Obvious? (Score 1)

Do critics decry games because games need, more than any other media, to be something a group of people can all agree on?

Not so much that it needs to be something people can agree on more than any other media, just that it's a much more difficult task. While most people can agree that a Disney movie about a fish trying to make his way home is cute and fun for the whole family, not everyone enjoys blowing the heads off aliens with 300 different types of explosive weapons. Now try making a video game about the same fish and his travels and let me know how it turns out. Either way, I prefer RPG's because believe it or not it is somewhat mentally engaging.

As for the fun aspect of video games: people are not going to play them unless they are enjoying the gameplay (unless they are like me and use stupid browser games to kill time while at work). If you want to make a game that offers a learning experience, you have to make it fun in some way. Even better, make it fun and don't give it away that they are learning while playing. Sneaky, huh?