Game Length, Does it Matter?

[magnaangemon01]

I wouldn't pay $10 for any game under 10-15 hours. I might pay $5. If I pay $10, I'm expecting a lot of gameplay and content. At least 15-20 hours or more. Anything less is disappointing. During the Summer and Winter sales, I can get Mass Effect and most Final Fantasy games for $5-$10. That's a good investment of my money. When I buy a game, I look for a long, fun game.

 

[amerk]

For me, it depends. As others stated, the pacing really matters. Trying to force a length just because may wind up hurting the game. I understand the need for adding things that can extend the playing time, but ensure the pacing is kept in tact. And one of the largest turn-offs for me are games with lengthy stories that go nowhere for so long.

That said, if I'm looking at a game to buy, I'm more prone to buy a game somewhere between the 20 hour and 50 hour mark. Games that claim to be upwards of 70 to 100 hours usually turns me away because I'm limited on the time I can play, and I don't want to be stuck playing the same game for several weeks or months.

 

[Demiqas]

If you can keep it flowing through the whole length of the game I'll gladly play it, though if it is going to be a poor story combined with hours of absolutely pointless grinding combined with a ton of maps of which the majority tend to be empty, it will be horrible.

 

[Wavelength]

Demi-glace has a point.  A rich, short game is always preferable to a long, empty game.  No matter how long your game is, every moment should be enjoyable, or you're failing your player.

 

[JAD94]

Lots of factors for me:

- The price. A 10-hour game being $10 is fine enough. A 2-hour game being $10 isn't.

- The pacing. I can't stand it when most of the game's length is due to frequent random encounters, lots of backtracking, dungeons that are longer than they should be, filler content such as pointless fetch quests, and puzzles that cause me to be stuck for half an hour to solve.

- The developer. Not everyone might admit this, but we all do it. If I know the developer makes good games, I'll be more likely to check out longer games by them, but an unknown developer or one whose games I did not enjoy, I'll most likely pass on their 30-hour epic. That's why I think it is better to start off making shorter games, making it easier for people to download them, to play them fully and to get to know you as a reliable developer, and only then partake in longer games.

- The nature of the game. I personally am biased towards linear, story-rich games, so I am unlikely to play a 30+ hour game that's entirely sandbox.

On the other hand, games that are too short might not seem worth your time, especially if they are commercial.

I personally feel that if you're going commercial with your RM game, make it 4-5 hours in length at the very least. There are a lot of free RM games out there, so charging people any amount of money for a 1-2 hour game just looks bad on you.

Ah I love this! This really does help thank you!

I'm trying to make the game longer but also trying my best to not have it drag on either. 4-5 hours isn't too bad of a goal to reach. I'm pretty much half way there so I think I can manage lol! Most of the factors you listed I feel are common. When it comes to me I look for games made by developers I trust who've made good quality games. With pricing I dont mind if the game is short or long as long as its enjoyable. Example, FF7 and Legend of Dragoon are long games yet very fun. I wouldnt get bored with those games. MIrrors Edge is notorioulsy short yet the graphics, gameplay, and story and remarkable. So I see what you mean

 

[Matseb2611]

I wouldn't pay $10 for any game under 10-15 hours. I might pay $5. If I pay $10, I'm expecting a lot of gameplay and content. At least 15-20 hours or more.

Although I partially agree, the amount of content isn't everything. The quality of said content matters too. I'd rather spend $10 on a fun and engaging 5 hour game than a tedious 30 hour one.

Having said that, the way we price RM games has to be reasonable. RM games are not and never will compete with quality of triple A games, so I doubt I will ever spend more than $10-15ish on an RM game.

@ JAD94: Ah good. Glad you've found my points useful.

 

[JAD94]

@Matseb2611Yes you're points were spot on and really helpful! Thank you again

Next step- add some more game length 

 

[EternalShadow]

Good-quality game length*

 

[JAD94]

Good-quality game length*

Yes, good quality game length.

 

[bgillisp]

Personally, I've never liked the "Never pay less than x for less than y hours of game" arguments. There are way too many factors that play into that, and as such you cannot break it into that linear of a formula. Personally, I'd rather pay $20 for a 7 hour, fun game, than $20 for a 40 hour game that goes on and on and on and on. However, occasionally I do buy a game because I'm curious about its concept, and in that case the hours of game play is a very minor factor (if any).

Plus, especially with RM games (and plot heavy games), everyone's reading speeds are different. What is 5 hours to one might be 20 hours to another. This is especially true without voice acting, as the scene is only as long as it takes for you to read (and also, this is why I dislike voice acting in games, as I can read the text about 3x as fast as it takes them to say the text).

 

[JAD94]

Personally, I've never liked the "Never pay less than x for less than y hours of game" arguments. There are way too many factors that play into that, and as such you cannot break it into that linear of a formula. Personally, I'd rather pay $20 for a 7 hour, fun game, than $20 for a 40 hour game that goes on and on and on and on. However, occasionally I do buy a game because I'm curious about its concept, and in that case the hours of game play is a very minor factor (if any).

Plus, especially with RM games (and plot heavy games), everyone's reading speeds are different. What is 5 hours to one might be 20 hours to another. This is especially true without voice acting, as the scene is only as long as it takes for you to read (and also, this is why I dislike voice acting in games, as I can read the text about 3x as fast as it takes them to say the text).

Yes! Your argument gives me hope for my project! The game is intended to be rather short, originally 1-2 hours long but there's 10 endings possible including a bonus level with at least 30 minutes of content. But now Im aiming to make the game 4-5 hours thanks to @Matseb2611. So thats the latest thing Ive been working on

 

[Murd]

Personally, interesting storyline and well game balance are main factors for me to decide how much I would pay for a game. When it all comes to RPG, I don't prefer short game because it seems not to require much effort from me. What is the point to play rpg that has a stunning graphic and animation but boring storyline and poor game balance? Even a simple rpg can have its own characteristic and uniquness that puts a charming spell on you, enjoy playing it at every moment throughout the game.

I don't know either that my game is good or bad. If you enjoy your playtest over and over to find some bugs or improvement, do you think that other people might feel the same too?