There were some absolute video games this year. Between The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate III, we’ve seen some truly stellar games this year, and Starfield hopes to join that fray when it debuts in a few weeks. With these big games in mind, Ben and Alex clash again, discussing game length, and whether video games are getting too long.
The game is getting too long – ben
I don’t have kids or a young family to take care of. I don’t even have to worry about older relatives or the many situations in the world where many people end up sacrificing their free time. Hell, I don’t even have a garden to tend. Besides my work, my social life and my dog, I live for myself, myself and me. However, I still only have a few hours a day to spare, during which time I have to decide whether to sit down and watch a movie or play my backlog of games. For games like Alan Wake Remastered, Metroid Dread, Street Fighter 6 these aren’t a problem, but for some it means I’m signing up for over a month of investment – and that’s assuming I don’t Will get lost in the sauce.
After releasing in late May, I finally finished The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom two weeks ago. When I say complete, I mean complete the main storyline, about half of the side quests, and about a third of the side activities. Basically, I’ve probably seen about 40% of the game. But I’ve spent months playing this far here and there, and now Baldur’s Gate III is here and Starfield is just around the corner, so if I’m going to pick up one of these games, I have no choice but to put Tears of the Kingdom aside.
But for me, it’s not just 100+ hours of super RPGs that are a problem, anything over 25 hours becomes difficult. I like a game that can be finished in 10-20 hours. Diablo IV is perfect for me. Like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Dead Space, Resident Evil 4, Pikmin 4, Final Fantasy XVI, and even Hogwarts Legacy really. These are games I can commit to for a few weeks, beat the main narrative, do some extra campaigns, maybe 100% finish it if it really appeals to me, are the perfect size in my mind because they manage to do it in the same way as a behemoth RPG works well, just in a more compact way. It’s worth mentioning that games of this size usually have plenty of ways to extend the experience beyond the 20 hour mark, if you so choose.
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Over the years, with fewer major releases, game length hasn’t been an issue, but in 2023 we’re taking few breaks, and that won’t change throughout the fall. Between Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, The Crew Motorfest, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and more, there’s a lot to look forward to. Thankfully, none of these games seem to be very long, but it’s already clear to me that Starfield and Baldur’s Gate III will have to be sidelined while I conquer these upcoming projects, and vice versa.
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That’s why I think we need shorter, tighter games. With the number of live service items increasing, games that you can enjoy for a reasonable period of time and then continue with should be more common. Value for money is always a topic, but to me, if a game is well designed, has a gripping story, no issues, and is fun to play, I’ll enjoy it whether it lasts 10 hours or 45 hours. Big games have their place, but we don’t need every game on the market to have replayability and content that stretches for tens of hours, I’m sure of that.
The game doesn’t get too long – Alex
There are some incredibly long games, yes. Baldur’s Gate III can hold your attention for hundreds of hours if you let it, and will take a while to finish. Other big games this year have required similar time, but tying that to problems in the industry seems a bit of an overstatement if you ask me.
Not everyone who plays games has a job where they have to play games. They are free to decide how they spend their time and which games they want to play. Some people will want to try out as many games as possible, while others just want to make a few big AAA purchases. With people truly free to spend their time however they want, objecting to longer games becomes more of a personal issue than an actual relationship with the industry.
Also, an important point in favor of longer titles is that they lead to more revenue. For fifty pounds, I can get Baldur’s Gate III, which gives me at least 70 hours to complete the game’s story. The same goes for The Legend of Zelda: Tear of the Kingdom, the recent Assassin’s Creed games, Elden’s Ring, Red Dead Redemption 2, and more. All of these games also received critical acclaim, so even if not everyone had time to finish them, those who did enjoyed the experience.
If you don’t have time for a longer game, but everyone loves it, there might be some FOMO there, but while starting a longer experience can be daunting, those hours will go away if it’s worth it. I clocked 85 hours in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom without feeling like I was in Hyrule for very long. Not every open world game will have this effect, but the ones that have proven themselves worth the investment.
Shorter, sweeter adventures are great too, don’t get me wrong, but with Game Pass and PS Plus, now you can wait a while for something like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and make it a monthly Part of the fee to play instead of paying over £60 for a 10 hour experience. As games get more and more unfairly priced, we should give credit to games that give you a worthwhile time.
2023 could, and likely will, be one of the best gaming years in decades. We’ve got so much and more to come. That might be a bit intimidating, especially considering how many of these incredible titles are massive RPGs, but there’s plenty of time to pick them up and play them, or put them aside if you choose. Longer games are usually single player, which means when you decide to dive in is up to you.
