Why Don't People Finish Games?
Not every game is "beatable", but it seems that more and more games these days have a definite narrative flow-a beginning, middle, and end. But how many players actually see beyond the "beginning" of even the most critically- acclaimed games? We spoke with a number of game developers to discuss why people don't finish what they started. Here's what they had to say. -- By Sean Molloy
 Lorne Lanning, President/FounderOddworld Inhabitants, Oddworld Stranger "One thing that turns me off to a game right away.is when I feel that it's a product for product's sake and lacks any sense of passion from the folks that built it." |
 Ted Price
President/CEO; Brian Hastings, VP of Gameplay;
and Brian Allgeier, Designer
Insomniac, Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal "The three biggest pitfalls games run into are frustration, tedium, and dull storylines." |
 Dene Carter, Lead Designer, Managing Director, Programmer
Big Blue Box, Fable "I usually find that the difficulty curve on a game is usually the final nail." |
 Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, Joint CEOs and Co-Executive Producers
Bioware, Jade Empire "We consider game length extensively, partially because we've made some of the larger games around." |
 Amy Hennig, Game Director
Naughty Dog, Jak 3 "Culturally, I think our attention spans are shorter, too - - we tend to lose interest and move onto the next new thing." |
 Evan Wells, Game Director
Naughty Dog, Jak 3 "If a bug forces you to replay a difficult section of the game, you might put it down for good." |
 Dan Greenawalt, Lead Game Designer
Microsoft Game Studios, FORZA Motorsport "Mass market gamers don't seem to be as willing to spend forty hours "finishing" a game as our more hardcore audience used to." |
 Kevin Lambert, Lead Designer
Gas Powered Games, Dungeon Siege II "It's a common misconception that, all other things being equal, if a game offers more hours of gameplay than another game, then it must be better." |
