The Escape Button

[Bridge]

I think it would be interesting to see how the game would turn out with the game not freezing upon pressing the escape button. If you really need to take a break from the game, you could press "save and exit". I feel it gives the player some breathing room which should not be allowed. If you need break from the game, quit it entirely and resume when ready.

I understand that in some cases, this would be unfair, but at the same time, pressing "esc" at will just because you need to think for a second is also a little cheap.

It simply is not your or anybody else's place to make that decision for the player. The act of forcing someone to adhere to another person's ideals is known as fascism. Just because you feel people should play the game a certain way does not mean everyone should play it that way. Let's be real here, you are not truly concerned about how other people experience the game, are you? If you aren't, let it go and don't argue the merits of a crippling design flaw which has no benefits. If you personally want the benefits you think this idea presents, don't pause, and leave other people to decide for themselves.