TL;DP: Too Long; Didn’t Play

John Santina writes about the different perspective of longer video games as an adult gamer compared to younger gamers.

[medman]

I'm in the same boat....my backlog is ridiculously long, filled with games I may never play. I play one day for maybe two hours, but I may not get the chance to play again for another two weeks, sometimes a month. I'm working my way through God of War and TLOU II now. I started Until Dawn, put it down....no idea when I'll get back to it. I want to play Ghost of Tsushima, but with my backlog I think I'll wait for the ps5 enhanced version (if they release it).

I will try to play Detroit Become Human, Mass Effect Andromeda, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Metro Redux before the new consoles launch. I've got no shot at that happening, but I'll give it a go. I plan to buy both ps5 and series x, so I imagine new games will take precedent over older games....older games like MGS V Phantom Pain, Gone Home, Journey, Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Shadow of the Colossus, Limbo, Blops III, Bloodborne, Life is Strange, Beyond Two Souls....the list goes on and on.

I skipped xbox one this gen so I think gamepass might finish me off, trying to catch up on games like Gears 5, Ori, Forza Horizon, etc.........I'm doomed.

[East76lands]

My problem too, full time work plus a young son means I have to choose my games differently than when I was young and responsibility free.

[TheColbertinator]

Most of my friends with kids did part with games more as the years go by.

[Mithan]

Its amazing 3 idiots down voted you. Stupidity rules the roost here.

Anyways, I know where you are coming from. 1 infant and a 2.5 year old daughter here. I don't game nearly as much as I used too. How can you? Of course, the 3 idiots who downvoted you will not agree, they must be like those parents who killed their kids 10-15 years ago playing World of Warcraft by putting their infant in the closet.

[garos82]

yeah lets stupify games and make them shorter because of people like you with families. I bet you had no problem when you were younger and care free. I have the same" problem" where time is limited and i dont get to play as many games as id like to, but i will not cry that games are too long because its inconvenient to me

[Mithan]

Hey Garos82:
Nobody said we should make games shorter. Learn to read.

[Maddens Raiders]

LoL, I've dealt with this for years. Just find two or three games you love the most and play them like coke addict plays a mirror.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

I never get this perspective. It's like people put these time constraints upon themselves and feel as though they're obligated to finish a game alongside everyone else, or that they have to buy the next game just because it released, and then they never even go on to play it. With the many ways we can get robbed in gaming today, I would think it would be celebrated that a game gives you more than your money's worth. If a game in particular feels too long for it's story, then that's different, but I would never look at this as a problem in general. And I don't feel it has to do with being an adult gamer universally, it's just your specific schedule.

[DaReapa]

^^This, a million times over.
I work full time along with several other chores in the evening, and conduct a personal life. Despite all that, you'll NEVER see me complaining about a game being too lengthy. It's not imperative for me to finish a game in one or two sittings. And you're absolutely right. If it's not enough that the industry is already robbing the consumer with antics of cutting content and selling it back in the form of DLC, now consumers are helping their cause by demanding shorter games??? SMDH!

[medman]

I love games that give you a lot to do and vast worlds to explore. I don't have nearly as much time as I would like for gaming, and many time those games take me 6-8 months to finish, but I don't mind that. Sometimes it takes me forever to finish a 15 hour single player campaign also due to my schedule. I just play when I can, but I love gaming so it's always a good time.

Having not enough time for gaming leaves me focusing primarily on single player campaigns, which I prefer anyway, but when a single player focused game also has a great multiplayer mode, I unfortunately don't have the time to dedicate to getting good enough at it to enjoy playing it. That is the one downside.

[Name Last Name]

My backlog is definitely my own fault but, as a busy adult, I wish I could pick up a game knowing that I can immerse myself in its full story in a week. Instead, I have to spend months and decide whether to miss out on new releases or just leave them incomplete.

[Rhythmattic]

As an Old fart, playing Pinball machines and at the genesis of video games, pong and arcades... I guess im more into the SP campaigns.,,,, MP for me can be fun, but at the same time , its almost an equivalent of social media platforms... In this day and age , I like to just chill out, and get away from what surrounds us all 24/7...
Its all communication...... I guess I tend to enjoy the solitude of the SP campaigns.....
And my Backlog is hundreds of games.... lol
Its a personal opinion ... Thus I guess its personal gaming..

[toxic-inferno]

I think it depends on your reason for gaming. Personally, I value narrative in games higher than anything else (or at least on par with gameplay). If a game requires 30+ hours, but doesn't present a thoroughly engaging narrative, I usually won't enjoy it. This is why I have given up on the Assassins Creed games in recent years - even though they have become longer, to me they have become worse value for money.

I'm not saying long games are bad. Mass Effect games are long, but have a narrative that is engaging enough to warrant that time, in my opinion.

[Gheritt_White]

I only have a limited time to play games, say 6 hours a week. I like to play a variety of games and I also like to see the end of every game I play, including pretty much all side content.

If I commit to playing something like Skyrim, Fallout 4 or The Witcher 3 then I will be playing that *one* game and nothing else for practically a whole year. That means missing out on playing different games, while also meaning the list of other games that I want to play grows longer and longer as new releases come out. It also ends up making the playthrough of that one game feel like a second job, as it becomes a task I have to finish before I can move on to the next game.

That's why I prioritise games that I know I can finish without each one taking months at a time, so I play lots of different games and enjoy many different types of gameplay experiences. I hope that clarifies things for you.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

So like I already clarified, more to do with your specific schedule than being an "adult gamer".

[Tghood85]

Sounds like a schil for the gaming industry. Convince us we want less for our money!

[Games1st]

Less bloated crap and shorter games can be priced cheaper.

[garos82]

but you and i know they wont be cheaper so no.

Sick and tired of "journalists" , who get their games free mind you, complaining about game length. Get a different hobby and stop shilling for smaller experiences whist defending €10 increase in prices