...defensible if it defined video game as raw recreation only, instead of art or interactive digital art.
I would completely agree with that statement. You have summed up pretty much every Top 100 ever conducted among gamers with this.
The argument about video games being art is a long running and continuing one, without any real conclusions drawn by the art bodies or supposed experts in the field so far. As a graphics designer I agree with you that a game can be interactive digital art, just as a film can be motion art. But many others will argue against this.
However, I'm of the view that graphics do not make a game, in the same way that visual post production effects do not make a film, or a book cover a true representation of its content. Narrative content, a good captivating or intelligent story, brilliant gameplay.. These are the things that form a good game regardless of the graphical style or age of their design. People still play the original Space Invaders or even Pong and enjoy it just as much as a current Wii game that uses the same mechanics of gameplay, but these old games graphics are some of the most primitive you will find. It proves that a good game, a favourite of gamers, just has to contain good gameplay, a control system that works, and something that sparks the player's imagination and they can relate to in order to deliver an enjoyable and fun experience whilst playing. Exactly as a film or book should entertain and captivate you.
The artistic merits of a game, and the actual game itself are 2 very different things. I think the argument of games as art is a fascinating one, and as a huge fan of the demo scene, computer art is definitely very much real, but this is going slightly off on a tangent that is not quite directly related to this survey or the reason for people voting. The survey is definitely about the games people place in their top 10 of their favourites because they enjoy playing them, not because they enjoy watching them. Maybe games as art is a discussion for another time and place, or even another survey.
With any survey of this kind it is impossible to please everyone completely who takes part. As I said before, that just is not possible. But with constructive feedback we can improve our future surveys to hopefully address any shortfalls of this first one.
We ran this survey in the way we have, and so we have to see it to the conclusion and publish the results. Most people will be happy with the final Top 100 voted for, and we will be giving everyone the opportunity next year to vote again.