This, for instance, is not (Gaming)

by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Tuesday, March 15, 2016, 15:07 (3178 days ago) @ Cody Miller
edited by Korny, Tuesday, March 15, 2016, 15:13

I can defend it as a creative work without feeling the need to pigeonhole it by saying that it is called a "video game" and therefore must behave like other video games.

This is not some edge case blurring the lines between media. It is very clearly a video game, and should absolutely work as such.

Gone Home works as well as it does because it is presented in the interactive medium. I think the idea of "video game" is going away as "walking simulators" and VR experiences are becoming more popular. Would Gone Home work better as a book? I think it would lose some value as a book. I'm sure it could be done, but the ideal way to experience it is as a "video game".

Dear Esther is probably one of the earlier examples. All you do is walk around and trigger sound bytes. Could you do that in a book? Sure. Does it lose value because of the fact that it was presented as a video game (a Source mod, no less?)? No. I think that attitude is why you didn't enjoy Firewatch as much as others.

You have a skewed opinion about what certain things NEED to be. It's an extremely narrow and unpopular opinion, but it's okay that you feel that way.

I'd love to see what you feel about Outlast. It's a great example of a challenging experience that isn't inherently "fun" as you're defenselessly struggling to avoid enemies in the dark while managing a handful of batteries for a few hours. And yet Outlast + Whistleblower is one of my favorite video games of this generation.