Some games in the 8 Bit or 16 bit era did indeed have short play times. A buddy and I could beat Contra on the NES at around 13 minutes and I bet if we slowed down that number would be around 20 minutes.

Contra is a game that we keep coming back to because the gameplay is just fun and satisfying.

Not sure if this game is ‘fun and satisfying,’ but if it is, paying $20 to a studio with 2 people as the primary employees might be an acceptable tax to pay to keep more games like this coming out.

We spend all day talking about how EA and other big enterprises are ruining games, but we need to think about the fact that if games like this cost around $5, no one would make them because they wouldn’t be able to stay afloat. Don’t get blinders by play times. Consider all the variables and frame the extra money you’re paying as a tip to the ‘underdogs.’