I'm just saying that graphics don't make the game (as many people tend to think these days).
I'd agree that graphics don't make the game, but inferior or substandard graphics can
break the game in the eyes of casual purchasers - especially amongst the younger generation who are more visually dependent for entertainment... and its that younger demographic that BGS needs to seduce in order to provide the customer base for their next TES game six (or more) years from now.
Us older fogies might miss the days of tweaking spell parameters, mini-maxing characteristics and immersing ourselves in quests, but teenagers today are more prone to thinking like this...
"Are the environment graphics really hot? - Nah, nowhere as good as Crysis
Is there lots of gratuitous gore? - Nah, not as good as Manhunt
Does it let you kick butt in combat? - Nah, it kinda svcks compared to Street Fighter or Assassins Creed
Well, can I at least blow things away with guns? - Um... you do know this is a TES game right? Its a RPG...
Roleplaying!?! I tried it for 10 minutes but the graphics and animations looked kinda svcky. Fancy loading up Call of Duty X+1?"
If you want to captivate new players, specifically younger ones with culturally imposed ADD, you really need those stunning graphics to lure them in far enough to get hooked by the plot, quests, freeform play-style and all the deeper (and yes, ultimately more important) aspects of this excellent series.
When it comes to sales, graphics count a huge amount. Morrowind and Oblivion were cutting edge at the time of release, or have you forgotten the wonder caused by waving grass, real trees and horse mounts? If BGS doesn't keep up with the leading edge of graphics they'll find their customer base will soon wither away as both the players and the technology ages, drawn away by the superficially more stunning visuals of other companies.