What I, personally, expect from games is no more or less than I expect from any other kind of cultural item. Games are, after all, social, cultural, intellectual and artistic constructs no different from any other form of human expression. Games can - and do, in fact - facilitate communication of all kinds of ideas, just as every other medium.
What I don't expect from games, is "fun". I'm not the first one to say this, but it truly is a useless, vapid excuse of a term. What does it actually designate? Nothing and everything. It's entirely subjective - and, I think, far too narrow to cover the wealth of possible game experieces - and that makes it useless as a critical tool. It's actually the basis of this entire thread, because playing for "fun" is considered to be a frivolous and puerile activity.
What I want from a game is simply a lusory experience. What kind of experience that is, is entirely dependent upon the game.
