I ignore any video game that takes longer than 10 hours to beat Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished December 15, 2024 1:00am Elden Ring you wont beat it in 10 hours (Bandai Namco)A reader explains how he uses a certain website to plan what game hes playing next and how its helped him to have a more enjoyable gaming life.I feel I should say that GC is my most treasured video game website, or theres not much chance of the feature being used, but in truth Im here to talk about my other favourite website, the one which has had more influence on what I play and buy than any review source: HowLongToBeat.Im never quite sure how well known it is but I find it invaluable. Im assuming youve already guessed what it does, its not like the name is trick, but basically it has info on almost any game you care to type in, in terms of how long it takes to beat it for just the Main Story, Main + Extra (which I interpret as a reasonable number of easily discoverable side quests), and Completist (i.e. 100% completion).Theres other information if you dig down further, where you can see how the totals are calculated from people who have written in to add their completion time and data. A lot of this isnt very useful, except to see how many people the numbers are based on. If its only a few people then theres a chance it can be quite inaccurate, although I rarely find it to be completely wrong.Now that Ive sat down to write this, Ive realised Im not actually sure why most people use the website. Maybe theyre trying to beat the average or something? But I would imagine theyd be better off at a dedicated speedrun site for that. Anyway, the reason I use it is pretty simple: to work out whether a game is worth playing.If a game is any more than 10 hours for Main Story then in nine out of 10 cases I just will not bother with it. And if its something silly, like over 30 hours, then forget about, there is absolutely no chance of me making an exception.This is not some arbitrary rule Ive invented, since I am quite happy to bend it if its a game that interests me and I feel I have the time, but usually I just dont. Im a working dad and theres only so much time I can commit to gaming. I already spend more time than probably my wife would prefer, but I think its about average for someone in my position, at around 10 hours a week.Maybe that seems a lot to some people my boys 12 so its not like Im getting up every few hours to feed him anymore, but any gamer will tell you its really not that much. You need half that time to even get to the interactive part of Persona 4, for example. Or learn what the heck youre doing in Dark Souls.I dont know what exactly youre doing by hour 10 of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom or Elden Ring, because Ive never played them, but I can tell from the website that Id barely be 15% of the way into the games. And thats assuming you were taking the golden path and making progress, whereas Id probably be pottering about and achieving very little.I have absolutely nothing against open world games, but I dont like to be hurried with them and nowadays that just means I havent time for them, full stop. Its a shame, Im sure, but theres a thousand other things I dont have time for in my life anymore, from reading super long books to learning to play the piano, and Ive just got to accept that Ive got responsibilities and my free time is a resource I have to manageBut now that Im used to my limit, I have to say Ive been enjoying gaming I lot more than I was five or 10 years ago. There are a few reasons for this but to put it simply, Im beating almost everything I play within a relatively short time (i.e. I actually remember what the story was about by the time its finished), Im playing a lot more games, Im playing a lot greater variety of games, and I have no backlog.On average, it takes me a week or two to complete a game, but the thing is, most shorter games are indie titles and theyre cheaper, so while I am buying more games Im also getting more games in return. For 70 I can get at least three or four good quality indie games, sometimes more depending on what it is, and thats not even counting sales.Maybe Im just making do, but Im very happy with my set-up and my self-imposed limitations. I can break them whenever I feel like it, but I rarely do. The thing about 10 hour long games is theres never any bloat, theres usually no massively long cut scenes, and all the budget goes on the game and not just the graphics. The shorter the game, the less you can rely on visuals and gimmicks and I find that a big plus.More TrendingSo, I say give it ago. Even if you have all the time in the world, limit yourself to only playing 10 hour or less games and Id be surprised if you didnt end up enjoying yourself more than the latest 60+ hour epic.By reader Lagger The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom also not a short game (Nintendo)The readers features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you wont need to send an email.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy