainstorming skill -- AI asks one question at a time, proposes options with trade-offs, and lets you decide
- Writing Plans skill -- Converts spec into a detailed implementation plan with 27 tasks
- Automatic Spec Review -- AI self-reviews the spec, finds issues and fixes them before delivery
- Visual Companion -- AI shows wireframes and art styles in the browser for you to visualize
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Step 1: Brainstorming -- Exploring Ideas
You tell the AI:
"I want to develop a casual mobile game with a budget of ~$50K. Let's brainstorm together."
AI activates the Brainstorming skill and asks one question at a time:
AI doesn't dump a plan immediately. Instead, AI asks 9 sequential questions, each with clear options:
Question 1 -- Genre:
"What genre do you envision for this casual mobile game?"
- A) Puzzle game (match-3, word game...)
- B) Hyper-casual (simple tap/swipe)
- C) Idle/Clicker game
- D) Light arcade/action
- E) Light simulation/tycoon
You: "C -- Idle/Clicker"
Question 2 -- Theme: Business/Tycoon -- build a business empire
Question 3 -- Target audience: Broad casual -- all ages, anyone can play
Question 4 -- Monetization: IAP-first -- sell premium packs, boosters, skins
Question 5 -- Platform: Cross-platform (iOS + Android) from the start
Question 6 -- Engine: Unity -- most popular for mobile games
Question 7 -- Team size: Small team of 2-3 people
Question 8 -- Business type: Multi-industry empire (AdVenture Capitalist style)
Question 9 -- Art style: AI shows 4 options in the browser with visual demos -> Choose Flat/Minimalist
Question 10 -- Social features: Simple leaderboard
Question 11 -- Timeline: MVP in 2-3 months
Superpowers principle: AI asks for context first, each question has A/B/C options with clear trade-offs. You just pick -- no game dev expertise required.
Step 2: AI Summarizes & Proposes 3 Approaches
After collecting enough information, AI summarizes and proposes 3 approaches:
| Approach | Description | Timeline | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| A) "AdVenture Clone+" (recommended) | Proven formula + "Business Synergy" twist | 10-12 weeks | Low |
| B) "Story-Driven Tycoon" | Add narrative layer, story chapters | 12-14 weeks | Medium |
| C) "Merge + Idle Hybrid" | Combine merge mechanics with idle tycoon | 12-14 weeks | High |
AI recommends Approach A because: fits timeline, fits budget, low risk, proven formula.
You: "Approach A"
Superpowers principle: AI doesn't choose for you. AI presents options with clear pros/cons, you make the decision.
Step 3: AI Designs Each Section in Detail
AI breaks the game design into 8 sections, presenting each one and waiting for your confirmation:
Section 1: Core Gameplay Loop
Buy Business -> Collect Profit (tap/auto) -> Upgrade -> Hire Manager (auto-collect)
|
Buy new Business <- Enough money
|
Reach milestone -> Prestige Reset -> Earn "Angel Investors" (permanent multiplier)
|
Start over with higher multiplier -> Repeat
Unique twist -- Business Synergy:
- Each business belongs to a "supply chain"
- Owning linked businesses -> bonus profit of 10-50%
- Example: Farm + Food Truck + Restaurant = "Food Empire" synergy -> +30% profit
Section 2: Business System & Economy
| # | Business | Base Cost | Base Profit | Synergy Chain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lemonade Stand | $4 | $1 | Food Empire |
| 2 | Bakery | $60 | $8 | Food Empire |
| 3 | Food Truck | $720 | $48 | Food Empire |
| 4 | Fashion Store | $8,640 | $256 | Lifestyle |
| 5 | Gym & Fitness | $103,680 | $1,280 | Lifestyle |
| 6 | Tech Startup | $1,244,160 | $6,400 | Tech Hub |
| 7 | Bank | $14,929,920 | $32,000 | Tech Hub |
3 currency types: Cash ($), Angel Investors (prestige), Gems (premium/IAP)
Section 3: IAP & Monetization
| Package | Gems | Price (USD) | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 100 | $0.99 | -- |
| Popular | 550 | $4.99 | +10% |
| Best Value | 1,200 | $9.99 | +20% |
| Mega | 3,000 | $19.99 | +50% |
| Tycoon | 8,000 | $49.99 | +60% |
Monetization principles: No paywalls, no forced ads, soft conversion points at natural milestones.
Section 4: Prestige & Meta Progression
Angel Upgrades Shop with 6 upgrades (Profit Surge, Quick Start, Synergy Master, Angel Magnet, Speed Demon, Mega Investor), prestige milestones unlock new features.
