Gameplay isnt the most important thing in games.

[Cloudman]

I guess the importance of gameplay depends on the game a team is trying to make. If the game is going for a deep story, then gameplay may not be as important, but the GP still needs to be good enough. If the story is bad ad well as the GP, then there is no point to playing the game. Even if the story is good, bad GP could bog down the overall game.

But usually I`d say GP is the most important aspect of a game. Games are played to be played. If you want to enjoy a good story, a book or a movie could fit that bill.