Were the "Last Time Played" and "Total Play Time" good ideas?

[Ikagura Ikagura]

When consoles entered the then-next generation with the PlayStation Xbox 360 and how PC games have an UI (such as Steam) they started to add those to tell players how long they've played and when was their latest session.

I think as informative it was I think that it's also detrimental to the player (especially when idling time and missclicking are counting). I also think that writing down the play time by themselves is better than being told. Some people are also flexing their playtime to appear more legitimate...


I could talk about achievements as well but it's a different subject.

 

[Clippy]

Total play time has been a thing in JRPGs since forever and I can't recall anyone complaining about the feature. Now it's simply become more universal. I don't particularly care one way or the other.

 

[SnicketySlice]

I like them because it tells me how deep into a game I am, but it does subtly change how I play them. I'm less inclined to loiter about in-game if the timer is going to call me a slow poke at the end.

 

[PhrawzT]

I don't care for total play time, because I am one of those people to leave a game running while I make lunch and often times the timer doesn't pause when you pause the game.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Total play time has been a thing in JRPGs since forever and I can't recall anyone complaining about the feature. Now it's simply become more universal. I don't particularly care one way or the other.

JRPGs sometimes only count game time except when you're in menus.

Some games are even using two separate timers (even non RPGs) but it's less common.

I don't care for total play time, because I am one of those people to leave a game running while I make lunch and often times the timer doesn't pause when you pause the game.

I got used to systematically turn off the game when not using it.

Then again I also do it for older consoles and emulators.

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

I'll be honest; it's not something I particularly think too deeply about. It would be like back in the day when I'd play Monster Hunter religiously and it shows total playtime on your file select. I'd just think "Oh, I've played this long, cool" and that was it. I feel like any other meaning someone wants to self-prescribe to things like this are extremely arbitrary in all honesty.

 

[RustySK]

I never really understood the point of total playtime stats. Unless you're speedrunning, what does your playtime even matter to you or anyone?
If anything, I usually get a bit embarassed when I look at those stats and see numbers in the hundreds.

Last played meanwhile... I mean it's a way to sort your library, I suppose? Useless to me, but I guess it might be helpful to some people.

 

[Pearly]

I don't care for total play time, because I am one of those people to leave a game running while I make lunch and often times the timer doesn't pause when you pause the game.

This is pretty much how it is for me as well. I am an enjoy the journey type, though I have been surprised by total play time on a handful of games as of when I got a ps5 as it did not really feel like I played it THAT much, but apparently I did, the timer displayed for some ps4 games like Nioh was a few hundred hours.

I never really understood the point of total playtime stats. Unless you're speedrunning, what does your playtime even matter to you or anyone?
If anything, I usually get a bit embarassed when I look at those stats and see numbers in the hundreds.

Last played meanwhile... I mean it's a way to sort your library, I suppose? Useless to me, but I guess it might be helpful to some people.

It's not the kinda flex some want to think it is, it is a flex but is it one to air out to the public? Me thinks not.

 

[Danieru-Emanyueru]

The ideas of Last Time Played and Total Play Time I think are good because they provide users with a way to track their engagement with a game that show personal history and help with the game management but they can be polarizing. Some users appreciate the data, while others may find it irrelevant or even discouraging this is depending on their gaming habits.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

All I really know is that my last activity on Steam was recorded as having played less than an hour back in 2014... And I'm fine with it XD

But yeah, some people can really obsess over that and make rather unhinged decisions to match, beat or double their times, which isn't really the developers' fault.

HOWEVER, I think this info shouldn't be visible to just about anyone -- I don't like how certain platforms show other users just how deeply into any given game players are. That, I consider invasive.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

HOWEVER, I think this info shouldn't be visible to just about anyone -- I don't like how certain platforms show other users just how deeply into any given game players are. That, I consider invasive.

You can hide your Steam library from non friends but I agree about it.

 

[pissstain]

yeah i love seeing how much of my life i waste in a vidya makes me feel like im doing something lol but tbh who gives a shit that much like why would writing the time down be any different than steam telling you lol

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

I don't like the fact they can't keep an internal offline clock on Steam of what you play and how long when you return back to online. I play quite a lot of different games offline and on the go and when I come home it's a simple Bejeweled clone that I can't post the name of here. Ruins my gamer cred but profile is private so I shouldn't feel too bad but I do. If it weren't for that I wouldn't have a problem with time collected.

