What makes a great game: Graphics or Gameplay?

Graphics or Gameplay? As a serious videogame enthusiast, I keep finding myself asking which one of the two is more important for a great game; and I must say, gameplay is definitely the key factor that separates a good game from a bad one.

 I find myself “Ooh”-ing and “Aah”-ing at the graphics, but what it really comes down to, is the series of combos and strategies that I need to use, that makes the game I’m playing worth it. Sure, I will once in a while sit back, and drool over the impeccable beauty of the monster mauling my face, or the raging waterfall I’m headed toward, but quickly after that moment, I get back into my “game-phase” and focus on what strategy or combo I need to use to get by.

Let’s take Bioshock for instance, a game that won 47 Game of the Year awards, and has left a mark in any videogame enthusiast’s heart as one hell of a good game. I recently started playing the game again, and to my surprise, the experience felt even better than the first time. I thought why that was, and quickly came to the conclusion it was because I didn’t have that fear or nervousness I had the first time around, and got a chance to really sink my teeth into it; I got the chance to sit back and think of strategies I could use for all the foes I was about to face, testing new techniques, and striving for the perfect combination of attacks. No more zap and hack for me, I was setting up traps and ambushing splicers like no tomorrow, and I loved it.

No doubt though, graphics do have their pros. We all know how seriously crappy graphics can ruin the gaming experience for most of us, I mean c’mon… When you slash a zombie, you kind of expect a mark to show up on him. Less, and the experience is kind of ruined; unless of course, the gameplay is revolutionary. Graphics can make the difference between an awesome game and an awful game, but definitely aren’t the key factor in a game’s success, especially when compared to such an important aspect as is gameplay.

In conclusion, graphics and gameplay both play an important role in making a great game, but in the long run, gameplay is the driving force that makes or breaks a game.