Understanding Your Player: Play Sessions - How Will People Play Your Game? - Extra Credits

[@DreamcastGuy]

This is why Extra Credits is such an amazing series. You tackle the hard issues and explain complex game design problems in such a simple fashion. Keep up the amazing work!

[@bananatassium7009]

Yeah! Their word is amazing!

[@DreamcastGuy]

bananatassium Oops, thank you for the correction :P

[@daftprince2234]

DreamcastGuy Even better than tackling the hard issues, they tackle the issues that non-devs haven't even considered.

[@helenanilsson5666]

Everyone talking about the binge player but that gamer dad with the little kid won the "aww" awards in this video.

[@Randina42]

I once used the fact that a play session for one of those f2p bubble shooters are so short to help me study. Because the text I was gonna read was so long, after every page I would take out my phone and play one (1) level of the bubble shooter to relax and let the info sink in a bit before I kept reading. Because of how quickly I would either win or lose those levels, it gave me a hard time limit on the break before jumping back into the text, so I wouldn't lose track of time and suddenly the break would last an hour ^^;

[@BionicDirector117]

I love that you guys are getting deeper and deeper into game design and still keep the series interesting and engaging.

[@notequalto5179]

Love how Sonic Unleashed asks if I want to continue playing after every level. I really appreciate the respect for my time and that actually makes me respect the game more. So I end up playing more.

[@underFlorence]

5:15 MOBA-ius strip

[@FlatlandsSurvivor]

plsno

[@Srewtheshadow]

Nickname I didn't know I needed that but I do.

[@Phhase]

Nickname Clever.

[@bcoda]

"Mobile games that you totally would have played if they were on a console ..." *_DID YOU HEAR THAT,_** BLIZZARD?*

[@FraserSouris]

Given the success of games like Dungeon Hunter on mobile, a Diablo style game on mobile is actually a good idea

[@josh11735]

Lol I love how almost every time the weekend binge gamer was shown, the snacks increased! xD But seriously, great explanation! :D

[@lindamcguinness4691]

other types of games: what's your play session length? Sandbox games: Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[@joshuaphillips9164]

Most successful sandbox games found ways around having a single game play length by giving players the tools to make mini games or giving shorter player driven objectives... Minecraft, Roblox, terraria etc all have shorter goals, mini games, boss fight etc... that can be done over the 20 minutes and others that can only be done over a few dedicated hours like mining, building, exploring etc... core game play normally falls within long sessions while other activities that aid or work around that core are employed to fill in the shorter times... It's something that isn't a weakness really for sandbox but with strategy games is a massive weakness... no way am I playing AOE, starcraft, stellaris, civ etc for any less than an hour as there's no way to have a serious satisfying experience in a short amount of time...

[@MsPtilopsis]

That father and son relationship made my day.

[@ItsmeInternetStranger]

Man I could really go for some Puffs! right now.

[@ecbrd8478]

Me too! *~grabs bag of Puffs!~* This comment brought to you by PIZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

[@agentjwall]

Miyamoto Fan Don't forget to wash those Puffs! down with some Gosh DANG! too! (5:59)

[@inaquianallforce4042]

Miyamoto Fan Sure it's funny now, but her life is ruined.

[@Bassium08]

What is this about?

[@BadRAM512]

Bassium08 puffs!, man.

[@ablobontheinternet7737]

Super meat boy if a great example of good play sessions. The levels are short and don't require a very long play session. But for the hardcore players, there is seemingly limitless content to sink their teeth into.

[@ziggyzoggin]

oh yah you're right, any amount of play is good with that game, its very flexible!

[@maxwellhosler4918]

6:44 This image is aggressively adorable.

[@Beriorn]

An interesting contrast can be seen between Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 and 3. What was the story structure of Mass Effect 1? You had the tutorial, the part where you uncovered Saren, the four leads in your investigation and the end game. In total six parts, big ones you can easily lose several hours in. Now look at ME 2 and 3. All the missions there were 30 minutes or so of exciting shooty and talky action. After a mission was over and you were debriefed on the Normandy, you are in a perfect spot to call it a day. The story you went through was over, and it added to the main story. It's a lot more episodic than the original game, which allows for quicker sessions and allows people with less time per session to still enjoy the game without having to come back and figure out what was going on again.

