Could you play a single video game forever? There might not be any infinite books or endless films, but there are games to which people dedicate thousands, even tens of thousands, of hours. One Polish fan of the sports strategy sim Football Manager holds a Guinness World Record for spending 10,887 hours on a single campaign — that’s 453 days.
He’s not alone. Today gamers are spending more time than ever playing old games. A study from analysts Newzoo showed that the top 10 most-played games of 2023 were released, on average, seven years ago. Where gamers were once obsessed with new consoles with more advanced graphics, today technological progress is less pronounced and older games are updated continually, so many players see little reason to change games. We are entering the world of forever games. But what does this mean for the future of the medium?
There are a few traits shared by these titles. They tend to lack linear narratives, which are of less interest once you’ve seen the ending. Rather they offer systems that change each time you play: roguelike games such as The Binding of Isaac and Spelunky; deck-builders such as Slay the Spire and Hearthstone; strategy games such as Civilization and Total War.
Then there is a deeper level of intricate systemic games such as Dwarf Fortress and RimWorld, which have legions of fans online who play little else. Often forever games have active online communities, many of whom make mods to tweak the game’s graphics or gameplay. The other games that bring players back over long periods simply offer fun places to hang out; life simulations such as Animal Crossing or The Sims, or open-world games such as Grand Theft Auto or Skyrim, where there is always something new to explore.
Yet despite drawing players back over many years, these are not the games at the top of 2023’s most-played list. No, those are the “live service games”, which are usually multiplayer titles played online and regularly updated with new content. Most are free to play but make money from microtransactions. They are usually shooters, arena battles or sandbox titles, games that spark name-brand recognition far beyond the world of gamers: Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, Call of Duty.
These games strike a balance between a feeling of comfortingly familiarity and an injection of freshness that comes with each update. Sometimes these bring dramatic changes: the recent “Loot Reborn” update to the troubled Diablo IV has been so rapturously received that one critic claimed the makers had finally “fixed the game”. This month promises major new instalments to Final Fantasy XIV and Destiny 2, both of which have attracted loyal followings with complex storylines unfolding over many years.
Some of the most profitable titles, such as Fortnite and Roblox, are not just single games but platforms where players can create their own games for others to try. This cannily means developers can profit from content they didn’t create. It also points to the essential significance of community in live service games — sometimes you log on to complete missions and earn points, but you also turn up just to hang out with your friends in a virtual space that feels like home.
Over the past few years, many developers have attempted to launch new forever games to compete with the likes of Fortnite. As development costs rise, companies are naturally interested in making titles that can generate long-term profits. However, it’s punishingly tough to get it right. Two superhero-branded efforts, Marvel’s Avengers and DC’s Suicide Squad, were both excoriated by fans and critics for trying to shoehorn live service elements into games in which they didn’t feel natural. Even after a successful launch, keeping fans onside can be difficult: this year’s space shooter Helldivers 2 initially seemed a contender for the forever game pantheon, but a series of bungling changes turned the fanbase against the developer.
Big games companies keep trying to build new live service games with blind optimism. Meanwhile, today’s latest games need to compete not just against other new releases, but also the long tails of the most beloved, well-resourced games. In a time of mass lay-offs and studio closures, developers are going to have to think carefully about the industry’s future, and whether it’s sustainable.
For gamers, the equation is simpler. They will just play whatever is most appealing, no matter how old it is. It’s refreshing to see a medium once obsessed with novelty realise that some things do get better with age.
