Games should be games
That means game mechanics are more important than anything else. They are the core that provides players with interesting experiences by having them constantly make meaningful choices.
In particular, story and graphics are less important. They are important, just less.
Games aren't just interactive stories or movies or realtime art or anything else. Those are great and enjoyable in their own way, it's just not what I want to focus on.
Games should be fun to play
They shouldn't waste your time and be busywork. They should provide experiences which are worth it.
Too many games are designed with the priority of being profitable to their developers. There are obvious reasons why games should be profitable to their authors, yet there are times when goals of making the game better vs making the game more profitable are at odds. That happens more often than some people are willing to admit.
Games should have novelty
Despite the fact that making games isn't easy, there are a lot of them. Why waste your time playing and even more so making something that's already been done before?
Being inspired by other works and building on ideas of others is great. But added value should always outweigh the complexity of creating the game or the effort required to enjoy it.