[@kartoonix]

Beriorn OMG there are only six mission!!! :C

[@mattallover]

Beriorn This was an effect of EA owning Bioware as opposed to a choice made by the developers, but it achieve the desired outcome which was a more accessible experience. That said I still feel the second episode was the weakest because it attempted to have a narrative like ME1 so there was less gelling between the peices of the game.

[@Beriorn]

mattallover Yeah, exactly. If you were to draw out the missions of Mass Effect 2 and when you unlocked them, you'd end up with a really wide but rather short graph. You have the intro mission, the first recruitment missions, the first fight with the Collectors, the other three recruitment missions, the loyalty missions, Legion's mission and the end game. And that's discounting the various side quests. This makes for a more free experience while it limits what can be done with the story. On the other hand, ME3 had a similar mission-based layout but you have to complete the story missions before you can do the next ones. There is some freedom at certain points where you can do side missions on certain planets, but at the end of the day you're still doing the missions in order.

[@mattallover]

Beriorn This of course begs the question, did the ME3 multiplayer not only draw out the single player campaign, but also train the player to play the game in shorter intervals? A match could last about 30 min and I know I often played a match and did a mission or two in the space of an hour which was satisfying for me while on the other titles I wouldn't sit done unless I had at least two or three.

[@MDWolfe]

mattallover Never even knew they had multiplayer

[@TheChillMethod]

It's issues like this that make me glad I'm not a game designer, as it's something I understand takes more than just a passion for games to get right, it takes a long time to truly and fully understand the audience in this much detail

[@masterofdoom5000]

Being a creator of an experience for so many kinds of people is a new kind of hell.

[@Lafuedo]

An important consideration is what the player is left with at the end of a session. If the player is left thinking about how to use a new item, a story plot point, a new area/map, a new strategy to master etc. then they will be thinking about your game and anticipating the next play session.

[@invalidusername6809]

Dad that does the groceries and looks after the kid is my new favourite background character

[@pemcode9351]

Reviews should cover this as a standard thing. Or maybe a reliable website (wiki?) that lets you check this for any particular game. It's kind of a huge deal for the player. For example, if it's a single player RPG that requires 60+ min play sessions just to get to a save point, then that's important to know before I start a play session.

[@heychrisfox]

Developers choosing the wrong console for games has been my biggest issue as a gamer lately. Particularly with all the great games that are locked behind the Vita. I get that it's cheaper and a lot of them are focused on the Japanese market that loves the Vita. But over here, so few people care, and a lot of those games would reach a lot more people if they were more accessible!

[@gwokymarla]

Chris Fox I'm pretty sure there is some Vita tv thingy that lets you play like a console, but not every game will work on it...

[@CornishCreamtea07]

Well buy a Vita than, it has had a lot of price cuts, so you won't be expensive.It is a well designed piece of equipment. or if you really don't want it, get a PS TV.

[@heychrisfox]

CornishCreamtea07 The point of my comment was that I am not attracted to mobile consoles, and it seems strange to me that so many developers publish long-form games on a mobile system when they would possibly be better suited on a different platform like PC or consoles. And while gwokymarla is correct, and I could buy a Vita TV along with a Vita to treat it as a normal console, that's asking a lot for my as a consumer for something that could simply be ported to a more favourable console. It just seems like a lot of games are missing out. Final Fantasy Type-0 was a good example of a game receiving much more attention after having been ported from the PSP (which few people bought) to the PS4. More people enjoyed that style of play on a console as opposed to a mobile experience.

[@Necroskull388]

Chris Fox It's not optimal, but you could always just play the game at home when you might otherwise play a console game. Start playing on the bus, pause it, and get to an exit point at home. A player can almost always work around poor design choices if they want to.

[@heychrisfox]

Dagda Mor Right, but the question is, why should consumers have to work around poor design choices? That's the heart of this entire discussion on human design that Extra Credits is having.

[@jaypillsbury843]

I think that handheld systems (which currently is _just_ the 3DS) offer a great middle-ground. With them, you can have play sessions of either the mobile, console, or PC gaming length. Just look at Tomodachi Life, Fire Emblem Awakening, and Ocarina of Time 3D. All of these games did very well. Tomodachi Life is best played in several very short sessions throughout the day. Fire Emblem Awakening is best played in medium-length sessions throughout the week. And Ocarina of Time 3D is a game where you just want to binge through as much of it as possible in a single sitting.

[@jaypillsbury843]

***** What is this "Vita" you speak of? Is it that lump of hardware with nothing to play on it?

[@jaypillsbury843]

Leafie the Great Oh, there certainly has been a fair share of _bad_ 3DS games. *cough cough Paper Mario Sticker Star cough* I'm just saying that the platform itself is in a sweet spot where it's viable to have both very long and very short play sessions.

