[POLL] WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT: STORY, GRAPHICS, OR SOUND?

When I imagine FF13 graphics with FF1 music and sound effects, and then imagine FF1 graphics with FF13 music and sound effects, I have to say the graphics are more important. As humans, I think we consciously rely on sight more than any other sense. Sound gives your setting a mood, but graphics give your game a setting.

Meanwhile, I know a couple people who actually refuse to play any game with a story, and tons and tons of people who skip 100% of the story in any game they play, so story must not be that important. Similarly, lots of people mute games when they play them, and not always because the music and sound is bad - sometimes just because they don't care about it and would rather listen to their own music. People don't consider these things meaningful parts of games.

Back in the late 90s, when 3D was first getting popular, people didn't consider graphics to be a meaningful part of games, many of them claiming that better graphics were totally pointless and actually counterproductive to a good game. But it was just backlash against polygon-craze, not a permanent mindset. Those players got over it once companies started making good 3D games, and using graphics to actually immerse you in a world instead of just show you pretty FMVs. People who will put up with text-based games in modern day are extremely rare. However, it's still possible to ignore graphics in favor of story and come out ahead, I think, if you know what you're doing (and don't mind alienating 99.9% of your audience).

mmm I consider gameplay the most important as well, if you simply don't like how do you play the game it doesn't matter how it sounds, how it looks, or what is about, you won't like it. Many games don't have story, old-school games have bad graphics compared with modern ones, sound also has improved a lot.

So this is reduced to what is the one I enjoy the most.

Story: Well, I have a trouble with this one, not because I don't like stories, I actually like them a lot but most of the stories in which I am interested are RPGs, I grew all my childhood watching my brothers playing FF, Chrono Trigger and Cross, Xenogears, etc... but they never let me play, so some months ago I tried to experiments all this but the gameplay never grow in me, I always got tired and wanted to skip all the battles to see the story like if it was a movie or serie. So... can't say, since the games I enjoy the most are those who had gameplay that can be played for less than half hour and quit it withouth being in the half of something, and most of them don't have story or not a big one.

Graphics: Not really a big deal for me.

Sound: I voted for this because this is the one that affect me the most and is more memorable, I even love the songs I have listened of FF when XIII is the only one I had played and that isn't even from Nobou, Also a big fan of Yasunori Mitsuda, I think the only reason I would buy Xenosaga. And well, I have become a little bit of a Touhoutard and still love hearing new and new covers made by fans, If it wouldn't by that I would had never touched the games.

Most of the people who make games here think they're writers, so it's not hard to predict where this poll will go.

author=FlyingJester
But if the story is bad, then it just kills the game for me.

I would go with that, and I'd also add : if the story is good, I mean really good as in A Blurred Line, the author has the best graphics and sound, i.e. the ones that tell the story.
Edit : but, I know, there are all kinds of games, those may be my favorite though.

Gameplay, yes, but this is not included in the poll, which probably also means this poll was concerned by only a certain type of games, rpgs maybe..?

I picked graphics. It is basically the only thing that game really needs. Even text-based games have graphics. The choice of font is a big issue, and it can make or break a game. Think of the difference between a text-based adventure that is played in a little window with times new roman or one using green-tinted terminal text on a black background. It's graphics and it makes a huge difference.

Sure I've heard there's experimental games that cater to the blind. Playing mostly on sound and making people navigate through that. This is all very interesting. But you could say it's the exception that proves the rule.

I would even go so far as to say that sound is probably more important than story. I can play a silent game (and often I do turn off music in, for example, certain puzzle games or strategy games. Often because I like to play those games with my own background sounds (ie podcasts, what better way to use a day than catching up on football podcasts and playing Europa Universalis 3?). However most games are greatly improved if they have sound. And even more so if the sound is really great. Especially in horror-esque games all those atmospheric sounds are incredible. Not to mention in wargame shooters or stealth games where different filters for the sounds make a huge impact on the immersion of the thing.

And occasionally there's some music in some menu that is really great to listen to and really gets you in the mood for things.

Then last we have story. There's so many games that don't even have a written story. Of course facilitating story can be important. Even if a game doesn't have writing it's great if you can storytell about it. But stories are often just a bonus to make things interesting. Sometimes story is even a hindrance. Even if the story is good, if it takes up too much time it can be annoying. For example in the recent trend of co-op games you sometimes just wish you could skip some of the story bits to get back into the co-op fun that is the game itself. A story is usually also only good for about one playthrough. It can hook you in the first time but when you know it you're not really coming back to it for it alone. Instead sound and graphics do make you return to a game you've already finished. (well unless it's a branching storyline of course.)

all of them

everything

perfect balance and cohesion between the elements

Neither one is more important -or- in other words, it depends on the game. Some games require really nice graphics to get their point across, while other rely on sound or story more.

For example, games that are trying to recreate a realistic or possible situation, like Call of Duty or Spec Ops, rely on higher fidelity graphics to connect the player with his or her actions. Horror games rely on sound much more than graphics though, because audio can be used so well to create tension and anxiety. For a fantasy game, the story is key, but graphics are important as well, because you are trying to pull the player into your pretend world, and careful writing mixed with fantastical aesthetic will truly make your player believe that your world is real while playing.

It really ultimately relies on what your game is trying to accomplish. I've played plenty of fantastic games that were mediocre in one or two of these aspects.

author=kentona
anywho, I voted Graphics of those 3, because it is the easiest thing to use to draw people to your game, and I interpreted "important" as meaning "getting your game played"

I wonder... how would a game with minimal or no graphics, but with a voice-over directing you work? For example, you play as a blind person in the future, with a computer-guided headset telling you your current situation, and all you know is your controls. So to get up and walk down a hallway, you have a voice that guides you and then says, "There's a door to your left." or "A monster is swinging its claw at you!"

...this actually sounds like fun and I might try to make this one day.

Here is the super-official opinions of the one they call Blobofgoo (or Boogaloo for one person):

Story: This is definitely the most important after gameplay. I was going ot same gameplay was important, but then saw that was already recognized. Anyway, story is the thing that overall makes something a game, although arcade games are also fun. For example, a good RPG has a much better playability and overall funness then Bejeweled (wow that game's been beaten to death). Without a story, games can still be fun and a lot of replayability, but RPGs and such give a game a purpose.

Graphics: This has no purpose to me. The only link I have to graphics is that I don't like gorey stuff. I also like pixelated graphics, but any game can be good as long as it's graphics are understandable and not crappy. People can use stick figures and still make good games.

Sound: Allthough sound is important by creating feeling and emotion by ear, it is not important enough that a game can't be made without it. Everyone should know this because I'm sure you have played games muted before. As long as the music doesn't annoy me to death and the sounds are logical, i'm fine.