In my opinion, far too much time is wasted these days discussing which elements of game design are most "important". For Crysis, the graphics are absolutely th

In my opinion, far too much time is wasted these days discussing which elements of game design are most "important". For Crysis, the graphics are absolutely the focus. For a game like Minecraft, graphics take a backseat to the innovative game mechanics. For Team Fortress 2, game mechanics and graphics both take a backseat to unique team-based multiplayer. Games are a type of art, and art can take many forms. Are Michelangelo's sculptures "worse" than Picaso's masterpieces simply because they are far more life-like? Are modern movies worse than early 1900s films simply because they use high end special effects? Take a step back and judge a game by its own merits - any individual element of a game's design is dependant on it's genre, art direction, platform, and specific goals. The question should not be "are graphics the most important part of video games?", but rather "are graphics the most important part of THIS game?".