[@tyclay7039]

Jake Pillsbury how much have you seen of the vita? I use both a vita and a 3ds but I like the vita more. Literally the only problems it has is that it does not have the marketing and thus sales to make it popular. Everyone I have talked to that got a vita loved it.

[@jaypillsbury843]

Ty Clay The Vita itself is fine. There's just not enough games available for it to be worth buying.

[@tyclay7039]

Jake Pillsbury I will admit they have no exclusives but the amount of games you get on the go is amazing including both hotline Miami's, olli olli 1+2, The binding of Isaac, Ratchet and Clank collection, Borderlands 2, Killzone, Shovel Knight, MGS 2+3. Also if you get past the stereotype that Japanese games are bad (most Americans I believe think this) there are great exclusives.

[@Recabilly]

Those dad drawings... I feel you bro. Betting a dad and a gamer is not easy. I play a lot of csgo and it can be hard to find time to get better at the game without being a horrible father =P

[@JanCRefsgaard]

syaondri that sounds lovely, but when your kids are less than 6 years old it can be hard to find a game that both you and your child likes, furthermore it seems very hard to find 'easy' games for kids, my kids (4 and 5 now) had more success playing lego batman 1 than the two sequels despite the kids having beaten the first game and gained a year of age)... I wish there were more games had a 'super easy almost impossible to die' difficulty because it heavily discourages my kids that they die 10 times in the first level of most games.

[@JanCRefsgaard]

syaondri that is a good suggestion, most games (especially cheap educational games) have a to small budget to translate into foreign languages, which means I have to be right next to my kids at all times to translate for them... some of them have subtitles, but that doesn't help much when my kids are still in kindergarden. Thanks for the suggestion though :)... where games like mario or lego batman requires much less listening comprehension and can thus be played by my kids with input from me only every 10 minuts :)

[@JanCRefsgaard]

syaondri you had no way of knowing :), but there are a lot of things I cannot share with my kids because of "language barrier", there are many educational youtube channels targeted for kids, the wispersync for kindle can highlight words while reading them aloud, but it does not work for any danish books :'( ect... luckily most European countries does a good job creating educational tv shows for kids...

[@merlindekoe]

syaondri wait, how old is your lil bro?

[@merlindekoe]

syaondri thats one young cs player xp

[@natewoody104]

man is anyone else craving generic ambiguous puffs

[@manuleppakangas2795]

Baby man needs his own games

[@arandomlizard3411]

You should talk about games where almost all of the content is player generator, like Super mario maker, or Geometry dash.

[@gamernick1533]

I've been pondering this exact thing for the last few weeks as a consumer. I used to have myself set for incredibly long play periods, weekend long gaming sessions hacking my way through some epic RPG. Even though my time constraints are more or less the same I'm finding it incredibly hard to get into or get excited about those types of games. If I can't get something meaningful and satisfied done in 20-40 minutes I'm just not invested in it, even though I may well keep going back in the same evening and play multiple rounds of that game. I've been trying to get back into Skyrim again but find myself being bored before my 20-30 minutes stint is up and I want to get some work/housework/video watching done, only being able to feel like I have completed something to a satisfactory level after 2-3x that length of time. I mourn my lack of interest like I had but ultimately games with short, repeatable and replayable bursts are earning a lot off my (and others like me) dime. It's not as rich and rewarding as it used to be but so much more flexible and gives a much more frequent reward for that short attention-spanned mind.

[@halfsasquatch]

I've actually had similar issues because Depression/AD

[@kingjames4886]

game session length in the 90s: about 10 days straight for decades game session length in 2020: about 5 minutes before you spend money then quit cuz that was the core mechanic of the game

[@FernandoSegovia701]

Until you had to put another coin in the machine. I don't get people complaining about modern games, there are tons of great games that come out every year for everyone to enjoy. If you find that some type of game isn't your thing, just try another one.

[@kingjames4886]

@@FernandoSegovia701 why did your computer take coins? I've tried about a dozen games over the last year and they're all focused on making you spend more money rather than being a good value.

