Great article! I mostly agree but for me I think the most important aspect of a game isn’t playability but instead the story. What story is a game trying to tell? That’s what makes or breaks it for me with the actual playability of it coming second.

Now, of course with all things there is still a point where if the game is so frustrating to play due to its design and mechanics, nothing else will really matter. Regardless, for me game designers should always be thinking about what story they want to tell with their game. Everything else will fall into place, including the right amount of realism for their game.