Developers tend to take things too literally. Most games are a pretty direct simulation of the activity they represent - whether realistic or fantastical. In shooters, you aim and click to shoot. In racing games, you steer your car and press a button to accelerate.
It’s part of why many games revolve around violence - it’s a relatively straightforward thing to translate that directly to the screen. But it’s a real shame that so few developers take a more abstract approach.
Take Signs of the Sojourner - it’s a game about conversations, but it doesn’t consist of a series of dialogue choices - it represents social interaction through a card-based puzzle game. Different cards have different symbols, and your goal is to match with the person you’re talking to. Succeed, and your interaction is positive. Fail, and it goes sideways.