One of the focuses of Game Design at UAT is the simple idea that you need to understand each aspect of game design. So while knowing how to design each aspect of the game is important, it's just as important to understand the programming and art aspects. For myself, while I really enjoy the design aspects I have also discovered that the programming part is a lot of fun too. The art aspect on the other hand is something that I find I don't have the talent to accomplish. That isn't to say that game art isn't important though. In fact, I love just studying the art of games and I believe it's a shame that it's not more widely recognized. While game art is becoming more and more recognized as time goes on, it's still not as appreciated as it should be. One group of artists that continually have me marveling at their work, are the artists responsible for the Witcher series.
For some examples of their work in their upcoming game The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt I would recommend checking out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEzkjN-a6FY