Are devs making graphics way too much of a priority?

[Biggerboat]

rocketpig said:
While graphics do consume a lot of developer resources, don't automatically assume that they're the only thing doubling and tripling the budget of new games. Physics engines, lighting engines, sound improvements, quality voice acting, and other advancements also consume a lot of resources.

Which is why I believe we'll see more and more devs rely on middleware as time progresses. Companies like Epic, id, and Valve will provide developers with the tools they need to skip a lot of that engine work and move right into the graphics and gameplay elements.

Well I'd say lighting engines and also the other things you've mentioned if used in a way which only impacts on the presentation of a game falls into what I'm getting at. Maybe presentation would have been a better word than graphics, oh well.