Playing through long games on Gamepass seems like a bad idea if you have limited gaming time

[Waluigilicious]

I get what you're saying OP, but it is all sorts of flawed. Time is more valuable than money, so game pass or not.. by the time you complete an 100 hour RPG, you could complete five 20 hour games. So why ever play the RPG? You see the flaw now? You don't choose what film to watch thinking id rather watch three films that are an hour long than two films that are an hour and a half long.

Just play what you want to play. Time is more valuable than money. As long as you are having fun and it is time well spent, who cares if it is one game or ten. Youre putting quantity over quality.

 

[RedOnePunch]

That's exactly why I cancelled my subscription once I began paying full price for it. I'd rather wait a little and buy a game at a discount and play at my own pace

 

[jman1954goat]

Yep game pass is useless if you like long rpgs

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I disagree. Obvously the time people have to play differs but a majority of games stay at least 1 year.

I am about to start dragon quest 11 because even though it's long I feel I Wil beat it by November 2021.

 

[Deleted member 56752]

Yep game pass is useless if you like long rpgs

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Hard disagree. I like that I won't need to buy fable or avowed or forza horizon 5 (car rpg).

 

[Tatsu91]

It just kind of depends. Gamepass is definitely more about all the content that is there. Sure you can sign up for just one game, but at that point you are legitimately better just buying it (if it's not something short).

But on the other hand if there are numerous things you were wanting to play. Gamepass comes out better and sometimes even as just a "trial" as was said. Where you can play now and then buy it at a reduced cost later-on if you really don't want Gamepass anymore.

It really does all come down to how truly limited your game time is and truth be told I'm sure some here are subscribed to the likes of Netflix or similar and don't justify their monthly cost with their limited watch time either. Just one of those things as entertainment as a whole pushes towards sub model offerings for users.

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I use gamepass for first party games which most are shorter and the multiplayer games. Which seems ideal.

 

[Dizastah]

Never thought of it like that. I guess that makes sense.

 

[squeakywheel]

Spend less time on Era and gaming sites/Discord and play the games instead.

 

[Dizastah]

You could say same about netflix then?

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Only if there are 40 hour movies.........I don't think the same logic applies.

 

[Myself]

You are correct. I have started a personal project to track all the games I play, the ones I newly discover and think are good etc to calculate whether GP is worth it over the next few years..

I agree that if you play a single game over months, you might be better off just buying it. To be honest, while there might be some value in discovering new games, if you're the sort of person who knows what they like then GamePass will likely be terrible value unless what you like is on Gamepass which is actually unlikely.

 

[OozeMan]

The only reason why subscription-based game services just aren't for me. I save a lot by simply buying the games that I'm interested in playing, but of course regional-pricing also helps in my case.

 

[Raspyberry]

You can play more than one game at a time

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This plus it's about having access. Being able to play on Xbox, PC or phone is awesome. I usually end up playing some Minecraft dungeons or slay the spire on the go. When I'm home it's Halo or whatever new game on gamepass there is. I'm looking forward to playing through dq xi on Xbox, loved it on switch.

 

[Kromis]

That's why you get 3 years of Ultimate for between $80 to $140 through the Xbox Live Gold conversion and play multiple games!

 

[pswii60]

It's probably easier to to justify netflix since content doesn't really go into the dozens of hours

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It totally does though. Loads of boxsets are way beyond a dozen hours.

Regardless, analysing time spent watching/playing what and the cost of buying etc? Kind of missing the point as far as I'm concerned, that's really not the joy of the service. There's such a variety of games on Game Pass, even if I'm playing a 30+ hour game, I'm also dipping in and out of the likes of Tetris Effect, Katana Zero, or playing Jackbox or Overcooked with my wife etc. If you're just subscribing to Game Pass to just play nothing but one game, and that's the only way you intend to use the service, then it's probably not for you.

 

[Its Dead Jim]

The logic here is massively flawed and only really applies on a singular game basis. In OP scenario the issue appears to be using GP at full price to complete a singular game then unsubbing. Obviously, the longer the game is, and the less time you have to play, the worse this is financially.

