If you think about what is fundamentally required for a game, in an ideal world, you don’t have any programmers at all—just artists and game designers.
In an ideal world, no. In the real world, your 3D surface must be displayed on a screen.
Well, oops on that, I guess.
In the same way, an “ideal” game is one separated from its inner workings, and what you’re left with is the user experience, beautiful artwork, music, and engaging entertainment value.