[@FernandoSegovia701]

@@kingjames4886 the Witcher 3, Kingdom come deliverance, Fortnite, overwatch, mass effect, dragon age, hearts of iron, Undertale, Minecraft and many more. Those are just a few games that were released in the 2010's and are easily enjoyable. You must not play many games to say that today games are just spending money

[@Lasair517]

@@FernandoSegovia701 Witcher 3, KCD, HoI 4, MC and Factorio are games I've personally gotten so much value out of, and can still find many more hours of worthwhile experiences in.

[@Simalacrum]

This video made me progressively more concerned about the health of the binge gamer character. :P

[@marblethunder4323]

Simalacrum When cobwebs start forming on your pizzaboxes, it's time to get out and excercise. For 30 mins, then it's back to 3hr play sessions.

[@spiderRukuraka]

+MarbleThunder my play sessions are usually 8 hours...... Wow..... Im proud.... Kind... Of....

[@dragonhartt6070]

Simalacrum one time I stayed up for 48+ hours of playing ,and downloading mods for TES: oblivion without getting tired... I ended up walking around with an imaginary keyboard and mouse the next day... I have no regrets.

[@MrMrtvozornik]

Dragon Hartt 52 is my record. Dark Souls is the prize. I had weird bug that didn't allow me to save and load, restarting game every time I close her ( I just downloaded it again and it was fine), so I REFUSED to go to sleep. Best part is: I got to 52 hours, then... power... went... OUT!!! It wasn't even my physical body that stopped me playing >.

[@MrMrtvozornik]

pwnmonkeyisreal B-bu-but, I always do things in ''turns''.

[@camdendalessio9076]

"Later, we might even do an episode about design tricks that allow us to deliver a satisfying play session in a shorter amount of time" Yes please

[@StevenBryceWroten]

Persona 5 is the best example I can think of for a super long game that feels satisfying to play for even just a short period of time, since you're always choosing something.

[@GnarledStaff]

I just realized that I don't play games before I have to leave the house because I expect 2 hour long game sessions. (For example right now as I have an appt. in like 4-5 hours and might not play any games because by the time I've dealt with morning stuff I'll only have 1-3 hours to play. ) Thanks for making me think!

[@mini-mei]

I love how the binging girl gets 'worse' every time she pops up. Also, nice subtle hint that games can be an activity parents can engage in with their children.

[@Eroamagorath]

i find it amazing how poe serves so well the "addicted", the casual and the weekend player. the first would have fun making builds to get to t16, in the middle we'd have those guys who mostly finnish the league at merciless or t1-t5 maps and then for those who have really little time, it can be very pleasant to just stay at normal mode in solo self found, reading the lore perhaps...you also have races for you to have fun in 1 hour or 1/2 hour

[@Sauronisbest]

When it showed WoW on "Forever", I started crying.

[@RAID3N_2013]

Yay Vi at 4:20! Good episode guys, I really love how y'all tackle the stuff that we as players don't often think about.

[@PhazonBlaxor]

I've been working on my game for couple of months now and this hasn't crossed my mind at all, really important stuff. As a beginner game designer I really find your videos interesting and useful. Keep it up!

[@NomishStratus11]

Best EC episode ever! This one totally get me as for where I am in my life. Recently I have had to quit some of my favorite or have dropped them because of time constraints leading into unsatisfying game play. I hope a lot of companies see this episode so they can cater better to the desires of busy lives.

[@mellytempest]

I just want to thank you, James, Scott, and Other Other Dan for doing this mini-series so to speak! I've always wondered about the attempts to make games more 'friendly' to the time of the players so to speak. Trying not to attempt and manipulate them into playing the game far longer than it really should be played. It's just been difficult for me to properly word it since of course I'm obviously not part of the games industry and I don't know what the proper terms it, if its really an issue at all, and etc. Since you introduced the concept of 'Humane Design' to me and others and fleshed it out with these follow up videos, it's been a great source of both entertainment (with much credit going to Other Other Dan and Scott and the funny art here) and important information about this topic that should and must be talked about thanks to the tidal wave of manipulative Pay-to-Win, Skinner Box games that are out there. Again thanks! The game industry and its nuances, has always fascinated me since I started following game development, news, and others more carefully in the past few years. The channel is just helping me understand it a little bit better and it's been a great help.

[@Gornodd]

If every dev would work his way through all EC episodes bevore diving into the code, we would have a much better gaming world

[@BionicDirector117]

Perhaps. Developers are definitely taking notice of them.

[@kaziislam2785]

Gornodd Someone at the AAA companies should just find this channel.

[@BionicDirector117]

Kazi Islam Creative Assembly petitioned them to make their series on Roman history, which ultimately let to Extra History. AAA studios have taken notice already.