Section 5: Leaderboard & Social
Global + Weekly leaderboard, Firebase backend, weekly gem rewards for top players.
Section 6: Technical Architecture
Unity project structure, Firebase (Auth + Realtime DB + Analytics), offline-first design, BigNumber system for large numbers.
Section 7: UI/UX & Screens
AI shows wireframes in the browser -- Main Game Screen with Top HUD, Synergy Bar, Business List, Bottom Navigation.
Section 8: Budget & Timeline
| Category | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Development | $22,000 | 1 Unity dev, 10-12 weeks |
| Art & Design | $10,000 | Flat sprites, UI kit, icons |
| Game Design & Balance | $3,000 | Economy balancing |
| Backend (Firebase) | $1,000 | Setup + first 6 months |
| Sound & Music | $2,000 | BGM + SFX |
| QA & Testing | $2,000 | Device testing |
| App Store fees | $125 | Google Play + Apple |
| Marketing/UA | $7,000 | Soft launch ads, ASO |
| Contingency | $3,875 | ~8% buffer |
| Total | ~$51,000 |
13-week timeline: Setup -> Business System -> Synergy & Prestige -> Art & UI -> Monetization & Backend -> QA & Balance -> Launch.
Superpowers principle: Each section is presented separately, waiting for "ok" from you before continuing. You control each part without being overwhelmed.
Step 4: Spec Document & Auto-Review
After you approve all 8 sections, AI:
- Writes the spec document -- a complete markdown file with all discussed information
- Runs automatic spec review -- AI dispatches a separate agent to review the spec
- Finds 14 issues -- from missing stacking formula to missing push notification strategy
- Fixes all issues -- adds:
- Bonus stacking order (multiplicative formula)
- Business cycle time
- Time manipulation prevention (server timestamp)
- Push notification strategy
- Firebase analytics events
- Network error handling (offline-first)
- Sound design spec
- Localization plan
- Restore Purchases (Apple requirement)
- Extended QA from 1 week to 2 weeks
- Re-reviews and Approved
Superpowers principle: AI self-reviews and fixes before delivery. You receive a spec that's gone through 2 rounds of review, not a rough draft.
Step 5: Implementation Plan
AI activates the writing-plans skill and creates an implementation plan:
- 27 detailed tasks with code snippets, TDD workflow
- 13-week timeline with clear milestones
- ~80+ test cases in EditMode
- Each task includes: description, files to create/modify, test cases, acceptance criteria
The plan is also auto-reviewed and approved before delivery.
Results
After ~30 minutes of brainstorming + ~15 minutes of automatic review, the CEO has:
| Deliverable | Status |
|---|---|
| Game concept & genre (Idle Tycoon) | Completed |
| Core loop & Business Synergy mechanic | Completed |
| 7 businesses with economy balancing | Completed |
| IAP & monetization design | Completed |
| Prestige & meta progression | Completed |
| Leaderboard & social design | Completed |
| Technical architecture (Unity + Firebase) | Completed |
| UI/UX wireframes | Completed |
| Budget breakdown ~$51K | Completed |
| 13-week timeline with milestones | Completed |
| Spec document (passed 2 rounds of review) | Completed |
| Implementation plan (27 tasks, ~80+ tests) | Completed |
Superpowers Principles Applied
| Principle | How Applied in This Session |
|---|---|
| Brainstorming first | AI asks 11 sequential questions (genre, theme, target, monetization, platform, engine, team, business type, art style, social, timeline) before proposing |
| Options with trade-offs | 3 approaches (AdVenture Clone+, Story-Driven, Merge Hybrid) with clear pros/cons |
| Section-by-section approval | 8 design sections, each waiting for "ok" before continuing |
| Auto-review | AI self-reviews spec, finds 14 issues, fixes all, re-reviews until Approved |
| Visual Companion | Shows art style options and UI wireframes in the browser |
| Evidence over Claims | Budget has specific numbers ($22K dev, $10K art...), KPIs have targets (ARPU $0.50-1.50), timeline has milestones |
| YAGNI | Chose Approach A (proven, low risk) instead of more complex B/C |
| Writing Plans skill | Implementation plan with 27 tasks including TDD, code snippets, acceptance criteria |
Takeaway: A CEO doesn't need coding or game dev expertise. Superpowers guides AI to lead you through step-by-step brainstorming, design each section with approval, self-review and fix issues, then output production-quality spec + implementation plan -- ready to brief a dev team or pitch to investors.