From time to time, and as important games are announced, the debate on the duration of video games comes to the forefront. This may already be a hot topic because it seems like the gaming community has a biased opinion and games are now very expansive. Even so, and even though there is a feeling of wear and tear from long games, as gamers we have the need to demand deep experiences that compensate for the value we pay.
This article was born thanks to my gaming experience with Baldur’s Gate 3 and the recent controversy over the duration of Hellblade 2. The two games, of course, are different in the experience they offer and I do not have the I intend to compare them because one is better than the other. the other, but because of what they seek to offer in terms of duration. Furthermore, I have the impression that This debate is as personal as it is spontaneous.but despite this, as consumers we get what we demand, so the issues we express today are a result of how we consumed video games years ago.
Long games are better than short games, right?
An idea born many years ago was that games should have a considerable length, because that implied they were better. In theory, we cannot value in the same way a game that works well for 20 hours straight compared to another that is very good, but which only has content for 4 hours of play. This idea, as well as other similar ideas, spread and reached the developers, who decided to listen to the community and offer complete games with lots of content. Being thus, The minimum duration of the most commercial games increasedentering into design practices that have proven to be detrimental to the quality of each game.
In an article published by AVERAGE In 2020, they conducted a small analysis of player sentiment regarding long games. This article explains how most games fail to maintain the pace of learning when it comes to game mechanics and storytelling. As they indicate, The duration of games is often conditioned by their storywhile playable mechanics do not.
The problem with many AAA titles is that they use the same model of gameplay loops, but also fit it into a linear, predetermined story structure (sometimes more, sometimes less). As a result, players often find that they have already learned everything there is to learn in the game, but the game continues for a predefined number of hours because it still needs to tell its story. The game is “too long” for its own structure.
The above implies that many AAA experiences seek to tell deep stories that have a predetermined duration. Based on this, developers must build all game mechanics and maintain an upward pace so that the user does not get bored. The biggest problem they identified is that user burnout results from playing many similar video games, such as those on PlayStation. By still having the same playable features, the surprise and the learning of the mechanics are lost, leaving all the weight of the rhythm to the story.
So no, length is not the problem in narrative or directly linear games. The problem lies, initially, in the fact that we are already accustomed to what the trendy AAA titles offer us.. Therefore, when a game lasts more than 20 hours, it becomes difficult to continue, because you have not evolved as a player, you have not learned anything new and the challenge does not exist. The Assassin’s Creed saga has suffered from this for many years, since its playable structure has not changed, but every year they release very long games, exhausting players.
Hellblade 2 and the habit of asking for more
In the recent Xbox Developers Direct, it was announced that the approximate duration of Hellblade 2 would be 8 hours. Knowing that this game is narrative and linear, it fits perfectly into the aforementioned case. But the controversy did not fall because it is a long game, but because the duration seems insufficient. We know that as players we always want more, we are not satisfied with a game that seems short a priori, but of course, we must also take into account the quality of its gameplay per hour of play.
Coming back to the Medium article, if we take into account the fact that we already know how to play and the narrative structure of the first Hellblade, unless this second opus has a considerable improvement in mechanics, it would not be not appropriate to think about a 20 hour game. game that is almost entirely supported by its narrative. If, as a game, you offer alternatives to keep the experience varied, it will be something that each player experiences independently, but That the main campaign is tedious and sprawling can be a big mistake for this type of game.
The duration criticism is aimed at a part of the community that receives similar AAA games and values the hourly price of their games. This is something that we appreciate a lot as consumers, because paying 70 dollars for 5 hours of play is not worth it. Therefore, if a game releases at a AAA price and does not have “sufficient” content, it will be rejected because it affects players’ finances. But of course, here is another very serious development problem that has been used for decades, and that is artificial duration.
Baldur’s Gate 3 and the classic RPGs that never end
After playing almost 70 hours of Baldur’s Gate 3, I can say that I love that it’s a long game. This type of RPG or JRPG game is known for artificially extending its duration with various unsubtle practices. But The game from Larian Studios hid it very well, its game is extensive in the main part, but also in the secondary parteach player setting the pace of their game.
On the other hand, games like Octopath Traveler, for whatever reason, seek to trap players in a “farming” loop to level up and continue the game. I remember playing these kinds of games and feeling overwhelmed that I couldn’t continue the story because my character wasn’t high enough. And no, the level did not rise as I progressed, the level rose only by performing tedious tasks which are not obligatory, but necessary. This is undoubtedly an artificial way of increasing the length of a game.
Some games that are not necessarily an RPG use the resource of narrative filler to extend their duration. Classic races, “contextual” missions and other types of resources to keep you feeling busy in a game you haven’t been able to leave. Therefore, although it is additional content, it can sometimes be omitted for the sake of the pacing and overall experience of each video game.
Video game length should be a crucial factor in design
In conclusion, I think there is something pretty clear about video game design. Each developer decides the length of their games based on their budget, community expectations, and genre. Currently, CD Project Red is developing the new installment of The Witcher, which we can assume will be a long game with a lot of side content. What if they really want to do something more concrete and direct? The new opus of The Witcher is surely conditioned by its prequels, but this forces the developer to have longer production times and enormous costs which will increase with each episode .
As I mentioned before, The design must be thought of according to what you want to convey.. If the story is very long, you also have to think about the gameplay. Games like Limbo or Titanfall 2 are clear examples where complete experiences can be built in a matter of hours. Games priced at 30-40 dollars would be more appreciated if they were not sold as second-rate experiences, or AA.
Length is currently a key factor in my game choices. I don’t want to spend 100 busy hours with just one title, I want to play different simple, fun, “short” games that can satisfy me more than a very long AAA . For this reason, the industry needs to rethink how it develops video games, how gamers demand more hours of play to justify what they pay, and how we play as consumers.
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