VNs are closer to books than a movie, and even more close to comics. I like to think of them as an interactive comic book. Sure, there can be varied levels of game play, animation, and branching story, but lets be honest. 8.5 times out of ten, the branching paths don't matter or exist in VNs and they end up being glorified comics or dumbed down point-and-clicks. As a player of many genres of games and a reader of all kinds of books, to call a VN a game is like calling a comic a Novel. Very rarely does either category have that amount of overlap. That being said, don't knock it until you try it, unless the visuals arent your thing. The ending may be cliched or predictable, but its about the filler between the beginning and the end. I read the Harry Potter books and still watched the movies knowing the ending, because it was all about the journey.
TLDR; No one should complain about a game untill they try it. Unless its a mobile game, because those don't count as games, just money sinks.
