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This is particularly true of, say, many mobile games. But conversely, if not hours of enjoyment, then by what metric do we gauge a good game? Perhaps there’s a

by apsdsm 8y ago

This is particularly true of, say, many mobile games. But conversely, if not hours of enjoyment, then by what metric do we gauge a good game? Perhaps there’s a line here between hours of enjoyment and hours of mindless engagement?

chii 8y ago
May be the measure should be how harmful it is to continue? For an MMO, you're engaged socially (presumably in a guild, rather than soloing). In a mobile grind game, you spend hours constantly checking on progress for that endorphine hit.
- rizzin 8y ago
  Same as with any addictive thing, you can use and you can abuse. And the change isn't instant. You can play MMO socially in a guild, or you can simply grind max levels / rare items endlessly. You can play an IAP and ad-riddled mobile game to kill some time when waiting in queues, or you can have it become a part of your life checking the game everytime you have a minute of downtime. And the transitions between those states happen impreceptibly, and there is no defined line beyond which you may consider the activity harmful.
pdpi 8y ago
Hours of enjoyment benefits certain types of games versus others. Return of the Obra Dinn is a pretty short game, I put 13 hours into it by playing quite slowly (and there's a not inconsiderable amount of AFK time in there as well), I doubt I'll touch it again any time soon (because the structure gives it zero replayability value), and I would count it as one of the absolute best games I've ever played. Portal 1 is a 4 or 5 hour game and, again, one of the best ever. On the other end of the spectrum, games like Minecraft, Oxygen Not Included or Factorio are enormous, all-absorbing time sinks that will consume your every waking hour for months or years on end if you let them. How do I compare ONI and Obra Dinn and say that either is, in any objective sense, better than the other?

by apsdsm 8y ago

chii 8y ago

May be the measure should be how harmful it is to continue? For an MMO, you're engaged socially (presumably in a guild, rather than soloing). In a mobile grind game, you spend hours constantly checking on progress for that endorphine hit.

rizzin 8y ago
Same as with any addictive thing, you can use and you can abuse. And the change isn't instant. You can play MMO socially in a guild, or you can simply grind max levels / rare items endlessly. You can play an IAP and ad-riddled mobile game to kill some time when waiting in queues, or you can have it become a part of your life checking the game everytime you have a minute of downtime. And the transitions between those states happen impreceptibly, and there is no defined line beyond which you may consider the activity harmful.

pdpi 8y ago

Hours of enjoyment benefits certain types of games versus others. Return of the Obra Dinn is a pretty short game, I put 13 hours into it by playing quite slowly (and there's a not inconsiderable amount of AFK time in there as well), I doubt I'll touch it again any time soon (because the structure gives it zero replayability value), and I would count it as one of the absolute best games I've ever played. Portal 1 is a 4 or 5 hour game and, again, one of the best ever. On the other end of the spectrum, games like Minecraft, Oxygen Not Included or Factorio are enormous, all-absorbing time sinks that will consume your every waking hour for months or years on end if you let them. How do I compare ONI and Obra Dinn and say that either is, in any objective sense, better than the other?