Can't say,.while I had a ps2 and a ps1 I didnt really start "gaming" until the hd consoles launched. The HD collections are a great thing for me.

I quite literally cant play games without a story. tetris, limbo and games that have low quality stories i just wont play. Not worth it to me If I dont get a good yarn. 

Same here, the latest exception I can think of are the PixelJunk game. Did you try pixel junk shooter? I found the game to be quite enjoyable even though the story is almost non existent. If not, I dont really care for the story when I play couch multiplayer game, games a la little big planet or NSMB.

I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy a little bit of story from time to time.  Some of my favorite games like Ocarina of time, Link to the past, Metroid Prime, Metal Arms Glitch in the system, Resident evil 4&5, and Halo combat evolved had a small amount of story that did not detract from the gameplay.  Without knowing the slight backdrop in Halo, the setting, gameplay, and levels would seem dry and not tied together.

HOWEVER for me a key distinction has to be made. If a story exists it must set the stage for the gameplay.  Gameplay must not set the stage for the story.  It's a fine line, but for me it makes all the difference in the world.  If a game commands me to move from point a to point b without enticing, challenging, fun gameplay for the key intent of watching a cutscene...I might aswell read a book or watch a movie.  I'll let C.S. Lewis or Bruce Willis tell me the story.  Keep the medias seperate.

Perhaps that would place me in the 'games are meant to be played' pool.  For me a game in it's entirety must highlight  the gameplay. Would I say this is a universal rule for gaming?  I'm undecided. Truly this is what gaming should be about, buuuut if someone believes on the contrary...I guess that's cool.

If a game has a story, great. But, first and foremost to me is gameplay. A game with great gameplay but no story is better than a game with a lot of story and mediocre gameplay. Unfortunately, things are shifting more to the latter on that, at least from my perspective...

I do prefer games with stories to games without and so I do prefer games in genres with stories.  However that doesn't mean I don't enjoy games with no stories they just aren't my first choice.  If I'm playing on my own or with a group makes a difference as well.  When playing games with others story is much less important.

I agree, but personally, story is still more important then gameplay. Like you, I dont want a crap gameplay. But if the gameplay is only average, but the story is very good, see Xenosaga as example, its perfectly fine with me. I do understand it isnt the case for everyone though. So what do you think of game with average gameplay but good story? Do you like playing them or not?

Depends heavily on the game. When I play an RPG or an Adventure game I want some kind of story, but a heavy story isn't necessary. I'd much rather have a light, well told story than a heavy but terribly told story when playing RPG's though. When story is one of, or the main driving force it needs to be good or I will get bored, stop playing and neer touch the game again. That has happened to several RPG's I've played. I don't think I would want to play an RPG with no story at all.

When it comes to casual games such as Tetris or Plants vs Zombies, I want as little story as possible. I play these games when I just want some mindless fun and a stronger story element would completely stop me from playing them.

Same goes with most platformers. I don't want lots of dialogue. I just want to play, nothing else. Heck, I played through Donkey Kong Country 3 yesterday and the few lines in that game annoyed me, and while I think games like Ratchet and Clank are great they contain way to much talking for my taste. This is just imo, of course.

None of the poll choices really suits me so I won't vote, but I guess I stand somewhere in between the "Story = Waste of Time" and "No Story = No Game" camps. There are certain genres where a story makes for a better experience, and there are genres where forcing a story on the game would be pure stupidity. If any of these extremes were true for all games it would severly limit my enjoyment with games, and I would not be the gaming fan I am today.

Completely agree here ; ), like you said, story is particularly enjoyable in single player experience.

After reading your post, I think the last choice would suit your point very well. It doesnt seem like you have any predefine preference. It all depends on the game for you.

Ah, that's true. Then my vote goes there!