Why I Rarely Complete Long Games

[noiseredux]

I would honestly have a hard time playing any game for more than three hours.

HLTB says that Oddworld is ~13.5 hrs long.

[Ack]

A hundred hours? That just sounds ludicrous - you may as well say "a million bajillion" hours.

I'll just leave this here...

[noiseredux]

I said this previous, but I think that people are putting too much weight into "beating" games. In other words - you guys who talk about only liking "short" games. Are you telling me that you've not spent (in total) 10 or more hours playing Tetris in your life?

[BoneSnapDeez]

About 100 hours on a TI-86 alone.....

[Jmustang1968]

It may or may not come as a surprise to some, considering my gaming tastes, but I usually prefer the longer more in depth experiences to shorter games. Obviously, this is contingent on my enjoyment of the content.

So RPGs, strategy games, mmos etc... I have sunk hundreds of hours into many individual games. I actually rarely play the shorter pick up and play type games.

I find I am the same way with books and movies/tv series as well.

[Exhuminator]

I have no problem slowly chipping away at a hugely long game in small incremental chunks. As long as the game stays interesting and I continue to feel it's worth my time. To be fair, I'm a big fan of RPGs and SRPGs... and those genres necessitate time sinks.

For example, it took me over 100 hours to beat Etrian Odyssey Untold (on Expert). According to the 3DS' log time aggregator app, I averaged 45 minutes per session. However, I never felt like I wasn't making progress just playing the game 30 minutes here, an hour there. It's like every time you play, you're taking a few more steps up that mountain. Eventually you'll climb the mountain, just a matter of time. No way I'm going to forego mountains, just 'cause the hills are quicker to climb.

[Sarge]

I still chip away at RPGs, but increasingly my patience is taxed more than it used to be. I do find the immediacy of action games rather appealing, and if the goal is to beat games (and for me, it often is!), then shorter games scratch that itch.

[samsonlonghair]

I would honestly have a hard time playing any game for more than three hours.

HLTB says that Oddworld is ~13.5 hrs long.

Probably the reason why I've never beaten it.
I'm going to give it my best shot this month, but I've honestly only sunk about an hour into it so far. And that's for a game I already like a lot.

I said this previous, but I think that people are putting too much weight into "beating" games. In other words - you guys who talk about only liking "short" games. Are you telling me that you've not spent (in total) 10 or more hours playing Tetris in your life?

Oh, I've spent countless hours cumulatively on Tetris. I can also beat it in only a few minutes - max speed, max high, full band, and space shuttle.
Likewise, I've spent countless hours on Super Mario Bros. Even without warp pipes, I can beat this in about an hour and a half. Damn flying fish still trip me up.

As you may have guessed, most of the games I own have been played, but not beaten. For instance, I love Legend of Zelda, but I've never beaten a single game in the series. I just get bored after the first three or four hours.

I still chip away at RPGs, but increasingly my patience is taxed more than it used to be. I do find the immediacy of action games rather appealing, and if the goal is to beat games (and for me, it often is!), then shorter games scratch that itch.

You're talking my language here. I love to play a nice, quick arcade game. Action, fighting, beat 'em ups, shoot 'em ups, and platformers are the path for me.

[marlowe221]

I have no problem slowly chipping away at a hugely long game in small incremental chunks. As long as the game stays interesting and I continue to feel it's worth my time. To be fair, I'm a big fan of RPGs and SRPGs... and those genres necessitate time sinks.

For example, it took me over 100 hours to beat Etrian Odyssey Untold (on Expert). According to the 3DS' log time aggregator app, I averaged 45 minutes per session. However, I never felt like I wasn't making progress just playing the game 30 minutes here, an hour there. It's like every time you play, you're taking a few more steps up that mountain. Eventually you'll climb the mountain, just a matter of time. No way I'm going to forego mountains, just 'cause the hills are quicker to climb.

I don't mind having to chip away at a game either - it's just that the number of games that I can do that with has decreased over time. At this point I have to be pretty picky about which 100-hour game I am going to sink time into in ways that I didn't have to be in the past.

When I was in college/law school I could be playing more than one "long" game at a time. Now, it's a little overwhelming to even think about doing that.

I said this previous, but I think that people are putting too much weight into "beating" games. In other words - you guys who talk about only liking "short" games. Are you telling me that you've not spent (in total) 10 or more hours playing Tetris in your life?

I'm sure I have put more than 100 hours into Asteroids in my life. But a game like Asteroids (or Tetris) is an arcade-style game that is meant to be plaid in short bursts. There are no cut scenes, no (badly written) plot to wade through, and no BS. Just hit the start button and play.

But I can leave Tetris alone for a month or a year or 5 years and come back to it and it's like I never left. It's a lot harder to do that with a 60 hour story-driven RPG.

[Exhuminator]

When I was in college/law school I could be playing more than one "long" game at a time. Now, it's a little overwhelming to even think about doing that.

Yes, I too only play one single player RPG at a time.

I personally don't get the same kind of satisfaction out of Tetris as I would say Tactics Ogre. For me, Tetris is just a fun distraction, and if that's all one wants out of a game session than that's cool. Long JRPGs and SRPGs though tickle other parts of my brain and thus are cerebrally satisfying. And epic plots can suck you in and make you feel more involved with the experience as a whole.

Different strokes for different folks and all.