Video game length: less would often be more

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The current "Resident Evil" was too short for some with ten hours of playing time

Photo: Capcom

When the eighth part of "Resident Evil" was about to be released recently, fan circles were raging.

Allegedly, so people whispered in forums and on social media channels, the new "Resi" was only ten hours long.

It didn't help that those who were familiar with the series objected that the previous parts of the horror game series were hardly ever longer.

Ten hours for a full-price game, on top of that, at the full price of just under 80 euros, which many potential buyers found disappointing.

In fact, the length of many large, elaborately produced single-player games has decreased in recent years.

This can be explained by the enormous production costs that glossy projects are now devouring.

In particular, linear games, ideally narrative at Hollywood level, in which almost every place, every game moment, every character has to be elaborately designed, would not be affordable with a longer playing time.

On the other hand, there is an audience for whom a long playing time is traditionally important.

No wonder, historically and currently there are still many younger people who do not have the adult budget available to play.

If you put all your pocket money on the table for a single game, you want to be entertained as long as possible.

"Hundred hours of fun"

Pay once, and then "a hundred hours of gaming fun", as games advertisements often promised in the past, that hardly exists in the area of ​​large single-player games anymore.

Apart from that, of course: Multiplayer games are unlimited playgrounds.

The endless online role-playing games with subscription models were replaced by endless games-as-a-service titles such as “Destiny” or “Fortnite”.

Anyone who does not want to or cannot play with real people will at least find an almost endless range of entertainment in huge open world games, sports titles, simulations, strategy games or procedurally generated rogue likes.

The fact that video games all too often have to be judged on the basis of their playing time is paradoxical because very few games are ever ended by their buyers, if they have an end at all.

Only around ten to a maximum of twenty percent of all video games purchased are played until the credits roll.

One of the reasons for this is that development studios often try to satisfy the length fetish with repetition, stretching and filling material, which takes away some of the desire to play through.

Another factor is that the average age of the gaming community has long since moved into adult life.

Those who want to preserve their beloved hobby from their youthful days with their professional life, relationship and maybe child, often even surrender to games that were hatefully labeled as much too short in forums and comment columns.

In general, the time expenditure is likely to be the main reason why many adults who used to play games turn away from games at some point.

Length isn't everything

They have been around for a long time, the short games that can be played through in an evening or on a rainy Sunday - albeit mainly in the indie area. Works like “Inside”, “Firewatch”, “What Remains of Edith Finch” or the mobile game bestseller “Monument Valley” captivate for two or three hours and then come to a shocking, melancholy or touching end. They offer a gaming experience that is radically different from the length maximization of classic games - usually at moderate prices.

The short, narrative video game analogous to the short story or the individual episode in anthology TV series such as »Black Mirror« is a nice counter-model to the gigantomania of all the giant games, especially because it gives you the opportunity to experiment and try out. The four game collections of the "Dread X Collection", for example, are interesting in this regard: The more than 40 rather short horror game prototypes from various developers may be graphically crude in some cases, but the anthology format makes up for this flaw with originality and fresh ideas.

With »Essays on Empathy« by the Spanish indie developer Deconstructeam, a similar collection of short to very short games has just been released, which offers a very special game format due to the simultaneous documentation of their creation.

The partly very personal, pixel-style game jam prototypes offer an exciting look at the struggle for new narrative experiences in video games.

A rethinking can be observed

Fortunately, the big studios are gradually realizing that less could possibly even be more.

Games that offer a shorter experience from the start do not necessarily have to be pixelated or cheaply produced, as the horror anthology series "The Dark Pictures" proves.

The games by the makers of “Until Dawn” successfully experiment with both the short form and a series format.

Part 3 with the title “House of Ashes” is due to appear shortly: Like its predecessors, this entry should also convince with almost five hours of playtime, interesting multiplayer modes and high production quality.

At a moderate price, the series is a pioneer in terms of shorter game formats and it is probably no coincidence that the moderate playing time is particularly suitable for the horror genre of all things.

In all honesty: The Resident Evil Village, which is scolded for its alleged brevity, could easily have done without the last few hours of playing time. It would have made it a better game.