why most people don't finish video games

Neil79 · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:29

At the beginning of the 21st century, the average gamer was pushing 30 -- mid-to-late 20s, to be exact. They weren't playing as often as they did in their adolescence, but in between entry-level jobs, earnest slacking and higher education, there was still ample time to game.

Fast forward to today, and the average gamer is 37, according to the Entertainment Software Association. The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 41 -- nearing Just for Men-type levels. They're raising kids. In the middle of a career. Worried about retirement.

Not only that, but time is precious for gamers of all ages. "People have short attention spans and limited time now," says Jeremy Airey, head of U.S. production at Konami.

"The amount of digital distractions now is far greater than it's ever been before," he says. "People need time to check their Facebook, send a Twitter (tweet), be witty on their blog, play with their phone -- oh, and that game you made. If they feel as though the end is far away, they'll simply say, 'I don't have time for that' and stop playing."

In other words, the longer the game, the higher probability a player will abandon it. "Red Dead Redemption" takes upward of 30 hours to complete, according to howlongtobeat.com, and few players are willing to commit that much time.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/17/finishing.videogames.snow/

jamesy505 · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:36

Im not far off the average according to that piece, but luckily I dont use Twitter and only use Facebook rarely.

I also completed Read Dead Redemption, so I must buck that trend

If the game is good enough, i'll put in the hours. The idea shouldnt be to make games shorter so more people complete it, it should be make them better so people get hooked and want to finish it.

MMO's are different though

Deific · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:38

I don't believe the average gamer is age 37 at all tbh

Sin_Chase · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:39

30 hours or, for some people, less than a week down the pub/on nights out.

30 hours is not a lot of time to invest in a game you might play over the course of 6 months. It's not like you NEED to complete it as fast as possible.

I don't think for a second this is the primary reason for people not completing games. I certainly have enough time to invest and I don't finish nearly as many as I used to. Why? because they are not worth finishing. Seems like a nice easy thing to blame to gloss over the fact that games are developed as cash cows these days, fast, dirty, cheap and mostly re-hashes with very little original content.

Sin_Chase · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:40

Deific said:
I don't believe the average gamer is age 37 at all tbh

Depends what average they are using but I think it's safe to say there are less gamers aged 30-40 than there are 15 to 25 for example.

VeNT · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:42

really it's not the time you dedicate to the game it's if you play the games over a long period, I've been finishing off some games for AGES now (fallout x3 etc)

anuraj · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:45

I try and finish my games off. If I don't like them I won't. If I finish them somehow and not liked it very much gets uninstalled. It's as simple as that.

'Wes · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:46

Deific said:
I don't believe the average gamer is age 37 at all tbh

I do, i've encountered a **** load of middle aged gamers, mainly in MMO's.

Twinblade · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:47

It depends also on what type of game you play. At the moment I am only really playing FM11, and you can't really complete that.

anuraj · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:49

Twinblade said:
It depends also on what type of game you play. At the moment I am only really playing FM11, and you can't really complete that.

Finish as many seasons as the you allow you too?

badcompany · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:50

Deific said:
I don't believe the average gamer is age 37 at all tbh

I am 37

Pc,ps3,wii,psp got far too many games to get thru but i like buying them even though i know i will probably only play 5% of it

Got 3 kids now so time for gaming is hard to come by.

SeraphX · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:52

only reasons i dont complete all my games are, A: they are too difficult or B: i lose interest lol

daz · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:56

I think what people object to, and what gamers can see more clearly these days, is GRIND.

Grinding for no good reason in games is just a waste of time, and people don't want to engage in mind numbingly boring sections or to fight the same monsters over and over with no plot advancement.

shaggyd · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:57

Or C: it will take me another week to learn how to play X3 again.

Evoss · 18 Aug 2011 at 14:59

Often I dont finish SP games as I just get bored.

Random Guy · 18 Aug 2011 at 15:04

Article is accurate - when you have kids, work etc. it is much harder to find the time to game. It takes me upwards of 3 weeks to finish a normal SP game, if I can find the time to play it regularly.

I think that is why MP games are so appealing. You never 'finish' a MP game.

Banzai_Joe · 18 Aug 2011 at 15:06

Boredom? certain levels too damned hard?
I hate game with huge bosses at the end of each level.....they're the ones i tend not to finish.
Sure they may be too hard for me to tackle, but i also get bored of trying a gazillion times, who wouldn't?!
Duke Nukem Forever is springing to mind here, and, i've not touched it for a weeks now.....not even sure how far through it i am tbh.
There are a few others i've not finished like that, i only really play FPS/3rd person shooters anyway.

uv · 18 Aug 2011 at 15:25

I agree with the article, but it's just common sense tbh. Whilst I love games like the witcher, it took me forever to find the 60 hours required to finish it. I often play games that you can pick up for ten/20 minutes (like hoard, PvZ), and when I do find time, then something like portal2 at eight hours is great

Oh to be young and have no time constraints again

Curunen · 18 Aug 2011 at 15:53

daz said:
I think what people object to, and what gamers can see more clearly these days, is GRIND.

Grinding for no good reason in games is just a waste of time, and people don't want to engage in mind numbingly boring sections or to fight the same monsters over and over with no plot advancement.

Yeah, this in a nutshell.

But otherwise what does it matter if you spend a month playing 5 different short games, or 1 long game, if it interests you.

If a game is good enough (well rounded, enough depth, etc...), does it matter how long it is, and especially when it comes to RPGs or action RPGs?

I'm very selective with what I play, and tend to spend months on one thing before trying another - the result is not having an extensive repertoire (for want of a better word

), but honestly I don't care if I haven't played all the "hot" titles.
I gave up on bioshock simply because I didn't like it - the whole way it was done, the fov, the big daddies... all minor points, but there you go. Doesn't mean it's a bad game, or that I don't have the time to spend on it. If I did like it I would have continued with it, at the expense of trying something else in the time I have.

blueshift · 18 Aug 2011 at 16:00

Get rid of bosses, and spots where your trapped and enemies keep spawning and rush you, and stupid dificulty spikes, and a lot more people would complete them gaming is supposed to be fun, not a chore.