September 23rd 2023.
Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - can a game be too big? This week's Hot Topic posed an interesting question, suggested by reader Goulash, on whether modern video games have become too long and difficult to fit into our lives. With the release of many high-quality titles that can take more than a hundred hours to beat, it's no wonder many of us are torn. On one hand, we enjoy the freedom and variety that come with a giant game; on the other, it takes months to complete.
Too much of a good thing? It's a difficult question to answer, but it's not hard to see why some might think the current state of open world games is a bit of a pacing issue. Take the premier franchise in gaming, for example: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. It's great, but some of the caves, depths, and sky island areas seem superfluous. The other night, while exploring one of the caves, I thought to myself, 'I'm really bored.' It just went on and on.
Charlie and FoximusPrime81 have their own stories to tell too. Charlie finds it hard to juggle multiple games, and FoximusPrime81 prefers to play either huge expansive stories or short pick-up-and-play bursts of fun. They both agree that even the best massive games could do with less filler. DM58 has also found it difficult to commit to lengthier games due to other commitments in life.
Bobwallett knows the struggle all too well, and compliments Goulash for being the mind-reader they needed. It's true that developers have recently chosen to reinvigorate their famous franchises by making them open world, but there are still series like Doom and Resident Evil that consistently have tight, beatable single-player campaigns. It's all about finding the right balance.
The solution is simple: accept that we can't keep up with every game, and just play what we want to. It's obvious, but it's taken a while for many to come to terms with. Games are as long as we want them to be - we can jump in and out whenever we want. If time is short, HowLongToBeat is a great resource to check out the average and completion times of games before buying them. At the end of the day, it's all about finding the right balance.
Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - can a game be too big? This week's Hot Topic was suggested by reader Goulash, who asked whether video games are getting too long and if we have trouble fitting them into our lives. With modern open world titles requiring 100+ hours to complete, it's a valid question.
Most readers had mixed feelings on the issue. We all appreciate the freedom and variety that a giant game offers, but it can be hard to find the time to take advantage of it. It's a difficult balance - we don't want to complain about too much of a good thing, but some games have too much unnecessary content. For example, The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom has many caves, depths, and sky island areas that can become superfluous and rather boring. If the premier franchise in all of gaming is guilty of padding content, then we've got a problem.
FoximusPrime81 had a great solution - playing games at either end of the spectrum. We can either invest in huge expansive stories that take forever, or opt for short pick-up-and-play bursts. The difficulty lies in juggling multiple games, like transitioning from Zelda: Breath Of The Wild to Starfield. It's important to find a quick and simple game to act as a 'palate cleanser' like Mario Kart 8.
DM58 had a different problem - as they've gotten older, they have less time to play games due to other commitments. Assassin's Creed Odyssey took nine months to complete and Baldur's Gate 2 Remastered felt like too much of a commitment. Spider-Man Remastered on the PlayStation 5 was the breath of fresh air they needed - a game with a strong linear narrative set in an open world.
Bobwallett had the perfect piece of advice - games are as long as you want them to be. You can jump in and out whenever you want, and there's no limit on your own enjoyment. You can rush through a game like Skyrim in a few hours if you just focus on the main story, or you can take your time. Plan ahead if you're short on time, and check HowLongToBeat before you buy a game.
Ultimately, it's down to personal preference. Some of us can keep up with the gaming wave, while others have to accept paddling in the shallows. We all have different time constraints, so it's important to find a balance that works for us.
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