[@Overhazard]

BionicDirector117 Developers are definitely taking notice. For the most part, it seems to be project heads and rank-and-file who are passionate about making great games. I don't hear as much from business leaders and AAA companies though.

[@rhill571]

Gornodd There's a case to be made for going ahead and making stuff though. You learn more from practice, and having the context of experience will help frame the videos.

[@BlueEngland]

Look that father looked like he'd care so much about his child

[@tand0r]

also noice the time of the year you're releasing your game (specially if your demography is highschoolers or college students and your game isn't designed to be perpetual). for example, a long-session game may benefit more from being released in a holiday period.

[@starshooter1668]

when i play videogames its always binge play or no play and i dont know why. ive finished firewatch in one setting, buuut its a pretty short game.

[@bavarianmapper4566]

You should make an episode on the Switch's Parental Control settings

[@hm-fb2zj]

This is what's killing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for me! I really want to be able to pick it up once a week for maybe an hour or a few, but every time I boot it up there's such an infodump that I feel like I'd need to binge the entire game in one sitting like a novel and a movie combined in order to actually enjoy it fully.

[@SamuriX2010]

I love how everytime we cut to the binge gaming we see more and more food. GOSH DANG! is the best ginger ale!

[@Radrakan]

Awesome Penny Arcade reference guys :)

[@mowdownjoe]

Made me wonder if the PA guys were talking to them again.

[@violatesparity]

Also loved the appearance of Vi. Vi for Life.

[@elim_inator]

This video just reminded me of why I didn't play more than ten levels of Pokémon Shuffle on 3DS while I have probably played about a thousand levels on the mobile version by now and still pick it up every day. When I play on my 3DS, I want to play for at least 30 minutes straight, while on my phone I don't really mind putting it down after five minutes.

[@AnApePlaysMinecraft]

I'm homebrewing a D&D story for some friends. They're the type of folk that like to immerse themselves in the world once a week. I'm a full time college student, so making time to build an in-depth story is difficult. I'm not sure how to efficiently use my time to write a 3-4hour play session every week or so, so I'd like some pointers from people who have maybe been making games for far longer and know the ropes. I don't have to reach that many people, I just have to keep them engaged. Near the end of our last session, they were burned out after a relatively larger scale battle, but they didn't yet finish their quest. I sort of prodded them along through the last ten minutes, but they'd lost most of their enthusiasm. Should a play session always have combat, or should their be times of pure fetch-questing and other such explorations? Maybe even sessions devoted to learning the intricacies of the world and it's cultures? I'm not sure how well it would fly, so again: anyone experienced enough with this to point me in the right direction? Please do so.

[@madmanmaverick6725]

I've run into similar issues with very similar life circumstance of my own. There are some channels on youtube that focus on this very thing. GM'ing is a challenging role to play, I like to think of it as facilitating a collaborative story between a group of people rather than being the sole storyteller. Useful sources: "How to be a Great Game Master" kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4KrgnxsraZ3rZY "Geek & Sundry" Hope this helps!

[@ZetHololo]

No, sessions DO NOT have to include battles! I had players who session after session just talked and discussed current events. It really depends. My advice: look at your players for clues. See if they are tired or satisfied with what they just did. Try finishing your game sessions on a high note, or on a cliffhanger. In my experience it is ALWAYS better to pick up next week fresh than to drag on until conclusion. Hope it helps!

[@AnApePlaysMinecraft]

Thanks! It does. :)

[@jessicaw7960]

Danganronpa needs an hour and a half long play session to feel satisfying (sometimes even longer). It's still a fun game though!

[@Gamebuster1990]

This is probably one of the most informative videos you guys have made. Good job :)

[@jimmyc.491]

Man, I love how the end credits change right on the beat.

[@pilouuuu]

Lately my favourite games regarding play sessions have been: - The Binding of Isaac - you can play one run through the game, which could last some 20 minutes and you feel satisfied and it helps a lot that the game is procedurally generated, so each time you have a fresh experience and you may unlock different items, which gives you the feeling that you accomplished something that will last. - Hearthstone - you can pick it up anytime, play a short game that lasts 15 minutes on the PC, tablet or mobile. The fact that you compete against another human makes it more fun and the lovely art and great sound makes playing this a real joy - The Witcher 3 - the game is massive, but you can pick it up and complete a quest in some 30 minutes, so you feel like you made an achievement and since most quests are amazing you will have enjoyed a short story. I also love that there's a reminder of where you are in the main quest as a loading screen, so every time you boot the game you don't have to try to remember what the hell was going on. If you are not in a mood for fighting you can collect flowers while enjoying the beautiful landscape or play Gwent, the card game inside the game! This is a game that respects your time unlike the incredibly disappointing Dragon Age: Inquisition which is full of filler quests.