Realistically though, this doesn't happen. Look at the value of GP on a macro, yearly basis. If you can hit 3 "long rpgs/games" per year at a minimum, then you are in the positive. The REAL value of GP though is all the other, "shorter" games you can access between the "long" game releases.

 

[ThreepQuest64]

Even if you need two months for a single long RPG you effectiveyl pay 20EUR (or 2EUR or 8EUR depending on when) which can be quite good given the normal prices. You can also buy games at a discount.

So I wouldn't say "useless" as another poster put it. But generally, yeah, it does add some time pressure if you're not going let the subscription run anyways.

 

[supercommodore]

In the U.K. you can get reliably game pass ultimate through places like cdkeys for £7-8 a month.

So for the year it's £84-96. Take off the £40 it would cost for live and it's £44-56 for game pass. So if I play just one first party game day one I've already saved money. So playing long games doesn't really matter much to the value proposition for me.

 

[Qwark]

I don't think about making stuff "worth it", I play what I want and don't think about min/maxing my time. It's way too much stress thinking about that. As long as I'm using it, enjoying what I'm playing, and I can always look for new titles, then it's worth it to me.

The only kind of shitty thing is if you're half way through and they pull it from the service, but they give warning for that and (I think?) a discount to buy.

 

[ToadPacShakur]

people coming up with all sorts of reasons to try and make GamePass look bad

 

[Kabukimurder]

I think OP has a point. Not knowing how long a game will Stay can be stressful.

I hope they adress this in the future by being more transparent how long a game is contracted to stay on. Now you get a heads up a few weeks before.. but it could get better.

As people have pointed out it's the same with Netflix and Prime. The difference is there you don't get any heads up and a series you're watching could be gone tomorrow.

 

[Astronut325]

I've been trying to finish Yakuza 0 for the past year. I've been getting 1-2 hours of game time a month... if I'm lucky. :(

 

[Deleted member 11370]

As I just said in another thread, I agree, OP. When I had Game Pass (though technically I still have it till Jan. 2022) I felt I was wasting my subscription if I wasn't actively playing a Game Pass game. That was stressful and forced me to play things I didn't really want to play. It's easier for me to buy the game I want to play at the moment, beat it and move to the next one without having to worry about the pressure of it leaving the system or "missing out" on playing something else.

You could say same about netflix then?

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Yes? I share my Netflix account with my girlfriend, my mother and my sister, so I don't feel I'm wasting money. But if it was solely for me, I'd cancel it right now. I can't justify having a buffet-like service when I'm interested only in a very specific thing.

 

[Prine]

What a contrived statement. I have multiple games on the go.

 

[JoeNut]

Well I suppose this is true if you only play that one game during the months you pay for. But you can play a long rpg and a short rogue lite or whatever in the same period and you've then saved money.

Also as games are now like £70 that's essentially 7 months of gametime.

I do agree with the overall sentiment though, you are on a timer of sorts

 

[Jiraiya]

Why y'all making having access to games so difficult with all these feelings and math equations. So what if you don't play every game...value is subjective.

 

[Ploid 6.0]

Then there are games you play a lot of, multiplayer, or high replayability games that may take time away from getting use out of gamepass, maybe even allowing you to forget you have the sub going when you don't plan on using it for a while, like those magazine subscriptions that keep going without the person remembering they have to cancel.

There's still a ton of popular games that won't be on the service, taking your attention away, continuing to charge that monthly sub while someone plays the new WOW, COD, waste time on Destiny if they play it through gamepass too, and so on.

I think it's best used as a rental service. Only sub for a month when a group of games you want to get through are on it, try to get through them, and make sure it doesn't auto renew. Though if you can't buy new games, especially the ones that won't be on gamepass, have a lot of time to play, and got some cheap prices for multiple months, or years of it, that's a good deal.

 

[Lyng]

Even if you can only play an hour a day and a rpg will take you 3 months to get through, and thus you only get through 4 big games a year, gamepass will still end up being great value.
Especially with the prices on new games we have now.