 

[Clippy]

it's a simple Bejeweled clone that I can't post the name of here

 

[bjork]

I liked it when I needed to know how long it had been since I played Stanley Parable, there's an achievement you unlock by not playing it for five years. Turns out I had not played for six, but I had no idea. But I liked it less when I saw I'd played 700+ hours of Fallout 76, that was a "what the hell are you doing, you idiot?" moment.

I don't like the fact they can't keep an internal offline clock on Steam of what you play and how long when you return back to online. I play quite a lot of different games offline and on the go and when I come home it's a simple Bejeweled clone that I can't post the name of here. Ruins my gamer cred but profile is private so I shouldn't feel too bad but I do. If it weren't for that I wouldn't have a problem with time collected.

Is it Huniepop. The red haired girl is funny and does drugs

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

Is it Huniepop. The red haired girl is funny and does drugs

Huh I guess I own that on GOG but I never used the launcher so that can't shame me. Not naming.

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

Might be the 'tism speaking for me but I prefere having my playtime catalogued by a system because it makes it easier to manage my gaming habbits and to realize when I've been playing too long and am liable to fuck my eyes up or whatever.

Sometimes, it's also good to be able to tell how long I'm liable to have left by comparing it to the HowLongToBeat rating as well.

 

[Rocket2049]

I like it, cause some people lie/don't remember their gameplay time and say numbers out their ass
like, i don't even like "howlongtobeat" it's VERY inaccurate.
and HUGELY variable
perfect examples:
any game with a difficulty setting,
any game with new game plus,
any game with DLC especially the kind that give you stupid overpowered boosts

but yeah i like seeing my game times, oh i spent 100 hours on this, it's a nice feeling.
i'm the kinda player that reloads the last save if I was idle too long, or did something really dumb
i don't speedrun anything but there are times i replay a game just to see how quick i can do it.

 

[King Torro]

I find the play time useful. Especially after I complete a longish game for the first time, I can use it as a quick reference on how long the game takes roughly with my particular play style. "Last time played" is also a good reminder to go back to a game that I was enjoying, but knock out of momentum for.

 

[Additional Damage]

1000+ hours in Freelancer.

Just wandering in space, visiting stars and planet systems, searching for hidden treasures, and playing in space pirate. And I still have that savegame and can continue in anytime. And I will.
So: 1000+ hours. I'm a space pirate, oh yeah!

And I spent few YEARS of real life in Vangers.

Few. Years. That's all you should know.

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

I like it, cause some people lie/don't remember their gameplay time and say numbers out their ass
like, i don't even like "howlongtobeat" it's VERY inaccurate.
and HUGELY variable
perfect examples:
any game with a difficulty setting,
any game with new game plus,
any game with DLC especially the kind that give you stupid overpowered boosts

but yeah i like seeing my game times, oh i spent 100 hours on this, it's a nice feeling.
i'm the kinda player that reloads the last save if I was idle too long, or did something really dumb
i don't speedrun anything but there are times i replay a game just to see how quick i can do it.

Yeah if your'e gonna rely on HLTB it's going to give you a vague idea at gametme at best.

It works best with games that have as many respondands as possible, since that gives you a better impression of the AVG time it takes to beat it.

 

[Turbo Kid]

I hate all stat tracking in video games and would be perfectly fine with it all being abolished forever.

 

[Jangiku]

It's a neat stat to have tracked if you ever get curious but sometimes, I wish I didn't know how much time I have spent in certain games...

 

[freebie#47]

*Looks at previous rpg game saves capped at 99 hours

uh, sure why not. Unfortunely Xbox series X/S doesn't keep track if you don't use internet. Good thing as my 7D2D wasn't properly keeping up even though I put over 1000 hours. LV 300 is stupid, had to set everyday as bloodmoon with exp boost helped but that took 23 ingame days just to get even the last 30 levels.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

Never seen it as a problem, can help people who are sticklers for schedules and whatever. As for last played, don't think that matters unless is one of those games that has dailies, for people who just have bad memory.

For how long to beat, I prefer when save files keep the time played instead, overall total play time becomes annoying for tracking progress when replaying.