The elements of Game Design? Gameplay

What exactly is this thing? Gameplay.
In my view this is what the very basis of what a game is and is the one thing I myself base my last oppinion of a game on.
What I mean is that when I decide wether or not I like a game I base my final view on how good the gameplay actually is.
I would describe Gameplay as an interaction between the player and the computer. To more simply explain I would say that for a game to have good gameplay it must be enjoyable and be fun to play.
Games that use alot of new forms of interaction are found to be more fun than that of one that uses a more standard approach. For example the Wii or the Ps2's eye toy uses a new kind of interaction where as you are to use their body or movement of the body to succeed. This coupled together with a visually exciting game, people can have a more enjoyable experience, showing that that game must have a good gameplay.
In some ways peoples perception of gameplay effects the way games are made dramatically, that it is that they believe it is something that decides how you have to play, when in fact in my oppinion this in turn is true but if you were to give a freedom of choice you are left feeling you have control. Even though quite obviously you dont, but with these choices the interaction can be different each time.
People believe that gameplay is just a "random convergence of several interacting factors". When I think, that all these interactions are what forms the very function of what a game is. A game is supposed to be fun and should it fail to allow you to have fun then you would not play it and it would then never of been made.
So in that reasoning gameplay is extremly important as without gameplay games would never exsist.
"Game mechanics"are what people consider to make up what we refer as gameplay. With this in turn I would like to finish by saying that my favourite form of gameplay is that of online interaction with other actual players across the world, such as this game below called Counter Strike.

Till next time cya!