Funny that I just got done posting my list of generally well received games I hate and Dear Esther is on that list. Anyways I strongly disagree when you say these are the sort of games the industry needs more of. There's already a massive influx of god-awful 'walking games' (that's what I call them) such as The Path, The Graveyard, and of course Dear Esther and I'm really sick of the praise the games get. They're not doing a single thing to advance video games as a medium, there is nothing they can do that couldn't be done by someone who has made a REALLY bad art-house short, and there are 1000 games before them that give just as much attention to their environments and have the benefits of being interactive (Silent Hill 2 for example).

No, I do not think every game needs to be a thrill ride, but a game should have SOMETHING to keep me engaged and stimulated rather than bored to tears.

"Dear Esther isn't a game it's more of an experience"

And I HATE when people say stuff like this when it comes to ANY game, movie, or piece of entertainment. I swear 'experience' is the most overused term when trying to describe something as meaningful. Even when it comes to games I LIKE (such as Journey) and that I do think deserve to be deemed a high level of art, I hate hearing this.

Beautiful. We humans are capable of great things from simple concepts.