Modern Games Are Wasting Our Time
Modern games aren’t respecting our time. #gaming Channel Membership …
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February 6, 2026
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"Harmony in Every Heartbeat
Modern games aren’t respecting our time. #gaming Channel Membership …
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this guy fucks
With Hi-Fi Rush I disagree with your point. Perhaps it was designed to be so long based on the themes of the boss. If I may spoil, the long climb is purposefully included because you're going through the security level. Would it make sense to go through the volcano level (something only possible due to you fighting against Zanzo) while you're going up against Mimosa? When you look at what security is, perhaps it is daring you to keep going, especially with how Korsica is reviewing what SPECTRA actually is during your mission. Would it make sense to go through the huge vault of gold during your initial fight against Rekka?
Very good video essay on the topic, and very well laid out. Enjoyed. I can't say I agree with the pacing issues in Pacific Drive though, as I thought the stop/go thing worked very much in the game's favor and supported and mirrored the experimental narrative. Streamlining this would take a lot of its soul out, but I can still understand where you're coming from. I just would note that with games like these there are many ways to view and "feel" pacing, and while someone likes one way, someone else might not.
you are right. these developers do not respect the time of gamers. They are intentionally making games, boring, longer and longer filled with tons of cutscenes and unnecessary repetitive quests. I recently played Hogwarts legacy. I heard that it was a good game so i gave it a try but after playing it for one and half hour , i uninstalled it. why? because 95% of the time, i was either talking to someone or there was a cutscene. before finishing the second main quest, i uninstalled it. I just could not imagine plating the whole game like this.
Claiming that microtransactions etc. isn't an industry problem, and the only one that is to blame is the player them self, is a gross simplification. If microtransactions and the desire to make "the best possible games" went hand in hand, it wouldn't be a problem. But these two things DON'T go together. It's easy to see that filler content, quantity over quality etc. is closely linked to added monetization. The people who work in the games industry who actually LOVE games, and want to make great games, don't prioritize maximized profits over quality, and they rarely focus development time on monetization, as that also takes time and effort. The companies that focus the most of monetization, are run largely by people who aren't gamers. They also employ psychologists and behavioral scientists who specialize in addiction, to laser focus the monetization to target exactly those things that most people find it hard to resist. To claim that those who give in to this are simply "weak" or "don't value their time" is akin to telling addicts to "show some will power", or somebody with depression to "snap out of it." It's actually not that easy for many people. These are predatory business practices for the most part.
And don't get me wrong, there are acceptable ways of doing microtransactions. I've myself spent money on cosmetics in games in the past, simply out of a desire to support the developer. But imagining that the industry will police itself, is just like imagining that the market will regulate itself. We can all see how well that's worked out.
The is unfortunately no a big conflict going on withing the games industry, between business people and actual game developers. Those people who are actual game developers, want to make good games. The business people however, only measure quality through profits. And since quality of gameplay doesn't necessarily translate into high profits, well, we have a pretty big f'ing problem. And we're currently seeing some of the fallout of this conflict. We are about to see the second major video game crash, and it's playing out together with a major Hollywood crash. The money people have infected the industries, to the point where creativity is not longer valued very highly, and it's about to make a huge impact that will be felt throughout the entire entertainment industry. Once the venture capitalists decide that the entertainment industry is no longer a very profitable sector, we can start seeing it begin to heal, and rebuild on the backs of people with true passion for their art.
replay-ability is the most important factor to me when I buy a videogame. That's why I'm a massive fan of rogue lites. But everyone likes to spend their time on different hobbies and I don't see time spend as a wasteful metric when it comes to quality. I would much prefer a game that is very average, but has tons of replay-ability or time that i can sink into it (like tboi for example) than a masterfully made game which took only a day to complete (if the price tags are similar). Unless it's a game like metal gear, which I am already a fan of, I tend to ignore those shorter games. I see gaming as like a tool you buy in the store, unless you will use it often, I would much rather buy a cheap tool to throw away for a task that I do once, rather go for an expensive thing that rots in my shed.
This is the first time I see someone – let alone another content creator – agree with my dislike of Elden Ring just being a fiesta of copy-pasting dungeons and bosses. But "hour per dollar" gamers will think it's a good thing if you have 500h of mindless, repetitive, arduous bloat, because it's "more content = more good". And gamers will generally go out of their way to defend this too.
If it's not about time then why are you making a video about time in gaming 😂 ridiculous
I have purchased and downloaded games multiple times now only to quit playing after 2 hours. Horizon Forbidden West was boring, Forza was woke and had terrible story line and felt like bumber cars. It's becoming too common for the games to just not be good.
Quiting something isn't necessarily laziness. It's managing ones limited time and pursuing something more important.
Real life calls and you have to put the controller down to deal with it.
One thing you can't do is place a universal statement on anything. All it takes is one to disprove your whole theory.
There may be other critera besides laziness at work like game mechanics trying to keep gamers playing.
People wake up when they believe they are being manipluated to do something like in mobile games and out right quit.
On GTAV, I started it but lost interest quickly because I like to play as ONE character and not jump around playing three.
I also quit any game that has prestigue mechanics resetting the game everytime I level up. Hommie don't play that.
This goes back to Halo 2 playing between MC and Arby. I completed it back then but wished I could play one character start to finish for each character.
This becomes more like a TV show than a video game developing and growing ONE character.
On Mass Effect series, I have five different Shepards I developed and played and loved every minute of it.
