Story or Gameplay?

What is more important to gamers? what the game is about or how its played?

Some players express that stories in games have a higher value than gameplay while others the opposite. Which is understandable, when we buy games we look for different things that attract us to it, just like any other product.
The game might have a multiplayer component or perhaps allow you to import saved data from previous games, whatever the feature is, some people will be interested others will not.

Super Mario Brothers: Something so simple and yet so fun, with no real story to drive its gameplay.

The difference however, is that games are not about story or graphics like many believe (and which do count) it is about gameplay, it is the foundation of any game if it doesn't work, no pretty graphics or gripping story is going to save it even if you put yourself through it.
Sometimes both story and gameplay meld together perfectly and make for a truly unique game that offers something for everyone, but for the most part you either have a solid story or gameplay.

BioShock: A good example of gameplay and story mixing together well.

The reason why gameplay is more important than any other feature in a game is that no matter how it looks or sounds, the gameplay will keep you focused in what you need to do and what buttons to press. If Im going to be playing a game where 75% of it is about cut scenes where the only button I press is the one to the next scene or dialogue, Im not interested at all even if people rate the story highly.

In the 80s and early 90s, story was for the most part abscent from games, very few games had a deep or complex story and most of it was exposed to the player in the game's manual, the introduction to the game or its ending. At that time, people just wanted to play the game, beat a certain boss or pop in more coins to continue playing. With the growth of the video game industry there came new changes and new demands from players, one of which was better stories. Most people just couldn't get into games anymore without a driving force to make them, for some that drive is a story.

Final Fight: Where is my story? here is your story, beat the crap out of everyone!

I guess in our quest for more, we expect video games to do "the next thing" and perhaps in many gamer's opinion that thing is story. While I think there is nothing wrong with that I still think their looking in the wrong place. Like I mentioned previously you can have solid gameplay with an intriguing story, but games are about play, this is why Chess has remained a popular activity for hundreds of years, the only thing that matters its how its played, the strategies and the rules.

Chess: The epic story of the black and white empires at war, without the use of narrative.

Perhaps at the end of the day, why so many people say story is so important is because they enjoy playing games and want to have a solid story to keep them interested while doing so.
Can games tell compelling stories like books? yes they can, Mass Effect as an example was a fully realized world with interesting characters with their own motives and backgrounds which made the player feel part of that world, sharing the journey with them. But often, these games fall into very cliché plots.

Mass Effect: Immersible game, boring plot.

Which is why if your going to be playing a game, don't expect a great story, expect a great gameplay experience.