As I write this, I’m looking at my shelf of games. Three of those games include Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Dragon Age: Origins. Two of those games I received as gifts, while the third I picked up for cheap. I’ve had these games for almost a year now, yet I haven’t played any of them. In fact, you could almost say I’m actively avoiding them. What gives?
All three of those games have something in common: length. They all require dozens of hours to complete. At this point in my life, finding the time and the energy to invest in a really long game is hard. I don’t get to sit down for long stretches of time that often to play games, which makes it difficult to feel like I’m making progress in a long game. A game like Fallout 3 with my schedule could take me months to beat if I were to solely concentrate on that game.
If I wanted to just focus on one game, I could. However, I like playing lots of different games. New games are coming out all the time, and I have a large stash of games I own and haven’t played yet. Focusing in on one game for a long period of time is not going to be easy at all. I will if it’s a must play game to me (like the Mass Effect games) but I guess I won’t know unless I try.
The third reason that length irks me has to do with this blog. As much as I want to write In Third Person for me, I also don’t want to write a blog where I’m only talking about my progress through one game for months. It’s a lot easier for me to quickly turn a post around on a shorter game than a longer one, which absolutely impacts the game choices I make.
I’m certain that at some point, I will play at least a bit of Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Dragon Age: Origins, but don’t hold your breath for my impressions. If I find the time, I’ll make it work. For now, they’ll continue to sit on my shelf. Are you as length-adverse with your games as I am? Or am I crazy? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
In Third Person 