 

[Ombala]

The number one reason why I don't have Gamepass

I don't play nearly enough to justify it

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This i finish maybe 6 games per year, sprinkled with MP games.
I much rather choose and own which 6 games I play when time is so limited.
Same thing with every subscription service basically, it often seems like a good deal but it's very dependent on the time you have and what content that's in it.

 

[Megabreath]

I agree OP, it doesn't mean the service is bad, it just means the service isn't for everyone.

I can spend a couple months on a 40 hour game, i just wouldn't get my moneys worth, especially if the game i want to play isn't on the service.

 

[Sky87]

Even if you can only play an hour a day and a rpg will take you 3 months to get through, and thus you only get through 4 big games a year, gamepass will still end up being great value.
Especially with the prices on new games we have now.

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This.

4 games, 70$ each = 280$ / year
12 months of Gamepass = 120$ / year

Lets say the average console lifespan is 7 years, you would have spent around 1960$ on games if you buy 4 new games a year (many people buy lots more than that).
With Gamepass you could stay subscribed for the entire console generation for 840$ and that's if you didn't take advantage of Gamepass deals.

 

[Malcolm9]

This.

4 games, 70$ each = 280$ / year
12 months of Gamepass = 120$ / year

Lets say the average console lifespan is 7 years, you would have spent around 1960$ on games if you buy 4 new games a year (many people buy lots more than that).
With Gamepass you could stay subscribed for the entire console generation for 840$ and that's if you didn't take advantage of Gamepass deals.

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Yeah because every game costs $70/£70 🤦🏻‍♂️

 

[nekkid]

Yeah because every game costs $70/£70 🤦🏻‍♂️

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Well you're a mug if you pay that price for Game Pass, too.

 

[Sky87]

Yeah because every game costs $70/£70 🤦🏻‍♂️

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Every first party game does this gen. The lower priced indie games releasing on Gamepass comes in addition to all the first party stuff.

 

[finally]

Yeah because every game costs $70/£70 🤦🏻‍♂️

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Yup I purchased Demon's Souls remake used for $35 (he was frustrated with the game) and I can sell it later or keep it forever.. I hate how people overestimate the value of Gamepass.

Btw I agree with OP l, What I do is subscribing for 3 months for a low price when I have a lot of free time and there are many games I want to play on the service.

Talking about PS now but it's the same concept.

 

[Pipyakas]

is there a sale that comes with some game pass games? basically you use game pass for "extended trial period", then get the game with game pass sale to own it permanently after it runs out

 

[MrKlaw]

Even less value if you're in the middle of that 40 hour long game and then it exits gamepass, and you then choose to buy it anyway (with discount) to continue playing.


However - for me the value of gamepass isn't whether I'm playing a long or short game - its the choice of catalog in the first place. It encourages me to try things I woudlln't risk a purchase on (as well as obvious things I know I'll like). So if that 40 hour game is something I wasn't sure about enough to buy in the first place - its still a win. May introduce me to a new franchise I'll go back and revisit, or a new developer to follow more closely etc.

 

[KORNdog]

Yup I purchased Demon's Souls remake used for $35 (he was frustrated with the game) and I can sell it later or keep it forever.. I hate how people overestimate the value of Gamepass.

Btw I agree with OP l, What I do is subscribing for 3 months for a low price when I have a lot of free time and there are many games I want to play on the service.

Talking about PS now but it's the same concept.

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Yup. I do the same for most sub services too. It lets them cycle in a good amount if new content too. So you avoid that situation of being stuck subbed for an entire year but not really seeing enough new games that interest you to warrant it. Because let's face it. A good chunk of what is on gamepass and PSnow is absolute trash anyway. Just like Netflix.

 

[Murdy Plops]

is there a sale that comes with some game pass games? basically you use game pass for "extended trial period", then get the game with game pass sale to own it permanently after it runs out

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If you're subscribed you can buy any game on the service discounted (I think it's 20 or 30%)

 

[Sky87]

Yup I purchased Demon's Souls remake used for $35 (he was frustrated with the game) and I can sell it later or keep it forever.. I hate how people overestimate the value of Gamepass.

