I no longer have any interest in short games. If it's not something complex or deep that I can really sink my teeth into then I don't want to bother with it. I hate tutorials, I hate all the exposition at the start of games, I just want to get through all of that and spend hours exploring or progressing. I want to think about my next step while I'm at work then get home and spend a few more hours working toward a goal or uncovering the world. I like games that I spend months playing.

That doesn't apply to games that are pure game-play with high replay value, though. I still play tower defense games that make you think or try new tactics, for example.

Statistics show that most people who play video-games only play a very few titles. The people who play a bunch of different games have become the outliers.

I more or less agree.

I disagree: less is less and more is more.

If less or more is better/prefered is totally subjective.

All I know is, the 2-3 hours of content in Starfox was vastly more enjoyable to me than the nearly hundred hours I sunk into Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Quality > quantity. 

I'd rather eat a small bar of chocolate than massive hunk of plain bread.

But quality and quantity aren't mutually exclusive. For example Clair Obscur, Baldur's Gate 3, Breath of the Wild, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3.

I love to play great short games AND great long games.

True, personally though I tend to prefer concentrated content; while there are games that manage to keep things well paced and fun over a long period of time, I find a lot of longer games tend to drag after a while.

I've only found a relative few that have managed to keep me engaged for the long haul; BOTW/TOTK, Witcher 3, the (numbered) Xenoblade and Monster Hunter series, for instance.

Guess I'm just a bit of an impatient bastard at the end of the day, lulz

I think it's about balance. Sometimes less is less, sometimes more is more. It's really a case-by-case basis, depending on whether features/content are included purposefully and with care so that it reinforces the experience rather than padding game time or putting checks in boxes.

Witcher 3 is a masterwork as far as quests are concerned, Cyberpunk 2077 has all sorts of features that are fully integrated into the gameplay, but then there are trendchasers. Halo Infinite multiplayer has too much going on with the HUD and it would probably be better if it was more rudimentary. Sometimes a crafting system is thrown in for the sake of having one, while Dark Souls has a very well-balanced upgrade system instead.

It could be a good philosophy for devs, though, the less-is-more approach. Could keep them focused on what's important instead of demanding glut. I think I just talked myself into Less is More as a development philosophy rather than a measuring stick for content. If devs focus on the important stuff and knock it out of the park, it doesn't matter if there's less or more, because it's the best version of itself, and I'd rather less be best than more be mid.

Well said! (And welcome to the forums. :) Always love seeing new faces around here. LMK if you’ve got any questions or concerns. Glad to see you’ve got your pfp set up.)