As a PC gamers I find it hard to believe but well, got to report on it!
According to a new study, 40% of PC gamers spend less than 5 hours a week playing video games. Moreover, the study reveals that console gamers play slightly more than PC gamers.
39% of console players play 10 hours a week.
- Two-thirds of PC and console gamers spend less than 10 hours a week gaming
- 36% of console gamers spend less than 5 hours a week gaming
- And 40% of PC gamers spend less than 5 hours a week gaming
The main question raised by the study is, are games too long? Is that the reason gamers are playing less?
So, are Video Games too Long?
The study makes a pretty convincing argument that a lot of modern AAA games are just too long for the time those of us with a day job have available to play them. The data backs this up, too, revealing that a large chunk of gamers — especially on PC and console — have less than 10 hours a week to play each week, with a sizeable share playing under 5 hours.
What this means is that the big 100-hour RPGs, the massive open-world games, and the bloated live-service models are no longer feasible for a huge part of the audience.
The problem isn’t only when games get too long, but when the expectation is that most games should be sprawling in order to be worth their price. The report appears to say that the length of games has inched upwards through the years, but not all players are finishing these, longer games. And trophy and achievement data backs this up — as games get longer, the drop-off rate for completion increases, making it less probable players will purchase sequels.
The nature of some other recent titles, such as Avowed that are now giving players the option if they’d prefer a lighter 15-hour narrative experience or a movie-length 40-hour adventure, may be part of the answer.
If more games adopted this model, it might shrink the gap between time-starved players and those leaning toward a lengthier experience.
Another takeaway is that the industry should give more thought to the obsession with length when it comes to defining what makes a game valuable. Instead of padding games with resource-extender filler content, shorter and more tightly designed experiences might become a selling point; older gamers with jobs, families and other responsibilities aren’t as flexible with their time.
