How Long Is A Good Game?

[moobob9]

I simply want anybody who is reading this' opinion on how long a good game should be. I am making the first game of a series (but that shouldn't matter in your answer please).  There is also a poll for you to answer!

Thanks!

[Haydenap]

Well, I've played a game that only took 2 hours to complete. Yet I've played a game that literally took a whole day to complete. I guess it all depends on how long you feel like making it. 

[madriel222]

As long as it needs to be.

[Jonesy]

A good game is just long enough.

You can't apply a specific time frame to any game. An online game for instance, will have hundreds of hours of gameplay. A single player FPS may have a 5-6 hour story, or maybe a 10 hour story, whilst an RPG may have a 40 hour story. Yet all three of those games could be good.

It all depends on how much content you've got. As long as your game never gets too boring, or takes too long and costs too much to develop, you're sweet.

[Holkeye]

A real game should be as long as it needs to. An RM game should be less than five minutes.

[Roph]

As long as it needs to be.

This. It all depends on how interesting you can make it 

[moobob9]

Well, since I'm making a series of games, time is EXTREMELY flexible. If I wanted to, I could end the game in the next 20 minutes of it, (which I don't really want to do =)) or I could end the game in the next 2 hours of it. I'm just asking how long an enjoyable RPG Maker game is.

P.S. Nice signature Roph =)

[Zylos]

Why even worry about how long your game is time-wise? It should be as long as it needs to be, as Madriel said. With a typical RPG, you are telling a story, so have your game be as long as you need it to be to tell that story and have it feel right to you. If it feels like the story is moving along too fast to you, then you can slow it down with some diversions and additions to drag out the time frame a little longer. If it feels too long and slow to you between two sections of the story, cut down a bit on the distance and such. Make it as long as it needs to be to feel like a good game.

[moobob9]

I'll have to except that answer as a good one. Thanks for it! =)

[DarkGamer]

3-4 hours...less i think it would be too fast... Longer...Would start to annoy...

[toxicblue]

I'd say a good game is long enough to leave the player satisfied.  If the game feels like it could have had more to add, or they're desperately (yet reasonably) wishing that it would be longer, then it probably should be longer.  Or just add some decent replay value to it, or make it fun enough or with a powerful enough story that people will want to play it again.

[tSwitch]

Long enough to be complete, short enough to not overstay their welcome.

[JAP]

Short enough to keep me entertained, but long enough to keep me satisfied. I guess it all depends on the game itself, after all.

[Ruzu]

As stated before as long as needed to keep it interesting/satisfying.

[moobob9]

Well, what I am aiming this thread for is to have other people's opinions on how long a game should be without boring the players. Everyone can continue to answer, and please do!

[DarkGamer]

well, basically it has been said already.

Short enough to keep me entertained, but long enough to keep me satisfied. I guess it all depends on the game itself, after all.

As stated before as long as needed to keep it interesting/satisfying.

[JAP]

Well, this is a very difficult poll.

It all depends on the game itself, after all.

For example, I wouldn't play Final Fantasy for more than 70+ hours. I know it is an awesome game but it doesn't have much except the gameplay and story itself to keep us playing.
On the other hand, Star Ocean Till The End of Time managed to get me playing it for more than 100+ hours, since this game has everything to keep me entertained and satisfied. It has rich gameplay, wonderful storyline, awesome music, and tons of quests to keep us playing and playing and playing again. Not to mention that it has the Universe Level, which is very challenging.

It's just an example. My point is, a game can never be too long if it is entertaining & satisfying enough.

[Holkeye]

Things change when you get older. I don't have time to play 100+ hour games anymore, so I appreciate shorter games a lot more.

[moobob9]

Umm, please don't tell me you want me to make a 100+ hour game using rpg maker!!!! lol

[LoganF]

If you're making games as a series that are continuous, then you can make each game have about a 1-2 hour length (excepting any extra/side stuff). Even if you spread out the series over several parts, the parts themselves are short enough for casual players to pick up and go with. The only real important thing is making each game in the series interesting enough to keep players following.

As most replies have said: a good games needs to be as long as it needs to be. If you can have the main story introduced, played out and wrapped up in 3 hours, then the games needs to be 3 hours. Anything outside of the main can be added as extra for the more serious gamer to pursue. To these gamers, time is often irrelevant anyway; they just want to get/see everything there is to see (and sometimes more).

Maybe some better advice is: don't worry about the time. Focus on the game and making it engaging and interesting, and to sum up, a good game. I've played games that have had be engrossed enough to forget about how long I've actually been playing it because I wanted to know how it unfolds. The issue with time becomes a problem when you realise that for the last 2 hours you've done nothing but run around in circles not getting anywhere.

[Mishka]

It really depends on the kind of game. An RPG with an engaging storyline and the right features could be of indeterminate length... too many features and your game's novelty will face the danger wearing out before you get a chance to properly use them all.

A good RPG game with gradually introduced, thoughtful features will probably be 15 hours+ (like Legionwood, one of the only RM games I actually like playing.)

Not a guideline, just an observation.

[ShortStar]

A good game is beatable.

[heisenman]

Null-voted.
As long as it takes to unfold and explain every plot point.

[EvilM00s]

Just tell the story, dude.

[Zylos]

Why is everyone dragging this thread on after it was needlessly bumped by an obvious spammer?

Edit: Spam removed.