Are awesome graphics really that important?

Meh, I don't care about art. Yet I put so much effort in it.

I wouldn't say Minecraft has crap graphics, it's way better than the stuff I can produce.

"Crap" was probably the wrong word. "Intentionally not sophisticated" would be a better way to describe it.

- Consistency in Style
- Personal Touch

I think being able to feel that a real person made the game, is more important than how professional it looks.

Even a stickman can be awesome!
The best i can say it's not to use real photos or just ram in it images directly from the web.
If you make or adapt yourself the art you use in the game it will play nice together.
Otherwise it will feel like a rip off...
A beautiful box may have you want to open it, but a nice empty box it doesn't entertain much:P

The best i can say it's not to use real photos or just ram in it images directly from the web.

Yeah, then it'll look like those scary HYPER-REALISTIC Minecraft texture packs that have photographs of pigs on the pigs.

I personally think a game stands out as better with clean graphics. Like Cut the Rope, and Kingdom Rush.

I don't think that bad graphics are game breaking at all

I don't care really. But lazy sprites, kinda get me. But not terribly.

When graphics are used to tie a theme or story into gameplay in the right way, a game goes from entertainment to something rivaling classic literature and great movies.

People are also predominantly visual, and Flash neglects many aspects crucial to innovative sound development.