The Lens of Time

It is said that “timing is everything”. Our goal as designers is to create experiences, and experiences are easily spoiled when they are too short or too long. Ask yourself these questions to make yours just the right length:

• What is it that determines the length of my gameplay activities?
• Are my players frustrated because the game ends too early, or bored because the game is too long?
• Setting a time limit can make gameplay more exciting. Is it a good idea for my game?
• Would a hierarchy of time structures help my game?