Well, with a game over screen there is the exit game option usually if you don't feel like playing anymore after dying repeatedly. Some games wouldn't feel right without the game over screen too, like the MGS series. I guess games do it to feel more like traditional games in a sense.

Post of the year.

no i hate them

Game over is necessary for the arcadey games.

Yes they are needed. With games being easier nowadays, then you should be ashamed to even get a Shame screen.

Games that aren't dumbed down to Dubya-friendly skills MUST have player deaths and game over screens.

Capcom fighters still have them after you sucessfuly beat the ladder. It seems out of place.

Snake?  SNAAAAAKKKKEE!

I quite like them actually.  This one too:

I would vote for electric shock instead of a game over screen, that will make you try much harder. Combine it with the absence of a health bar so you can't see how close you are to faillure and that should make for some nice pressure.

I like how every time you failed in Vesperia something like: "And they were never heard of again" comes out and ask you if you want to keep playing. So I would say that if done correctly, I wouldn't like to ditch Game Over screens.