I agree. The thing that I dislike the most about modern gaming is; playing any AAA title, the cost doesn't justify the experience. I can get an indie game for half the cost, none of the crunch time cruelty, and many hours of gameplay. I don't need to compromise. Bigger studios don't see that.

Too right! Honestly, that was a fun romp, and worth every penny, because the story was so good I DO replay it. Hell, I replayed it just earlier this year in fact. When the controls feel right, and the plot is solid, I love revisiting a good game.

I didn't enjoy Last of Us 2 the way I could have. I felt guilty playing it. I just want companies to say that's the reason for the wait and to mean it. "Yeah, we don't want to harm our workers" is a valid excuse to push back a deadline. I won't ever buy a long duration crunch time game again.

What I don't understand is, why is the industry trying to pretend they need to provide so much, when that padding isn't good? 20-60 hours on average is enough for a game. Unless the game is an MMO, or city builder, I just want a solid journey. I don't need that journey to consume my life.

I think this is why the small indie market has been flourishing. That's not to say small indie games can't make gigantic games, some do. Thankfully, most of those games expand over the course of years of development in early access, not initial release.

It's all over the place. Look at swing shifts in retail during the holiday season as another example where understaffed/overworked employees face long hours with little reprieve in sight. Crunch mentality is common everywhere, the gaming/anime industry just takes it to the next level horrifically.

Yep, I feel that one.