Hmmmm...I've never timed my gameplay in hours... never quantified it... just dived in. But I'll try to break it down.
Too short a game, I'd estimate would be 1 sitting of about 6 or less hours.
Normal gameplay time for me is, maybe a month's worth of weekends, a handful of hours each?
I'd consider that to be about the right amount of time. Depending on the difficulty of the game, maybe I'll spend 6 weeks, or like Belgar, I could be stuck for
months. When I'm in the game for a long time, that means I like it (I'd 'bail' if I didn't). I
do try to savor the good ones... that is, stretch out the time I play.
I always expect to get my money's worth, and I'll 'second' what Mad said about questioning value for money if the gameplay is too short... even a fun, good game.
I think we may all be saying --pretty much-- the same things in a variety of different ways, with an emphasis on quality rather than duration; and consideration for our over-BAAGS-stressed budgets.
It's hard to quantify hours of play, value & game quality. If it were me, I'd make the best game I could that would engage a player for a long time... and keep the cost under $20 USD... just what I would expect to
get when I buy a game.
Hey Skye, hope you're not sorry you asked!