Respect Player’s Time by Making Longer Games

Key insights

6 slides

Player preference

Steam players seek 16–50 hours of gameplay from their purchases.

Players view gaming as a hobby meant to fill significant amounts of time. Games offering limited gameplay depth or short completion times often underperform.

Player Time. Steam players define 'respecting their time' as providing 16–50 hours of gameplay.

Resource limits

Indie developers face a 'bespoke content trap' with linear, level-based games.

Small teams lack the resources to produce enough unique content to satisfy player expectations. This often leads to failure in certain genres.

It's like trying to build a skyscraper with a small construction crew and limited materials.

Content Trap. Indie developers face a 'bespoke content trap' when creating linear, level-based, or puzzle-focused games.

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Summary

The primary thesis of this analysis is that independent game developers should prioritize creating longer, content-rich experiences to align with the preferences of the Steam audience. While industry discourse often emphasizes "respecting a player’s time" through shorter, linear experiences, the data suggests that typical Steam users view gaming as a hobby intended to fill significant amounts of time. Consequently, games that offer limited gameplay depth or short completion times often underperform, as players frequently categorize titles under 15 hours as "short" and prefer experiences lasting between 16 and 50 hours.

To navigate the constraints of limited budgets and development time, the analysis introduces a "resource triangle" consisting of game length, graphics, and quality. Because indie studios lack the massive resources of AAA developers, they must strategically choose which attributes to maximize. Attempting to produce linear, bespoke-content-heavy genres—such as souls-likes, FPS, or immersive sims—often leads to failure because small teams cannot generate enough high-quality content to satisfy player expectations.

The analysis concludes that indie developers should pivot toward genres that naturally extend playtime through systemic design rather than bespoke assets. Recommended genres include simulation, management, strategy, base-building, and roguelikes, which utilize persistent upgrades and emergent gameplay to provide depth. While some linear genres like horror or visual novels can succeed at shorter lengths, the overarching recommendation is to avoid the "bespoke content trap" by focusing on design-led gameplay that offers high replayability and longevity, thereby meeting the expectations of the time-rich PC gaming demographic.