how many games do you complete?
Recent research has shown that the majority of gamers do not complete most games. I would surmise that an equally sizeable number do not even get half way through (let alone to disc 2). As media storage is set to expand, will this trend change?
Many publishers have been on the receiving end of criticism when they release games that aren’t suitably long – and to avoid this, the trend of recent years has been to offer huge sprawling works spanning over 10, 20 even 30 hours worth of play.
But we have also seen how carefully crafted shorter works have been just as effective. Experience of games such as Pikmin and Gradius V are cases in point (two random choices). Each of these examples are quite "short" yet in their limited time have carefully crafted narratives that aren't overly complex; introduce gameplay innovations and wind up with succinct conclusions.
Another excellent example is Super Mario World, which although it is possible to finish within a few hours (using about 20 or 30 levels), takes many more weeks to reveal all of the secret and hidden levels.
Many publishers have been on the receiving end of criticism when they release games that aren’t suitably long – and to avoid this, the trend of recent years has been to offer huge sprawling works spanning over 10, 20 even 30 hours worth of play.
But we have also seen how carefully crafted shorter works have been just as effective. Experience of games such as Pikmin and Gradius V are cases in point (two random choices). Each of these examples are quite "short" yet in their limited time have carefully crafted narratives that aren't overly complex; introduce gameplay innovations and wind up with succinct conclusions.
Another excellent example is Super Mario World, which although it is possible to finish within a few hours (using about 20 or 30 levels), takes many more weeks to reveal all of the secret and hidden levels.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, May 31, 2005 at 12:46 pm.
