Comments on: Thoughts on game lengths, hours and stuff

By: Jarvis

Jarvis — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:15:11 +0000

[I think] The negativity and subjectiveness of how long a game is stems from money and demographic. Effectively it comes down to this:

Child – Bored & Poor
Adults – Busy & Rich

As a child I was allowed maybe 3 games a year and I used to rationalise my choices primarily on length – my first 3 games on my PSX were Tekken 2, Worms & Final Fantasy 7, the last of which I spent hundreds of hours enjoying.

As an adult I can afford to get every notable new release every year but don’t because I just cannot find the time! I’ve got a full-time job and a hell of a lot more responsibilities than I had when I was a child. Today I actually look for short and quality experiences like Limbo, or games where I can get in and out like Fifa.

The reality of the games industry is that the majority of the vocal community comes from the first demographic, the young and bored with a very small disposable income. This demographic prioritises and focuses on games filled with content and longevity – ultimately measuring it by hours til completion.

Really interesting post!

By: Kashif

Kashif — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:28:30 +0000

Agree!
Keeping track of hours of gameplay is nearly useless! Sometimes people say that XYZ game is 18 hours long. But I had finished such games in 10-12 hours. Still some games of 18 hours Gameplay can be enjoyed for 25-30 hours. Its not about *hours Gameplay, its about engagement!

By: Nathan

Nathan — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:38:07 +0000

Agreed. Do they factor in the collectables that they add for fattening up the game’s length. Probably. Do they factor in that you may play said game three times, nope. Good thing they don’t or people would be knocked out cold if they heard “Skyrim can be played for 360 hours or more!”

By: Blodyavenger

Blodyavenger — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:08:20 +0000

I haven’t paid any attention to those hours neither but in some cases it seems like it adds as “safe purchase” attribute to the game, you know?

If you’re short on money pondering whether you should buy the game or not you can see that you’ll have 8 hours of fun+ among other neat features and that may help to buy a game.

But like I’ve said, for me it doesn’t matter, I just like quality game nevertheless it’s 3 or 200 hours in length.