I played countless hours in Elder Scrolls the options and choices of "what if."
DIE and agenda Borg killed our hobbies. I just read old books and play old games.
I'm one of those "dollars per hour" (or, preferably, "hours per dollar") kind of gamers, but it's because when I'm buying a game, I want a game that will hit the sweet spot between respecting my time in terms of allowing for short sessions fitting into my "between dinner and bedtime" full-time-job life, but encouraging enough of those sessions that eventually those one-hour or two-hour sessions add up over years.
Not for nothing is my library, when sorted by hours played on Steam, top-heavy with games like American Truck Simulator (2,500 hours, one 2-hour delivery at a time), Super Mega Baseball 3 (12 MLB-length seasons played out a couple of ballgames at a time, totaling over 1100 hours), or Stardew Valley (a day is 14 minutes in game. 14 minutes times enough days is the over 700 hours I have in it.) Or even Skyrim, which a decade ago was responsible for countless nights getting home from work and just hunting deer around Whiterun, and still stands 8th all-time at about 800 hours.
Quality over quantity.
Thank God for Indie games which have saved "gaming" for me. They take risks and many times they deliver awesome experiences.
elden ring is still good even with its big world , but starfield is empty feeling shit
good games -Call Of Beyond/Erokin/Sorceress Tale/SWORD x HIME
You made your point 10 minutes in, then spent another 30 wasting my time.
And while I agree with mostly everything you said, that nonsense victim blaming for people who fall for psychological manipulation in games is disgusting. It's a disease and needs to go away as it literally ruins lives, you're not taking the issues nearly as seriously as you should given your influence on this platform and I think you need to give the issue more of your time.
650 hours in Elden Ring and I’m finally at crumbling Azula, and dipping into Sahadow. Why have I persisted? And do I have the record for longest first play through? I hope so.
Elden ring isnt too long.
You couldnt be more wrong.
Video games are basically a waste of time and should be avoided. It's okay to play sometimes a video game for a short amount of time if you're bored or want to play it and have nothing else to do. Otherwise it's better not to play them. This doesn't only apply to modern ones but rather to all video games.
I think its fair the point, but also think that grind is definitely something I look for on games. Having to work 1hour or so to get to a rewarding moment. Is part of the game. Hell If grinding wasnt a thing there are many cash grabs… I mean games, that would not exist.
Still obviously many games abuse of it. Though as many comments said its ironic to complain about games wasting our time when this 36min video could be resumed in 1 page that you can read on a minute, or maybe 2 pages.
So basically you are saying the filler should also have a story to it so it feels like you are discovering something… i like that ideal. everything we feel and do has a story and a reason and i love feeling that in a game.
Judging games based on time comes from people who don't have alot of money and/or those who really like the game, but wish there was more of that game.
Imagine you save up enough money to buy a game, you can only buy 1 new game or a few old games. This will be your only game/s for awhile. What do you go for? A 4-10 hour game that while awesome, will get boring after playing a few times or a 100+ game that kind of wastes your time but has enough things to do to keep you busy until your next game?
On the other hand Titanfall 2 was great, but hmm, there's no Titanfall 3. So it's obvious some people wish there was more content in Titanfall 2.
Videos like this are wasting our time
I think the reason why gaming is dying is because of realistic graphics but shallow gameplay & uninteresting story. I dont play games for graphics. If I want realistic graphics I turn off my pc or console & I go outside I don't need boring realism in my video games that's why old games such as GTA san Andreas is so fun because it has plenty features & the graphics are still fun & not dull & realistic.
Very happy to see someone with a sensical opinion on starfield. The Bethesda fandom is chain smoking Chinese fent carts to be able to glaze that pile of crap the way that they do.
streamers play a big issue with games being too long.. how many babies cry not enough content after no lifing for 1 week straight?!?
man I HATE GTA AND RED DEAD LOOK AT THAT !!!!!!!!! THE BIGGEST SUCCESSFUL TITLES ARE A SCAM !!!
yeah this video could have been half the length while still hitting all the main points, imo
I think Skyrim was a horrible example, and a prime antithesis of “quality is better than quantity”. There are so many systems and gameplay elements in Skyrim that are repetitive, monotonous, and average: enemies, combat, caves, bosses, etc. They bloated the game with the same elements simply to make the world feel more “full”.
Loving your content but I wish you would add either printed titles referring to the game you're showing or a list in the description. Sometimes seeing the name of the game is better than hearing it.
Calling games overbloated and then saying skyrim perfect length wise is a joke. Its called perception, the pacing to me in skyrim is slow and boring and i like long time length games actually. But its perspective. He loves skyrim so he finds it perfect. I dont like Elden Ring, but i doubt people are complaining cquse its a game whos campaing people go through more than once, and the dlc is selling like hot cakes. If a game gets the replayability it waa built for it entertains. I love Horizon for me, Forbidden West does everything perfectly, but i wouldnt say it makes it better than Elden Ring or Skyrim, cause its perspective. Me finding does gamew boring, doesnt make it boring, it means it just didnt grab my attention. Not everyone will love Horizon or Ghost of Tsushima, which i love, but doesnt mean theyre bad. I loved Biomutant, which i know peoole kinda hated, but i loved it. Man Kojima wastes people times in my view with cutscenes that are longer than a tv show episode, but hey people love it. I dig good stories, but imagine finishing a game and have to sit for almost am hour after. Yeah i might love exposition but hey perspective. This video shouldve been called why i believe people dont finish games, cause of perspective