[@argolake8623]

3:17 Is that Jerry’s Game?

[@foxdoc72]

Someone help that poor binger, that is NOT a healthy diet

[@funyarinpamaster]

Foxdoc I mean... Everything in moderation. If you plan on binging for 2-3 days, just work on eating the best you can the rest of the week It’s when you binge for more than 3 days that you should probably go for maybe like a smoothie or some kind of healthier snack instead. But like who even has more than 3 days of times on their hands am I right

[@shaxxmeer]

@@funyarinpamaster me Suddenly I have a lot of empty time to fill

[@shaxxmeer]

Who actually only plays COD for just 30 minutes

[@Violaphobia]

Right? 0 min is the optimal session for sure

[@Lasair517]

I've seen a parent of a baby play CoD, the sessions weren't even that long most of the time.

[@Sayoko-Von-Silve]

Am I the only one craving "Puffs!" and "Gosh Dang!" after this video? Also, some very good processes for future game devs I believe! An enjoyable episode. -_I'll Be Watching._

[@ChaosDX1]

This episode really speaks to me. Lately my life's been busier than ever and I've had to put down games that just require too long of a play session to get any enjoyment out of it in favor of cheap puzzle games on my portable device. It's been very important for me to find games with short sessions, but I hope I'll find time for those really immersive adventures again soon.

[@statusx4629]

Did not work today, watched KZbin instead. Important design choice was made: changed the viability of a miniscule feature from 1 to 5. Probably worth more than the rest of my week.

[@beckettfordahl5450]

I have a weird urge to buy Puffs now

[@Lager200]

Having recently started a full time job, this is very relevant to me. I am now having to search for a couple of hours a week to play games, when before it was easy to spend a few hours each day playing. As people grow up their circumstances and priorities change. Sigh... I miss those mammoth 7hr play sessions in my youth.

[@ominouscap5813]

I love your content. It is so informative and shows the side of gaming not many talk about. More people need to know about this channel. I will do what I can to spread the word about your content.

[@cake5339]

OMG. When I just saw vi towards the end of the video, I phreaked out. I love LoL from the bottom of my heart, and seeing her finally in one of your videos makes me ecstatic.

[@kurisu7885]

There was a VERY interesting story reminder system I once saw. Wild Arms 3 back on the Playstation 2. Each time you loaded your save an animated intro would play, sort of like, well, an anime, and the intro changed depending on how far into the gamer you were, it would show any new characters or villains you encountered to visually remind you where you were in the story. An extremely cool idea.

[@DaikoruArtwin]

At job, we have 15 minute breaks and 30 minute lunch. This means that we barely have anytime to do anything, but since everyone at job is a gamer, everyone wants to play a video game of course. Currently, The majority is on Smash 4, because not only can we just chain a few short battles, but even that small amount of time is extremely satisfying, even after a few months! This is a great example for this episode!

[@Doominator10]

I'm not entirely sure why but that effect at 5:21 was very satisfying.

[@spenceduggs]

I'd like a glass of Gosh Dang!, please.

[@nicholascooper945]

Want some Puffs? I got some bags!

[@msebasg]

Nicholas Cooper hell yeah sign me up for that shit!

[@adembroski]

Is there Diet Gosh Dang!? I love how the trash accumulating around the binge player became a storyline of its own. Like an Extra Credits side quest.

[@jimmyc.491]

Never, never, NEVER play your 3DS while eating spaghetti. X )

[@haitrieulienthanh9851]

James Cain why? 😂👍

[@MrTouchFish]

I just finished Outland, and thought they did this very well. The game saves after each stage, which take about 10-30 minutes each to complete. I felt satisfied after leaving each area, but there are also "worlds" which consist of multiple stages and can take 1-3 hours each. Those are satisfying for longer play sessions as well.

[@drowsyowl6149]

This series of humane design in games has been really interesting and informative. Thank you for going through this important topic. It really makes you look games from a different angle.

