I think this argument frames games the wrong way. A game isn’t an obligation you “finish,” it’s a world you choose to spend time in.
Red Dead Redemption 2, Skyrim, Fallout, Cyberpunk 2077… these games aren’t long because they force you to be there, they’re long because players want to stay. You can mainline them if you want. Many people don’t.
Saying “people don’t have time for 80-hour games” misses the point. Nobody schedules a game like a meeting. Depth and optionality are features, not problems.
Not every game needs that scope, sure. But when a game earns it, condensing it for the sake of time or budgets usually strips away what made it special in the first place.
