Gaming Question: How Much do Graphics Matter?

I've been thinking about many of the games I play and like and why I enjoy them.  One of the major selling points of so many games are the advanced graphics.  Does that really matter?  Does a game need to have cutting edge graphics to be good?  Do you buy games simply because they look pretty?

As much as I would like to say that graphics don't matter to me....they do.  Good graphics can make a game so much more engaging and make the environments seem so much more real.  Every time I decide to upgrade or buy a new computer it is typically because I want to play something that outpaces my current graphics card.  So yeah....they matter.  Not every game I've enjoyed has been a graphics masterpiece--indie games like Papers, Please and Shovel Knight have a retro style, but the gameplay is what makes them fun.

The Witcher 3--low vs. ultra settings.

I think if a game has a strong story or compelling play that you don't need the fancy graphics.  I view graphics as more of a polish that makes a game look better.  Sometimes that polish is so shiny that we get distracted.  I'm currently more than a little obsessed with The Witcher 3 and it is so beautiful!  Would it be as good without all the beautiful vistas and cool weather effects?  I think the story is compelling but I think the graphics are what makes the exploration aspect of the game so great.  With open world games it seems more important to have fluid environments.  So much time is spent wandering around that bland graphics could make those hours seem very boring.

It's also really nice not to have to deal with issues like stuttering or laggy cutscenes.  My end verdict is that graphics are important but not the most important aspect of many games I play.  I would rather have a strong characters, a good story, and fun gameplay over state of the arts graphics.