Dear Esther: A game, or not?

Much of Dear Esther's criticism (and praise) stems from the argument over whether it is a game or not. Metacritic, a website that rates and reviews games, gives Dear Esther a 77/100. Users give it a 6.5/10. Other gaming websites have ratings and reviews for Dear Esther as well. Some critics argue that because the player cannot affect the gameplay, that it is not a game. On Dear Esther’s website, under the history section, it reads “Dear Esther quickly established itself as an award-winning, critically acclaimed experimental first-person game.”

The player wanders through the island and hears epistolary-format audio from the narrator. The player is forced to walk during their journey and fully take in the visuals of the game. Unlike most games, the player cannot interact with any objects in the environment: they can only look. This enhances the story though, and forces the player to listen to the narrative and take in the environment, which correlates to pieces of the story and builds on it.

          I believe it is a game due to the combination of the audio, visuals, and plot and how the story unfolds with each step that the player takes through the setting. The game is unique in that it brings a new format to games. Most games have plots and stories, but not very many explore them the way Dear Esther does, in which the game makes the story a priority, the main focus.