Gameplay isnt the most important thing in games.

[Smeags]

Normchacho said:

That's not really a good reason for gameplay being the most important part of a game...without graphics a game wouldn't be a game either, would it? Does that make graphichs the most important part of a game?

The main point here is that for a game to be excellent, the gameplay doesn't need to be excellent. Realistically, all the gameplay needs to do is allow the player to go from the beginning of the game, to the end, without any major issues. As long as the gameplay does that, it's fine. A perfect example of this is Journey. You litterally walk from one end of the game to the other, but it's fine, because that's not the focus of the game.

For some people, it is (which I think is the point that the OP is trying to make, and I'm not necessarily disaggreing with him).

I was explaining why a large percentage of the gaming community believe that gameplay is the most important element for judging a game. Because gameplay (aka interaction) is the defining characteristic for a game being a game and not another medium.

Journey's gameplay might not be its strongest point, but that same interaction is what makes Journey a game and not something else. And therefore that same interaction should be judged accordingly. That's all I'm saying.