Just finished playing Dear Esther

[Nyarlathotep]

Also, one thing that bugs me: If it was an experiment all along, just to the see the reaction and who's gonna buy it and who's not, then why did they create this when they could've advertised the source mod instead? It's the exact same thing, except it ain't pretty.

The game isn't necessarily an experiment in sales. The mod was an academic experiment. And it was extremely well received, past their own expectations. They were approached with the idea of a remake by an outside party, Robert Briscoe, who dedicated a lot of time and effort to the project.

And in the end. It's a game. You're allowed to dislike it, but no reason to justify that by saying it's not a game. There are "games" out there with even less input than this game. It's just a general term for interactive entertainment at this point.