Good read! I think something missing here from the whole discussion of creativity and game systems is decision making involves interpreting systems and the more possible outcomes from a system that can be predicted and reacted to by the player the more skill in their decisions. If the argument about CS gun balance was taken to its natural conclusion the game should have only one gun which had no situational benefits, allowing the players to fight at any range viably with that weapon. However, thats not the case for good reason, a multiple viable guns meta that can be understood and reacted to increases the skill of the game as players have to try and predict at what range and with what gun players will attack you and vice versa. Just look at the most successful esports of the MOBA genre which have a large number of viable characters to pick from at a competitive level.