Silly stuff and shenanigans are possible in many different ways, whether the game be directed and focused or not. And while you surely have your preferences and have found a way to achieve them, others have different prefrences (obviously) and likewise unique ways of achieving them.
So tonight I ran a one-shot. It was the second one-shot for this couple I'm friends with IRL. It was a fairly linear one-shot. However, the point was to:
- Have a quick game, see each other, hang out
- Introduce them to my setting and my additional rules
- Teach them how to play, as they were noobies
In this situation, I figured a linear one-shot would work well because of time-constraints (we only had a couple of hours) and because they are dealing with so much rules and ideas and experiences that it was beneficial to keep it narrow for them. In fact, they said that this alone was almost too much for where they're at now, and while they enjoyed it, they were glad that it was a more linear game so they could get the hang of things.
This is the same logic behind con games for example.
Now, this couple has a life, they have full time jobs, we can meet only every two weeks, and they aren't die-hards but instead D&D casuals. While I do plan to eventually run them more open-ended games, right now, linear games are both what they can handle AND what they find fun.
This is but one of many examples for when I try to do a more linear game. Keep in mind, neither member of this couple is really big into video games. To them, they just don't have time! But they can make time to come hang out with me, have some eats, play a game, experience something new that no video game can give them, which is my imagination and the scenarios I create and the ability to make their own character and narrative to engage with that scenario. Linear or open-ended, these are qualities that video games usually cannot accommodate, and MMOs or MOBAs or w/e are a lot more intense and "high-stakes/win or loss" then a quick, two hour D&D game on a Tuesday night.