I got 61 hours out of Dying Light, and at a cost of about $25, that was a good purchase in terms of gaming value. I got 9 hours out of Convoy, and at a cost of $3.50, that was also a good purchase in terms of gaming value. But I don’t view the two in a similar light, because in order for a Convoy-like game to fill the same amount of gaming time as a Dying Light-style game did, I’d have to find 6+ of such games, and that discovery time is also a cost. Not to mention the risk that any of those 6+ could be a stinker.

I bring this up for two reasons. The first is that it generally reinforces my preference for a good MMO like EVE. EVE is constant, and while the amount of time it fills month to month might vary (in a war, fun new feature, some big project), its at least always an option and always fun.

The second reason is a reflection on Steam and mobile gaming; lots of small, cheap games, even if they are good, aren’t as great as one larger, potentially more expensive quality title IMO. I saw potentially more expensive because both Clash of Clans and Clash Royale are ‘free’, while also being two of the better games to come out, on any platform, in recent years. But generally the price of a big great title like Fallout or Skyrim is higher, and I’m perfectly ok with that if the game itself is not only good, but good for an extended amount of time.

Also while I do value a good shorter game, like say This War of Mine, I’d never put it ahead of a title I enjoyed for far longer. How could I? I mean, I don’t play games I don’t enjoy for long, so it’s not like I’m going to slog through 40 hours of something just to say I did it, or, god help me, for blog content. No, if a game isn’t fun, I stop playing it, whether that’s in the first hour or after 20, so a game that I can rack up 60+ hours in must have been doing something really right.

Right now on my desktop I have a half dozen titles that are all decent but short experiences, and it’s somewhat draining. The most recent was Forts, a fun-enough game that I played through the campaign and have messed around a bit in multiplayer. But with multiplayer being so hit or miss based on other people, and just the general time commitment vs fun that comes from that, it’s not a long-term title, just like Convoy or Beholder weren’t.

So I’m looking forward to the big releases. I need another Elder Scrolls game already! I’m really hoping Total War: Warhammer 2 is great. And hey CCP, can you give us a reason to go to war again? Thanks!