It's not the size that matters...

[Wolf Kanno]

It's whether I have any bloody time to actually get around to it.

So let's discuss game length, should games have so much replay value and stuff to do that almost any of them can be the game you play forever; or should game length not matter and even a short sugary sweet treat that you can pop in your mouth and complete in a day be just as satisfactory if not moreso than a game that takes a minimum of 200+ hours to complete the main quest?

Now I know most of you will probably say "Well WK, You dashing devil, it really depends on the game now doesn't it?" but I really want you to think about this. I mean do you even bother finishing all of that extra content? How often do you actually get around to finishing most games nowadays or do you just spend your time playing that one game cause hot damn I'm only another five hours away from getting the drop needed to forge the Sword of Eternal Ass-kicking +2 and no I haven't really had time to check out the game sequel cause I'm still playing the first one. On the flipside Mr. short game has too much ADD now to even bother with a game that can't be beaten under four hours. I need my gratification like I like my oatmeal: instant. I can't be bothered to play for hours to get to the good part of the game. Pacing? That's what I do when I'm waiting for the microwave to finish my Tostitos Pizza Rolls.

So yes, while I will obviously agree that it depends on the game, I would prefer if we focus on the merits of game length and decide whether the medium has either exploted it for its own benefit or finally reached a nice point. What are your thoughts on how long/short games can be?

[Del Murder]

I think for an RPG, something between 15-40 hours is good for a main quest, and then double that to include side quests. These 100+ hour games to do main + side missions are too daunting. If you are putting in 100 hours then you should be getting close to max completion.

For action games, no more than 20 hours for the story. Bump it up to 40 if there are side missions or 'build your base' or whatever type stuff, but I like a more compact story for an action game.

[Ayen]

I get overwhelmed pretty easily in open-world games, and as such I tend to stick with the main quest and don't bother with any of the extra content. So if a game is shorter and more linear, it doesn't bother me in the least, and I usually end up preferring it than hours of gameplay I'm never going to get around to anyway.