Simply put, you cannot become better than someone else at a walking simulator, and this lack of a mechanism for dividing elite from noob might be what’s really behind some critiques complaining about the lack of gameplay.
i think the reason that walking simulators were so criticized was because there was no measure of skill level, and people who used gaming maybe to pass time or as their job became frustrated with the idea that they weren't elite in these games.
The role of violence in walking simulators is also more complex than is generally appreciated.
Unlike first-person shooter games, walking simulators don't explicitly state the issue in their games. The audience/player has to understand the deeper meaning behind the storyline, supporting the idea that walking simulators are for emotional understanding and immersion.
navigational space of the computer
The internet has made it suitable to gain more agency within games/stories for games such as "Adventures With Anxiety" where each player had options to chose from about how the story/game should move forward
journey story from the fairy tale to the novel
How do journey stories provide more agency compared to novels and films?