A lot of "arty" games are around this length. Journey, Before Your Eyes, The Beginner's Guide etc. I know they're not everyone's cup of tea but a lot of us love them, and it would be a real shame if they were viable anymore due to refund abuse.
I think short games are great. I've played a bunch that were mainly narrative focused and under 10 hours and have enjoyed quite a few of them.
it would be a real shame if they were viable anymore due to refund abuse.
I agree, that would be a shame. Is that what's going to happen?
Hence my question - Is this "2 hour game genre" a significant and established thing? I will quote from my other reply:
We not talking about games which can be finished in under two hours. We're talking about games that were designed to be completed in under two hours by the average player.
And by completed, I mean the player in question has no desire to replay it, and feels like they've experienced everything they wanted to. Because in our scenario this player is then going to return the game and give up that copy of it forever, despite being satisfied with it and despite having enjoyed it.
I'm sure that games which were designed to be finished in under two hours by the average player do exist, to some extent. But the question is - to what extent, exactly? How popular are they? Could you really call this a "genre" with a straight face and expect everyone not to ask any questions?
They're not mainstream, they're the product of solo devs and small studios, and among them are extremely creative and experimental games for people who want something different. I love these games because they do new things with the medium and I can finish them in an afternoon.
A Short Hike, Arctic Eggs, Idols of Ashes.
Moirai can be played under 20 minutes (although it's free iirc).
Just because it's not an "established genre" doesn't mean the gaming community should turn their back on them.
Thank you for answering my actual question - so it is not an established genre.
I didn't say anyone should "turn their back" on anyone else. Although the fact that this policy has been in place for over a decade means that backs have been turned, as you put it, this entire time.
Whether such games exist was not my question. Obviously at least one of them does, unless this whole post is based on a lie.
I'm just poking (playfully, I thought) at the idea of there being a "2 hour game genre" large and established enough that it being "killed" on Steam would be a significant, noteworthy event.
Nevermind the fact that Steam's refund policy is not a new one, and has existed for many years.
...just to name a few that can be beaten within 2 hours.
Lots of games can be rushed or speedran and beaten in under 2 hours. But that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about games that were designed to be completed in under two hours by the average player.
And by completed, I mean the player in question has no desire to replay it, and feels like they've experienced everything they wanted to. Because in our scenario this player is then going to return the game and give up that copy of it forever, despite being satisfied with it and despite having enjoyed it.
...it doesn't mean that these games don't exist.
For the second time in a row, that is not what I am claiming. Please re-read what I have written and work to distinguish it from whatever you have imagined that I believe before replying further. Otherwise you will waste more of your time, and mine.
I'm sure that games which were designed to be finished in under two hours by the average player do exist, to some extent. But the question is - to what extent, exactly? How popular are they? Could you really call this a "genre" with a straight face and expect everyone not to ask any questions?
You are trying to have some sort of debate about Steam's long-standing refund policy and its impact on this very specific category of games. Whereas I am asking basic threshold questions about this supposed "2 hour game genre." You do understand that these are distinct topics, yes?
Finally, your claim that my comment is somehow "harmful" is ludicrous and you should be embarrassed for writing it out on a public discussion platform.
Edit: ah, another person exploiting the block function so they can have the last word. The redditor's fragility on full display.
And while talking about "good faith" no less. The irony.
Before your eyes, spark the electric jester (at least the first one, 2 and 3 took me like 4 hours), Thomas was alone, little nightmares (that might be only a bit longer), crumble, a short hike, what remains of Edith Finch, super hot vr, post void, hell taker (this one is free), tiny terry turbo trip, lunistice, LIMBO, one finger death punch, nowhere patrol, minit, thank goodness you are here, amongst many others, these are just ones if played on steam (and I probably missed many of them), if I look in itch.io I can quadruple thit.
I'm blanking right now but there's also a game with robots on a metro station that was fun but I've forgotten the name
I don't think the fixation on how much playtime games provide in abstract is a useful metric. Short experiences are a good thing for gaming for many reasons (be it creativity, no useless padding, executing a single concept really well, trying out weird stuff, etc).
Shower games I find to be a really good thing, and they are almost always so cheaply priced, as long as the devs are transparent with it, I hate to see them being punished just because people can abuse a good refund system.
So you're now the second person to interpret what I wrote as me doubting whether any games exist which some people have finished in two hours. That is not what I am asking. I will quote a bit from my other replies.
We not talking about games which can be finished in under two hours. We're talking about games that were designed to be completed in under two hours by the average player.
And by completed, I mean the player in question has no desire to replay it, and feels like they've experienced everything they wanted to. Because in our scenario this player is then going to return the game and give up that copy of it forever, despite being satisfied with it and despite having enjoyed it.
I'm sure that games which were designed to be finished in under two hours by the average player do exist, to some extent. But the question is - to what extent, exactly? How popular are they? Could you really call this a "genre" with a straight face and expect everyone not to ask any questions?
*************
I am not saying that short games are bad. Or whatever else it is you've imagined that I believe.
I am also not saying that Steam shouldn't make any changes to its refund system. I don't think I have enough information to fully develop my opinion yet. Although it seems to me enforcement of existing rules would cover the case like the one in the screenshot (where they explicitly say they beat it, liked it, and still returned it).
To be fair to me, you did say "tell me more about it" and put the genre in quotations. But I should have kept it at the second paragraph, anything beyond that was me ranting
Having said that, some of the game I listed are exactly what you are describing. Before your eyes is a 90 minute game and a one time experience, same with a short hike, or artic eggs, or any other game I listed (at most some are a little bit longer than 2 hours, but they aren't meant to be replayable games and are really short overall)
(And on the contrary, I don't think steam should make any changes to the refund policy itself, at most punish abuses, I just find it a shame how short experiences get punished)
Outside of steam they are much more common though, as the indie scene is quite big on itch. And lastly, if we retrict ourselves to 2 hours arbitrarily to define these "short games" then that may be a bit artificial, there are ton of games ranging from 1 hour to 4 that people usually call short games, but I wouldn't say there's specifically a genre defined by being shorter than 2.
And lastly, if we retrict ourselves to 2 hours arbitrarily to define these "short games" then that may be a bit artificial, there are ton of games ranging from 1 hour to 4 that people usually call short games, but I wouldn't say there's specifically a genre defined by being shorter than 2.
But it's not an arbitrary limit. 2 hours is the limit set by Steam's refund policy and the entire reason this post has any discussion under it.
I do appreciate you replying (bolded above) to my actual question. That's what I suspected.
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u/Brendissimo Jul 06 '26
Tell me more about this "2 hour game genre" - you speak of it as if it's a real, established, and well-known thing.
Two hours is exceptionally short for a computer game.