@ the highlighted comments

that's not true at all. graphics are more then just character models, how envirorments look, etc.

poor graphics can effect a game just as negatively as poor controls. things like frame rate drops, anti aliasing, clipping, pop up, etc that can cripple a game if not kept under control.

i know you're a huge brawl fan, so let's go with that. if brawl didn't have a frame rate that held up, it would seriously detract from the experience. it would be just as bad as broken controls.

graphics are also very important as a means of conveying things like advanced movement, pyhics, realism (if you're into that), etc.

great, high tech graphics may not be necessary in order to have a great game, but competent graphics certainly are.

Competent graphics are fantastic! Once it's smooth and looks good enough to not get in the way of the gameplay, they should shut up and focus on fixing the gameplay. Because most games suck, and all the graphics in the world aren't going to save them. Yet devs spend more money on graphics than anything else.

You can also argue the other way around and say newer gamers are used to better (3D) graphics while older gamers  are impressed with the new stuff since they know what its like to play on an Amiga (we actually remember what a pixel looks like)

That beeing sayed graphics are great and all and I like beeing visually impressed, but they are worthless without gameplay, story, contolls and all the other things that make games great... 

 agreed. however, if both great graphics and gameplay can be achieved, im all for that too.

personally i believe that graphics now days are used as a tool to improve ones first impression of a game, after all the first time one is made aware of a game is either through a screen or gameplay video.

I'm still impressed with graphics. I'm 24. I've been playing games since my NES/486. Gameplay is still the most important thing though.

In some cases, better graphics (including resolution) is tied to the gameplay. For example, Operation Flashpoint often has you engaging enemies at over 200-300 meters away. At those distances, a high resolution really helps. I first played the game at 800x600 because my computer couldn't handle it. After upgrading my computer and monitor, playing the game at 1920x1080 is much much more enjoyable. It can also help with driving games. Having a higher resolution can help you see distant details/turns in the track better and from farther away than at lower resolution. Graphics don't necessarily make a bad game a better game, but better graphics do make a good game better.

Well it really depends on what people consider a long time gamer.

Some will say they are a long time gamer and only be in their teens... I think at least 20 Years of gaming (That means about 25 Years old + minimum) can be classified as a long time gamer.

It just so happens I fall into the long time gamer category as I have been playing since about 5 (Possibly younger) and I'm an '81' baby. Almost 22 years of gaming.

I like my graphics. It really annoys me when a Dev doesn't put much effort into a games graphics because it's - 'all about the gameplay'. Some games can get away with it but most are just an excuse.

On the other side, Graphics mean absolutly nothing if I pick up a game and put it back down 5 minutes latter because it's got crappy gameplay.

Now I like my Wii as I personally don't mind the graphics on the 'Reasonably good' games I have for it. The main issue I have is that almost all the other games have sub-par graphics AND crappy gameplay which really put nintendo to shame.

360 and PS3 have the opposite problem, while having a number of great games, they mostly have great graphics with sub-par games. (My opinion).

Unfortunatly for Nintendo though, I'm more then likely going to be spending a large portion of my gaming $$$ on either a 360 or PS3 (haven't decided), instead of purchasing more Wii games. (Unless in the near future the high quality game library for Nintendo goes acceptionally upwards).

So anyway, to answere your question as a self proclaimed long time gamer, Graphics in the end mean squat if a game is bad but can actually make the difference if the gameplay AND graphics are both great.

For all those in this thread, if we're comparing PS1 3d and how it's aged to the SNES etc, why don't we compare the SNES to Space invaders. Thats pretty much the equivelent comparison. It's just not a fair one to judge. Especially for a transitioning technology. 2d only really hit perfection with the PS2/PS3/Xbox 360. We have a long way to go for perfection from 3d technology. We have years to go, at least 15-20 years before we can start patting ourselves on the back and saying that we've hit 3d perfection. 3d is at least a 1000 times harder than 2d is to "perfect". 

 If you don't think graphics progression is important, then how about you think of all the gameplay possibilities that open up when you improve the 3d world (Im using this instead of graphics, as "graphics" is more a 2d word). You can certainly do a lot more than with a 2d side scroller. 

 Do you wonder at all, why most FPS shooters happen to be in an enclosed building, or why most of the doors on Halo 1,2,3 were red and you couldn't open them? Why you can't just shoot through walls to open up new routes and why most FPS games whether inside or outside are just an endless coridoor with larger rooms? 

GT5P Is a perfect example of visual improvements at work. It IS important because people want to feel like they're racing the car against other cars, not some 20 pixel blob with an extra blob to look like a wing. Have you noticed the richness of the sound has improved? This adds to the immersion factor. 

Graphics can convey emotion better, for those RPG's and FPS's it can aid immersion by allowing the mind to sink into an artificial world. Could you imagine "The Matrix 1,2,3" being done on PS3/4 level of visual quality? Im sure you'd have had a lot more people waking up of their own accord.

Lastly is it correlation or causation between the increases in graphics and the increase in the size of the gaming market?

 Visuals have their place, they can aid and they can hinder a good game. But they are important.

Ive been playing video game for about 13 years now and I have never realy cared about graphcis and some of my friends have only been gamers for about 5 years and they realy dont care about graphcis

I've been playing video games for 10 years, and I dunno, I might be weird but I'm not much for "realistic" graphics, if I want something really realistic, I'll go outside, but I really like the new cartoony graphics, I'm still in awe when I see Super Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess and the likes. of course, I was like that back in the day too.