My standard has always been 1€ per 2 hours (not counting cutscenes). However that initial price is taken on faith that a game will deliver those hours.
The more you ask as an initial investment the more people will have to search for alternative methods of finding out if a game has the content to warrant the price, and since most games are hands-on experiences....well
Last game I bought was after playing alot of it. Yarrr.
Played it because streamers I enjoy played it and it looked fun and accessible to me.
I thought "this is a very original and fun take on the genre, the translation is very well done, and I want to tell the devs they made something great despite my very limited budget".
When it went on sale for about 20 dollars I bought it on GOG. I would not have paied at all had the price been too high.
No "always online + microtransactions look at how woke our game is" cancer. I can download the install file, save it on a USB key and install it when and where I want.
Just a silly colony-building survival with original water management mechanics, because beavers.
That doesn't mean I must play the game for 60 hours.
Reflecting on it, talking to others about it, those count too. A short game with a deeply impactful something to it that makes me enjoy it beyond the time I'm playing it is a perfectly valid interpretation of the "dollar per hour" rule.
My standard has always been 1€ per 2 hours (not counting cutscenes). However that initial price is taken on faith that a game will deliver those hours.
The more you ask as an initial investment the more people will have to search for alternative methods of finding out if a game has the content to warrant the price, and since most games are hands-on experiences....well
Last game I bought was after playing alot of it. Yarrr.
Played it because streamers I enjoy played it and it looked fun and accessible to me.
I thought "this is a very original and fun take on the genre, the translation is very well done, and I want to tell the devs they made something great despite my very limited budget".
When it went on sale for about 20 dollars I bought it on GOG. I would not have paied at all had the price been too high.
No "always online + microtransactions look at how woke our game is" cancer. I can download the install file, save it on a USB key and install it when and where I want.
Just a silly colony-building survival with original water management mechanics, because beavers.
( Timberborn ).
If it's a time sink that isn't enjoyable then I simply don't count it.
A game needs to have fun and engaging gameplay. If the gameplay is a mindless grind then I'd rather play something else.
I must enjoy a game for a dollar per hour.
That doesn't mean I must play the game for 60 hours.
Reflecting on it, talking to others about it, those count too. A short game with a deeply impactful something to it that makes me enjoy it beyond the time I'm playing it is a perfectly valid interpretation of the "dollar per hour" rule.