Is A Game’s Length Really That Important?

Is it me or have gamers completely lost their minds? For the past week or so reports have surfaced about the gameplay length of the PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886. Some have said the game is five hours. Some have said it’s between ten and twelve hours. There’s even reports of the game clocking in at an appalling length of three hours. I think that last one is more along the line of trolling, but this is starting to get out of hand with gamers freaking out, calling it an outrage, and canceling pre-orders.

Yes, The Order: 1886 is a single player only game. Developer Ready at Dawn created a game that’s shooting for a more “cinematic experience”. A design made so that the player won’t be able to tell the difference between whether they’re watching a cutscene or actually playing the game. I actually like this idea, because it brings something different to the table even though I’m sure these “cinematic” moments will be filled with quite a few quick time events in between the third person shooting gameplay.

From what I’ve seen so far The Order: 1886 looks impressive. I actually pre-ordered a digital version of the game (this was before I posted the article to stop pre-ordering games). Now whether it’s factual evidence or trolling, the question has been raised on whether a game’s length is actually important. The answer is not as clear as you and I might think, but I’m going to give my opinion on this rather hot topic.

Now I understand that for some a $60 purchase for a video game can be quite a daunting decision. As consumers we have to justify whether the game is worth it’s price based upon the content we eventually receive. However, the length of a game’s campaign should never be the determining factor. I’ve played some games through the years that featured short campaigns, but they captivated me and kept me interested in what I was participating in making my full retail purchase well worth it. Of course there are some negatives to this opinion. There was last year’s release of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes which at the price $30 was more of a glorified demo as well as a cheap cash grab, but it’s pretty safe to assume that The Order: 1886 is indeed not your typical cash grab.

Let’s face facts. These videos of gameplay from The Order: 1886 that have been released on YouTube and heavily promoted through social media are mostly speed runs. While these players were unable to skip the cutscenes they also didn’t show everything the game has to offer so don’t get your panties in a bunch. Chances are these players were playing on the easiest difficulty allowing them to breeze through the game as well as troll their results to the world which sparked this heated debate in the first place. Why are you listening to them? You are your own best reviewer as well as the judge of your own money, so don’t let others dictate or sway your decisions. Chances are your going to play the game anyway whether you pay full price or wait for a sale. Most importantly, games are meant to be fun, so let’s quit all the damn bitching and just be gamers for once.