I used to like open world games that would take 50+ hours to beat but I feel like as I get older these games can be intimidating to even start and I often get sidetracked with other games frequently only getting half to three quarters of the way through.
Vanquish took me about six hours to beat and I think that’s what I’m looking for these days. I like games that I can beat in one weekend. Eight hours I think is perfect for me.
It’s led me to playing some GB© and NES games because they often feel a bit more finite.
I don’t think I have a minimum. Little Misfortune and Bright Infinite Memory only took me about three hours to beat but I enjoyed the ride. If a game took under half an hour to beat, like some indie games, I might not be as invested or impacted enough to think about it much afterwards.
Edit: I’m not looking for a definitive answer. Just a ballpark.
These days (I’m 37) its not about the time taken but whether a game just feels like work.
I know that would be different for everyone. But I pumped 140+ hours into Eldenring. Loved every battle and experience. But most other games after a few hours if it feels more like work than fun then I give up. Time is too precious and I’m already overworked.
I can see why easy mode exists now, I want a sense of fulfilment and experience but I dont want a game to create unnecessary work
Similar for me. I get maybe 2 hours on a good day that I can actually play games. I’m not wasting that grinding levels or hunting down 200 feathers. I also don’t like games that spoonfeed advancement way to slowly in the beginning, I don’t want to spend 15 hours in a game just to get to the point where the combat system is actually fleshed out fully.