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In the last few years a new genre has born, a genre where gameplay is almost nonexistent, lots of critics adore them for being "Unique" even when some of the most basic concepts of what a good videogame should be is completely missing in most of them, at the same time that "hardcore gamers" hates them (except whent it fits their agenda as always) even when some of those experiences are way more engaging than most of triple A games this days.

The thing is, are the walking simulators a bad thing? Do they have future? Honestly, even if I´m a gameplay whore I admit I had wonderfull experiences with games like The Stanley Parable and Gone Home and I do think they have a brilliant future (specially with VR) BUT some developers are just misunderstanding at all what an engaging experience should be and doing some of the most boring games we have seen in years, and then calling them "Art" or "Experiences" instead of videogames, this people are giving the genre a very bad name imo.

 But what is the difference betwen a good and a bad walking simulator? Why some of them are brilliant and some of them, even being fucking similar are just trash? Our beloved Jim Sterling has some answers to that... Do you agree with him? What are your feelings about this kind of games?

I absolutely HATE the term "walking simulator". It seems like it started as a tongue-in-cheek way to poke fun at these types of games that are basically free-movement adventure games with a heavier emphasis on story. Then everyone started using it seriously, and whenever I see it used in a game's official tags it makes me a little sad. Something about it just grates on me. Maybe because it's so belittling.

Recently I finished Beyond Eyes, and I got really disappointed. Game was too short, and nothing really interesting happens.

Gone Home had some interesting exploration mechanics. Also, you can find lots of interesting stuff.

A Machine for Pigs had some cool scary moments.

I don't hate them, but some people are way to fond of these kinds of games. Didn't really have the reaction to for example Journey that everybody else seem to have. Usually i find them severly overprized, $20 for that Rapture-thing is ridiculous

Seems like most of the people on the poll think they are trash, oh well.

Who dictates what a videogame should or should not be. If ppl want to use games to tell a story and ofer minimum gameplay they should go ahead and do it, if ppl dont like it dont buy it. If theres a public for it why should anyone think theyre entitled to say theyre not real games.

Beloved Jim Sterling? The guy who gave Deadly Premonition a 10 is going to tell us what video-games should be like?

Nah.

I prefer the system of letting people make what they want. That way, all sorts of tastes can be represented and I can play what I like.

Sad excuses for games. They are more tech demos then anything.

Some of them have these fantastic settings and you can't doing anything aside from look around. What boring nonsense.

Fuck Jim Sterling. Thats all I got to say about that.

That review was a joke:

 "This game is so bad, it's not just become good. It's pretty close to perfect." 

It´s called humor, english people have it, you know?

And even if it wasn´t a joke, a bad review in 5 or 6 years is not a reason to discredit someone.