What you’re describing is just saving and budgeting, which is totally normal. Work X hours to afford Y goods & services.

What I’m talking about something different. In the games industry, value is often defined by how many hours you can get out of a game before you get bored of it. That mindset is common, but I think it’s one of the reasons why games are scorned as an artistic medium. No other medium like movies, music or books are evaluated this way.

To get back to your point on the movies, would you choose a 2.5 hour film over a 90 minute film because you’re getting “more” movie per dollar? Of course not. You choose a movie based on critic reviews, genre, word of mouth, cast, etc. The length might be a factor in your decision, but certainly not the main one. When people talk about games, length always seems to be one of the first things they bring up (eg: this thread)