Games in the AAA space tend to be “forever games.” Almost demanding all of your free time to enjoy it. Even single-player ones, like Elden Ring and the new God of War(s), they have a story, but they want you to be in their worlds for as long as possible.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good story, but can we get shorter games? Like, concise experiences that are free of bloat?
I find myself ignoring AAA announcements because I “know” they will be games that take forever.
ryathal@sh.itjust.works 6 hours ago
It’s not so much that the games are bloated (they are), it’s that many are incredibly gated as well. There’s always been super grindy and bloated games, but the degree it’s done today is just different. You can’t just spend two weeks putting in 100+ hours into a modern game and complete everything. It’s no longer kill a million mobs to get this achievement, it’s kill 100 mobs max a day until you kill a million. It’s do this phase and wait a month for the next phase.
Diablo 2 is honest and open about it’s grinding, modern day games aren’t.