point and click

As the graphic improved, Adventure games added point and click to their identity.  So there's text based adventure and point and click graphical adventure games.  It is strange that when the 3D graphic comes, adventure game did not seem to add 3D graphic to it's arsenal.  Instead, it holds text and point and click as its true identity.  So, now, if you went to any hardcore adventure game sites,most of the game on it is point and click. 

Here, I am just wondering why.  The question of why is interesting is because, does direct action in 3D graphic change the nature of Adventure games?  If so, why didn't point and click change the nature of adventure games.  Eventually, what is adventure games? 

A few days ago, I watched a video on youtube by gexup.  It is in his opinion that an adventure games need 4 elements:

• Puzzle-solving.
• gathering and collecting items.
• Story, setting , and characters.
• Dialog(imo the choice of dialog).  

I kind agree with the list here.  However, don't most RPG and Action games of today have the same elements as well?  Compare the most recent adventure game I played, Dreamfall to other 3D action or RPG games, what makes Dreamfall an Adventure game rather than an action game?  I felt that the obvious difference between Dreamfall and other action games, is the story.  The way the game designers tried to present a story.  Rather than let traditional actions, such as punches, kicks, shootings, jumps became a direct input, the real action is actually happened when choosing a dialog.  Sure, Dreamfall has some fighting actions, and platforming(climbing, etc) animation when the game designers decided to put there.  But they are not the main force to push the story forward.  I sometimes felt that not even puzzles are the main force to propel the story either!  In Dreamfall's case, they are all secondary tools.  The main thing is dialog, which flushes out the story, the setting, and the characters.

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I played some point and click adventure games, like monkey island 3, syberia series, longest journey series, still life series(with post mortem), etc...  But I only finished three of them, the longest journey series, and still life the game.  The things that bothered me the most was that I cannot move through the game environment smoothly.    That is my gripe with point and click.  But I loved the longest journey series and still life the game.  I am just wondering if these games decided to become a game where I could move seamlessly through out the game, will I enjoy more?  Dreamfall provided me some clues.

As Gexup pointed out that average players wanted more traditional actions rather than reading and choosing dialogs.  Most of the investment automatically flowed towards action games ,action RPG/Adventure hybrid.  And for those games, dialog was not a main story propeller until recently.  For games like Witchers series, Mass Effect series, the dialog started to have more impact on story.  That alone, makes them more like adventure games.  However, it seemed to me that the actions in the those game somehow keeps them from being a true adventure games. 

Also for the financial reasons, most adventure game studio without a solid financial backing, they have to stay in Point and click fashion.  I don't think it is solely their choice of game mechanics.  However, it does have a very strange advantage when compared to a straight up 3D action game control.  Point and click makes the game flow to a complete stop, in my opinion.  That sounds horrible for action fans, but it is a strange blessing to those who love a good puzzle, and enjoy a crafty story.