Do you have a preference for game length?

[Bradtemple87]

These are the ideal for me:

shmups = 30 minutes-1 hour
Fighting games = 30-45 minutes
FPSs = 8-12 hours
RPGs = 20-30 hours
Third Person Shooter - 8-12 hours
2D Platformer = 1-2 hours
3D Platformer = 5-10 hours
2D Brawlers/Run N Gun - 1-2 hours
Sports or racing games = finish a single game/series of 3 or 4 races in 30-45 minutes

Obviously some can be shorter or longer and still be awesome, and indeed some of my favorites are. However, these times tend to be the sweet spot for me...

right up my alley

[Xeogred]

Another factor is the actual reason that the game is as long as it is. If we're talking about Disgaea with 200 hours of leveling up as the reason for game length, then forget it. Anything that adds to the game's length at the expense of being a chore is a negative mark in my book.

Guess I'm not the only one that thought that was very off putting about the Disaea games. They are literally ENDLESS!

[Dylan]

Another factor is the actual reason that the game is as long as it is. If we're talking about Disgaea with 200 hours of leveling up as the reason for game length, then forget it. Anything that adds to the game's length at the expense of being a chore is a negative mark in my book.

Guess I'm not the only one that thought that was very off putting about the Disaea games. They are literally ENDLESS!

Oh, and I played all the way through the first game without using any tricks. Needless to say I'm never completing another Disgaea game without using the monster trick.

[CFFJR]

Being completely honest, I don't care. Not even a little bit.

The one and only factor that concerns me is how fun the game is. Which works out very well for me, because I'm not very picky. A game's length has no bearing on the fun factor, so its a non issue to me.

Talking about value, the only time I consider money spent on a game to be lost is if I genuinely don't like the game. The only game in recent memory that made me feel this way was Final Fantasy 13. Now that was a big fat waste of 60 bucks. I need to sell that game already...

[BlackDS]

Depends on the game. I'd say the golden time would be 10-50 hours for RPGs, 3-15 for everything else.

A 10 hour RPG would be the worst RPG of all time.

[Dakinggamer87]

These are the ideal for me:

shmups = 30 minutes-1 hour
Fighting games = 30-45 minutes
FPSs = 8-12 hours
RPGs = 20-30 hours
Third Person Shooter - 8-12 hours
2D Platformer = 1-2 hours
3D Platformer = 5-10 hours
2D Brawlers/Run N Gun - 1-2 hours
Sports or racing games = finish a single game/series of 3 or 4 races in 30-45 minutes

Obviously some can be shorter or longer and still be awesome, and indeed some of my favorites are. However, these times tend to be the sweet spot for me...

Yep same here!!

[Gamerforlife]

All that matters to me is that a game stays fun and stays interesting. I don't really care about its length if it accomplishes that.

If the game is very long, I expect it to introduce new twists and surprises at regular intervals to maintain my interest. I dislike when I reach a point in a game where it has showed me everything it has to show me, and now is simply content to provide me with another ten levels of just the same stuff but at an increasing level of difficulty. Just making things harder doesn't keep a game interesting.

If a game is short, I expect it to have a lot of replay value or just be so incredibly awesome from beginning to end that I don't mind its brevity.

Ultimately though, I care a LOT more about quality than I do quantity. If a game is only three hours long, but provides me three hours of the most amazing, original, innovative, exciting, kickass gameplay ever, then that game is going to be one I'm going to tell everyone to buy. For any game to provide all those qualities consistently from its title screen all the way to its end credits is a rare thing

[saturnfan]

Depends on the game. I'd say the golden time would be 10-50 hours for RPGs, 3-15 for everything else.

A 10 hour RPG would be the worst RPG of all time.

Arc the Lad is about 10h, I wouldn't consider it terrible. Probably quite the opposite.

[CFFJR]

All that matters to me is that a game stays fun and stays interesting. I don't really care about its length if it accomplishes that.

If the game is very long, I expect it to introduce new twists and surprises at regular intervals to maintain my interest. I dislike when I reach a point in a game where it has showed me everything it has to show me, and now is simply content to provide me with another ten levels of just the same stuff but at an increasing level of difficulty. Just making things harder doesn't keep a game interesting.

If a game is short, I expect it to have a lot of replay value or just be so incredibly awesome from beginning to end that I don't mind its brevity.

Ultimately though, I care a LOT more about quality than I do quantity. If a game is only three hours long, but provides me three hours of the most amazing, original, innovative, exciting, kickass gameplay ever, then that game is going to be one I'm going to tell everyone to buy. For any game to provide all those qualities consistently from its title screen all the way to its end credits is a rare thing

Hear Hear!