[@dnightwalker]

A great complement to this topic is the concept of "Venues" as explained in chapter 3 of Jesse Schell's "Art of Game Design". In short there are 3 types of venues (Private, Public and Private-Public) and each one has a different experience attached to it. When designing your game you need to take this into consideration because which one you choose will impact many aspects of your game. Like we saw in this video it impacts the playing sessions, but another example is the platform you want to launch the game in. The book does a far better job at explaining this, so I recommend picking up the second edition and giving it a read.

[@borgiedash4348]

6:54 - Nice episode, really enioy... what? Is that a Mana Fortress remix? Caught me off guard really ;)

[@FlAWD12]

I love this, and I believe all game designers should take it to heart. As a father of a 1.5 year old daughter, I barely get 1-2 hours a week of game play, and the more rewarding, the better!

[@elvastan]

my favorit snack food is puffs puffs @2:21

[@engleberteverything421]

I just feel sorry for the guy with the baby

[@reireyes1275]

I've been rooting for him. I think he'll be a good dad.

[@UserNameAnonymous]

Don't feel sorry. Being a dad gamer is so much better.

[@Bliced]

on that last bit about 80 hour rpgs being too exclusive I think its worth noting that most of those 80 hour rpgs appeal to niche audiences who want that already. Most 80 hour rpgs don't get good review scores or a lot of advertising. But the Niche group is reliable, ussualy keeps themselves up to date on when they come out and I feel like the game is designed with that in mind. Thats why they usually have special editions with bonus art and soundtracks, even on systems (ds for example) that you wouldn't normally get that for. Niche games kinda require a different view.

[@vincentvallyhoo3820]

Cute parent/kid combo! =D Awesome job this week guys!

[@LianSirenia]

Awesome episode, so many things that make perfect sense in the end and seem obvious but just aren't in a typical "I want to make a game" vision when people like me are imagining what they would want to make.

[@ryanharrelson6935]

This reminded me of Bravely Default (2014) on 3DS. Bravely Default actually rewarded you for having your system in sleep mode while the game was on and because of that it was the only game I played for a while on my 3DS instead of switching it out for other games from time to time. This doesn't have too much to do with play sessions per say, but disregarding the monetizing, it was a pretty cool feature.

[@henkwaterlander3038]

Meanwhile at Paradox: Yeah, we just want you to play one game.. from 769 till 1936.

[@Drawxne]

The platform consideration when it comes to play sessions I feel was spot-on. It perfectly explained why I consider the major console port of Resident Evil Revelations to be somewhat inferior to its original 3DS release. The game was designed with pick-up-and-put-down-on-the-go accessibility of a mobile gaming system in mind, which is why it was broken up into bite-sized chapters with multiple checkpoints, with the start of each chapter giving us a handy refresher on what happened prior to where we left off. Because the port retained this pacing of expecting you to just play for 10-15 minutes at a time, it felt awkward on a home console where you usually play for an hour or so in one sitting.

[@buck5200]

THAT DAD AND KID OR WHATEVER THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS ARE SO ADORABLE AAAAA

[@wolliveryoutube]

I really like that "Will Dev 4 Food" slide. I almost want a T-shirt of it!

[@Uatemysoul]

Monster hunter I think has a very good grasp of play session, for a example. Most quests can take anywhere from 5 mins to 25 mins for the more difficult ones, and sub quests let you leave the more difficult ones with something if you as a player run out of time. Gathering missions depending on what you are looking for can be completed in no time at all so grabbing one while on a lunch break is not bad, and it gets some of the games more tedious game play done with when you have real world things you have to do. I remember bringing monster hunter freedom unite with me to school and in between class or after my work was done. 5 to 20 min time spans that I could do really anything I wanted. Now Looking back to the original monster hunter they did not really think this out. I don't mind sitting down to a console game when I have 6 hours or so but when I need 20 iron to make a piece of equipment and I have to sit there not really enjoying what I am doing I would much rather it be on a hand held because then I can walk around and not be in one space,alone.

[@GrecoRichard]

I think you should have brought up the idea of loading times into your discussion. Some games could be very satisfying to play for 30 minutes, but with massive load times it cute into that time like crazy. BLOOOOOODBOOOOORNE!

[@OtakuNoShitpost]

Totally agree on that last point. That's probably why I've been finding myself picking up Shovel Knight and Battle Network more than Musou game, because I don't have to devote 30 minutes to an hour for one progress unit. It's also because I can multitask and listen to a podcast whilst I play, as there isn't as much to pay attention to.

