It took the Countercultural Revolution of the 60s and 70s to get some balance back into our culture. They've fought the problem for so long that it has become the only problem that matters, the one overriding issue that determines everything. This generation of designers has no sense of balance. The fundamental point on which I insist is that the use of cosmetics is a means to an end, not an end in itself. I maintain that graphics, sound, and animation serve to communicate situation, emotion, context changes, and other aspects of the overall gaming experience, but that cosmetic factors are not in themselves the goal of the experience.
Perception is certainly the essence of the expository media.
What you see and hear is unquestionably the essence of a movie. The fundamental difference between exposition and interactivity is that the interactive audience is active. Supporting and enhancing that active role for the audience is the prime objective of all interactive entertainment. Thus, perceptual factors, while playing the central role in expository entertainments, are reduced to a supporting role in interactive entertainments. They are a means to an end, not the end itself.