Found this article via a link at CERN, but just as I was reading it started to fade away... I managed to grab a shot of it.

Click image to see full page!

The indie community is responding to this simple but age old question...

Does Length Matter?

See the end of my short comment on this topic for links to other indie developers blogs.

Take my current game Save The Silly Earthlings it's out as an Alpha release and as it migrated from a board game (it had too many counters moving about).

Now the game takes you on a fast foward throught to the end of this century, but how long should a game that would take about 90 years in real time to play through really take.

Most board games take about 30-60 mins and allow for a number of players to take turns, computer games tend to provide a single player against opponents to play from anywhere from a few minutes to 40+ hours.

I could release it as a real time game and hope that people are willing to play it for the next 90 years or speed up the game world a bit so it condenses 90 years down to 10-20 minutes.

But that isn't the real issue as it has to hold the players attention, now at the moment the game although relativly complex under the hood, is very simple to play but lacks in variety...

Now what if games like films could be fast forwarded, allowing the players performance curve to be projected forwards and played out in high speed, how much of the game would people play through real time and how much would they just skim throught (even though they might miss hidden rooms, or super powerups)?

In that case as with other media how much of the content is just padding out the key story/interaction elements and how much is the essence of the experience.

Or is length subjective and the real factor 'Flow State' where the player/audience is completly immersed in the game and their experience of time is altered anyway as the game takes them into another world and lets them have fun.

I would say that it's down to the experience the player has and not the duration, if we can take them out of their world for a few moments and show them a good time surely that is all that matters.

The flip side would be if we ask for micropayments and the player doesn't last long enough should we be giving them a refund?

http://2dboy.com/2010/08/17/too-short/

http://www.hobbygamedev.com/spx/short-videogame-design/

http://nygamedev.blogspot.com/2010/08/coming-up-short.html

http://24caretgames.com/2010/08/16/does-game-length-matter/

http://www.spyeart.com/misc/gamelength_MichaelTodd.html

http://www.firehosegames.com/2010/08/how-much-is-enough/

http://www.cliffski.com/

http://spyparty.com/2010/08/16/size-doesnt-matter-day/

http://macguffingames.com/2010/if-size-doesnt-matter-where-do-you-get-the-virtual-goods

http://gamesfromwithin.com/size-matters

http://retroaffect.com/blog/160/Size_Doesn_t_Matter_Day/

http://www.copenhagengamecollective.org/2010/08/17/size-does-matter/

http://mile222.com/2010/08/a-haiku-about-game-length/

http://blog.wolfire.com/

I have had a play with a couple of game development languages/platforms recently...

Unity - An amazing 3D game development environment, but found that extra dimesion just too big and scary and it wants to be filled with glorious textured/shaded/bumpmapped polygones so not just yet.

Flixel - A great little Flash framework for throwing web based games togther.

And the language I mainly use BlitzMax, it abstracts the graphics is Object Oriented and has a great support forum and you can develope games for the PC/Mac and Linux platforms.

Now the problem is lot's of games are now free to play online or have an online version, and although Flash is nice for games it just doesn't provide the potential big screen HD platform that you can create with DirectX or OpenGL executable(BlitzMax).

Solution - Write a ActionScript to BlitzMax converter, so you can take Flixel Framework based games and convert them to BlitzMax HD big screen deluxe versions...

Now in theory I can do this, actullay I have already started working on a converter but it is very early days...

So watch this space there could be a downloadable version of "Invaders From Beyond" and other Flixel Tutorial greats such as "Hi World" coming soon...

Follow the link to see what wordle makes of my blog...

Wordle

OK I have just released Save the Silly Earthlings the Alpha version with re-worked graphics and a nice intro tune...

What you would like to play it, just follow this link and download the zipped up Alpha version for the PC...

http://SaveTheSillyEarthlings.com/

Should work on most PC's with a Windows OS, and DriectX 9 graphics card, it needs 1200 x 800 resolution or greater to work!

I'm currently working on CancerWars, I have completed the games main screens and I am in the process of bringing together the core game based partly on my prototype (it's nice particle effects thanks to TimelineFX) and hopefully a nice responsive fun environment...

Anyway the game is definitly in flux at the moment it's going in a much more cartoon style direction, which hopefully should make it more fun to play, had a few technical hitches and thankfully I think I have those niggles nailed down now, so I just need to pull together some great but simple game mechanics, iterate lots, polish even more and release (but don't hold your breath).

You may have noticed I've hired Iggy to help out he's got the job of trying to motivate people to play my games, it's early days but fingers crossed he'll chase people down and get them to surrender to a fun gaming experience from Arowx.com

He has mentioned that he would like a game of his own but Zombie games are just so common these days, maybe if he can think of something more original...

I have offered him a bit part in Attack of the Trampolining Zombie Gnomes but he doesn't want to be typcast and says he doesn't like ankle biters. ;0)

Our new hire Iggy on TV...

Sorry about that there seems to have been a techical fault with the feed...

Remember Iggy says 'Play our games, or ...' that can't be right he'll eat their brains, that can't be PC can it?

Hi there we have just hired a new developer/marketing manager Iggy...

He's dedicated and has a tireless, some would say relentless, drive to get closer to you and your gray matter.

Please give a warm welcome to Iggy ...