Is exploration a form of gameplay?

[F0X]

pbroy said:

A game is anything you can play with. A dildo can be a game. Throwing a rock can be a game. All you need is some imagination. Now translate that into videogame form. Playing with a dildo in a videogame. Using it on someone, stick em, smack em, Dead Rising style. Yes, a game. Throw a rock in a videogame. Yes, you just made gameplay.

But when you move a character, you are playing with a character, correct?