I am a bit late to this thread...but here is my opinion.
I believe everyone is slowly forgetting what gaming is about not just graphics whores. People that make them, and people that play them...
Few example games like Castlevania LoS, God of War 3 and Heavy Rain, which put a huge emphasis on visuals, presentation and "story" only to serve up most basic and simple gameplay elements which really wouldn't stand on their own without the visuals.
Gamers are getting these visually focused games and are really not caring that what the gameplay is about. So you really can't blame the "graphics whores" for forgetting the essence of gaming...which is fun gameplay.
As much as they try to impress with visuals and story...visuals will get dated very fast and story elements are second rate compared to other mediums (movies and books...) However, excellent gameplay is always excellent. Go back and play battletoads or Yoshi's Island and you'll still have fun 100 years from now.