[@davidgold3nrose]

Speaking of play sessions, today I was playing skyrim and I said to my little brother 'after I complete this objective I'll get off to do homework and you can play" . Next thing I know a FRIGGIN DRAGON attacks me. It's part of the game but MAN WAS THAT BAD TIMING.

[@gustavowadaslopes2479]

Skyrim is the type of Game where the play session is so rewarding the game traps you to keep playing. I remember letting it open on my Computer and playing at any given amount of time I had.

[@alexdavid878]

Not gaming related but I loved the "Gosh Dang" soda and the sequel landing on the DLC head hahaha.

[@snacksy7754]

I am already a huge PUFFS fan! lol

[@ZorlockDarksoul]

I chuckled at the PA watch reference. Nicely done.

[@Silvershockwave]

Something else to consider is how you want to deal with the player being interrupted in the middle of a game. Being able to pause cutscenes or even close the game and return exactly where you left of is pretty invaluable these days. Also the inclusion of the "borderless fullscreen" mode is another great thing, especially for PC games, as it allows you to talk with friends in multiple different chat clients, and immediately return to the game, without having to wait for the whole screen to rerender. Game interrupts will happen with ANY game, and sometimes I feel like developers completely forget that players have real lives, that demand their attention. I know this is part of the Exit Points topic, but I feel it should really be emphasized more these days, because it can be the reason why I will stop playing a game.

[@fireaza]

"Gosh Dang!" is a great name for a soft drink :D

[@Pluveus]

2:21 Gabe and Tycho for the win, nice shout out to EC's roots.

[@Antivita]

I'm currently playing both Mass Effect (I'm finally playing 3 again) and Shadow of Modor. Both of them have great understanding of what a play session should be. In Mass Effect 3, each mission takes me roughly half an hour or so. Which is great because when I take a break from work, I can knock out a mission, level up from that mission, and advance in the story. It's serves my lifestyle quite well. Shadow of Modor is a bit better to me at this. For one, you have missions and little challenges that you can do that range from half an hour to as little as ten minutes. If I want to accomplish something more, I go with a mission, if I just want to set something up for a larger reward (building an Orc army), you get the satisfaction of a short-term to an eventual long term goal. Which is kind of neat. I noticed my attention span has shortened dramatically as I got older (I'm in the dad scenario). As much as I'd love to play Final Fantasy VII again, I know to get true satisfaction out of it, I'd need to start playing it, for hours - a lot of hours. Something I just don't have anymore.

[@whhyyyyyyyyyy]

im glad about shorter play sessions since as you pointed out in the sharing our medium episode our medium requires time like no other. let me tell you a story i was once excited for AC revelaions. (Yeah you can stop laughing now.) So when i got the game i wanted to take a big first bite. (3 hours in a row) not unreasonable one might say, however between school and having a girlfriend and the people i used to live with deciding that im always avalable for whatever they need besides me looking like im really focussed on something. it took me A MONTH to find the time to get the game session i wanted. a 3+ hour gamesession is something you can't expect from modern players anymore and believe me we wish we could dedicade that kind of time to a game we love.

[@dexis9412]

3:11 jerrys game from Rick and Morty

[@appaloosahill4499]

I currently have a lot of free time so I binge on games almost everyday ( besides Tuesday's and Thursday's ) and I thought this was helpful for bringing my gaming addiction to a stand still

[@felixmortem1177]

I play Europa Universalis for 8-10 hours at a time, consuming streams from my favorite Europa Universalis streamer while playing

[@KingKiinankaali]

The design-trick thing that you teased seems super interesting!

[@majorsmask]

An mmo I played for a while released an update a while ago and as part of the log of information about each individual quest it features an approximate time for how long each quest takes to complete; so you can choose which quest you want to complete based on how much time you have (I think you can even sort the quests by approximate time to complete). Regardless longer quests are split into smaller tasks opening up exit points. So I definitely see what you mean about mmos near the end of the video

[@christophhofland8890]

Good episode. Maybe next you could talk about pointers for satisfying gameplay loops? Since it does tie in so nicely with exit points and play sessions. Just off the top of my head like how league of legends gameplay loop is fairly frenetic, only to get near frantic near the end of the 20-30 min play session and offers a obvious exit point. Or a MMO has a pretty level play loop, ( based on the activity your doing,) with no identifiable end to the loop if done right, and games like Diablo 3 where expertise in the game is often measured in how quickly one can cycle through a single gameplay loop, the faster the better. Just for examples of good loops.