Review of Dear Esther by Stevens R. Miller

And that’s all.

You wander, wander, and wander some more. Nothing happens. There are no puzzles and you can’t interact with anything in a meaningful way. You do hear some letters read aloud.

Now, this appears to be exactly what a lot of people want, as “Dear Esther” has been quite a commercial and critical success. That worries me. The sort of person I imagine liking this non-game appears in my imagination as depressed, lonely, possibly even suicidal. Is that really what gamers are like? I hope not. I don’t see myself that way, but I didn’t like “Dear Esther,” so I must not be typical.

There has been endless debate about whether or not this is even a game. I won’t go there. But I will say whatever else it is or isn’t, it’s not an “adventure” game. In those games, something happens. In this, nothing happens.

Where’s the adventure in that?