As a genre I think its woefully overlooked, for those who don't know I look at it as the ultimate storytelling medium, an almost logical extension to the book. Despite the cliche, the term 'interactive story' comes to mind and in the good games, the point is that the whole game is an ADVENTURE, following the experience of the protagonist throughout an entire story.
Its so much more than the games this site encompasses in its 'world', no halflife or fps could ever give the same level of attention to story than any adventure game could, maybe thats why I'm so picky when the subject is debated. Most modern fps' only hint at their plotlines, with the emphasis being on action, something that unfortunately is creeping into the adventure genre, perhaps to entice our more thrill-seeking companions.
Anyway, is anyone else such a fan as I? Certainly there have been some good examples (albiet sometimes love/hate examples) in recent times to make the genre shine, The Longest Journey 2: Dreamfall despite falling almost into the genre of 'interactive movie' was one of the most compelling games I've played in a long time. At the other end of the spectrum, there is Myst, if you've never played a Myst game its pretty much impossible to explain why anyone enjoys them, possibly the hardest games ever made!