Super Smash Bros. creator sparks debate on long games in the fighting game community
The creator of Super Smash Bros. has sparked a heated online debate with their thoughts on long games, with players from across the spectrum weighing in with their agreement and disagreement over lengthy video game experiences. In a recent interview, Masahiro Sakurai talked about his thoughts on long games, igniting a flurry of discussion among gamers.
“Long games are bad,” Sakurai says. “They’re bad for the players and they’re bad for the developers.” The famed game designer then goes on to talk about how a long game’s length can be detrimental to both players and developers, which I’ll talk about more in a bit.
“I think it’s important to have a game that people who have never played games can pick up and play,” Sakurai says. “And I also think it’s important to have a game that people who have played games their whole lives can enjoy.”
This is where Sakurai talks about how long games require a significant amount of time from players, which can be a barrier to entry for many people. He points out that not everyone has the luxury of devoting hours upon hours to a single game, especially with busy schedules and other responsibilities.
“I don’t have the luxury of playing a game for three years,” Sakurai says, referencing the development time of some long games. “I don’t think most people do.” He then goes on to talk about the strain that long game development puts on developers, as it often leads to crunch time and burnout.
“I think if we could reduce the length of the development cycle and make it so the developers don’t have to work themselves to death, then we can make a game that’s fun for both the players and the developers,” Sakurai says. He then suggests that shorter, more concise games could provide a better experience for players and alleviate the pressure on developers.
I want to talk about this from the perspective of game design and pacing
There are definitely some games that feel rushed and lack in content because the developers didn’t have enough time to flesh out the full vision for their game.
However, I’ve played a lot of really well-crafted, tightly paced shorter games that felt just as rich and immersive as longer games. The key is that the developers knew exactly what they wanted to accomplish and how they wanted to convey that to players.
I’m all for shorter games, but they do have to be well-crafted and paced well to be satisfying. If a shorter game is poorly designed, or feels incomplete because it was rushed, then that’s definitely bad.
