There's lotsa lists out there on the net. About any subject imaginable! Well, here's list of the best lists out there with regards to video game design...
How To Make Games User Friendly, Pt 1 and Pt 2This is a must read for all developers. Most of these are the same player complaints you see elsewhere, but the thoughts are more organized and are written with context that's useful to us.- 8 Kinds Of Fun
The list is brief, but there are tons of material on the site, including all his workshop presentations. How many ways can players have fun in your games? - The 400 Project
This is a huge list! It's not all that well organized and the project seems to mostly have fallen by the way-side, but still, there are still some gems in there. - The Bill of Player's Rights
The first few are excellent points that should be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, the last few are more like an airing of pet-peeves by the author. 
Co-op Gaming Bill Of Rights
Since co-op games are mentioned in a few of the other lists, this is a good start for things to consider in a co-op game. It's a bit disorganized and as are most gamer lists, it's sometimes a list of pet peeves.- 20 Underused Game Mechanics
There are some great references on there for games that have used these elements well, but then we never see them again in future games. These are gamers saying we want more! 
20 Mysterious Games
I have to admit that this list is my personal favourite. I love the idea of hidden game mechanics, weird quirks that affect the game in ways that the players can rarely predict. You know that something deeper is going on here...- 50 Greatest Game Design Innovations
To understand where you're going, it's good to know where you started from. Game design is an iterative process, innovation is the same; improving on what came before. - 50 Books For Everyone In The Game Industry
This is an amazing list. I've mentioned previously that I'm trying to make my way through it. It's slow progress, of course, but there's some great recommendations in there even if you aren't in design. - 20 Unusual Control Schemes
Another great Gamasutra list! There are a bunch of games out there that have unique controls. Some fail miserably because they're unfamiliar to the player, but some who take the risk succeed beyond what anyone could have expected. It can pay to take those risks! 
The 7 Commandments All Video Games Should Obey
A short list, but they write out quite a bit for each point. It's pretty much a list of things that piss players off. Most game reviews for the Violators of the commandments would agree with the points in the article.- 34 Ways To Put Emotions Into Games
Emotioneering has been a buzz word in the past few years. This is a fairly comprehensive list of various techniques designers can use to tug on the player's heart strings. - 4 Ways To Use Symobols To Add Emotional Depth To Games
A very short list, but very in-depth. The author provides many examples to illustrate his excellent points. 
70 Best Logo Design Resources
Not so much about games, but heavy on the design part. Logos are all about symbols and so much in games are symbolic. By looking at the history and trends of symbols as well people's reactions to them, we can better use them in games.- 10 Mistakes in Icon Design
Again, symbols are used frequently in games. We want to avoid the same pitfalls. 
8 Unstoppable Rules For Writing Killer Short Stories
Most games have some sort of story to them. There are usually plots and characters and conflicts. If you're a designer who also writes (or a writer who also designs) this list a good reminder of things to do (and avoid).