Btw I agree with OP l, What I do is subscribing for 3 months for a low price when I have a lot of free time and there are many games I want to play on the service.

Talking about PS now but it's the same concept.

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If Gamepass existed on PS5 you could have paid 10$ (1$ if lucky) for a month of playtime, which is more than enough to beat Demon's Souls. You could also have played Spiderman, Sackboy and whatever else would launch with the console on the service.
Then later when you wanted to return to Demon's Souls you could pick it up after it has dropped 50% in price or more and continue playing. Or pay another 10$ for a month of subscription to potentially play God of War 2, Horizon 2 AND a second playthrough of Demon's Souls.

 

[Rental]

If you're subscribed you can buy any game on the service discounted (I think it's 20 or 30%)

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But if you buy it to play long-term why keep the gamepass service on the side? Also buying any titles not on the service is always going to reduce gamepass value as your not actually using it.

People adding up costs of games I see as a flawed argument and not accurate. Games don't stay at full price very long these days so stop with every game =$70. Unless Xbox is different than PC or PlayStation, titles are heavily discounted with sales often.

I agree with op and it's a bad value if you focus on one to two titles with limited time. I'd rather buy the titles I'd want and play when I want and not restrict myself to what's on a service. I feel I'd always be finding something not on the service that I'd want to play more. It's cheaper in the end to do this and not lock yourself into a service where you are possibly also buying games on top of it..

 

[dotpatrick]

I mean, yeah, if you can't find 30-40 hours to play games over the course of 3 or 4 months then Game Pass probably doesn't make sense for you especially for games that are really long.

I have about a minimum of 15 hours/week to play games (at home) and if I am playing a really long game on Game Pass then I usually focus on that particular game for the month and unless the game is obscenely long then I usually finish it by the end of month whilst being able to also knock out another shorter game.

In the time that I've had Game Pass, I have never had a game that I was really excited to play and really enjoyed leave before I could finish it.

 

[The Spoony Hou]

So what's the alternative? Buying the games?

Look, Gamepass is great because it's cheap. Consider it a trial, and if you finish a long game for "free", good for you! If you couldn't finish, you can buy the game for a fraction of the price (assuming you can wait for a sale, which I can).

That's it. Just enjoy the games there without worrying if they are worth the money, and buy what you deem worthy, after you know you really want it. I really don't see the downside.

 

[Rosebud]

That's why I don't play any long or 'service' games on GP.

I know I'll want to come back to AoE forever, so I just bought it at Steam.

 

[Tiny Chihuahueño]

In just using gamepass because I got that offer/trick until 2021,2022? Can't even remember.
I will unsubscribe as soon as it's over, since I don't see much value in it. I play very few games to completion a year and they're either not on gamepass or well long after I finished them. So I'd rather purchase the games I want and not be ridden with this guilt of "I must play these games I'm not interested in because I'm paying for the service!"

If Microsoft starts to release good first party games that I enjoy that might change, though.

 

[Murdy Plops]

But if you buy it to play long-term why keep the gamepass service on the side? Also buying any titles not on the service is always going to reduce gamepass value as your not actually using it.

People adding up costs of games I see as a flawed argument and not accurate. Games don't stay at full price very long these days so stop with every game =$70. Unless Xbox is different than PC or PlayStation, titles are heavily discounted with sales often.

I agree with op and it's a bad value if you focus on one to two titles with limited time. I'd rather buy the titles I'd want and play when I want and not restrict myself to what's on a service. I feel I'd always be finding something not on the service that I'd want to play more. It's cheaper in the end to do this and not lock yourself into a service where you are possibly also buying games on top of it..

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That's fine. It's obviously an option similar to Amazon prime videos etc.

I'm just glad the service is there as it's been the cheapest new console I've ever owned by a long, long margin.

 

[christocolus]

The Gamepass model will probably not suit everyone but it's still the best service in gaming... and OP i think your issues with GP are actually some of the reasons MS is currently investing in a good number of studios including those that make some of the best games/RPGs in the market. Bethesda , Inxile, PG, Obsidian..etc all these studios make games which offer hours and hours of gameplay and amazing replay value... and all these games will never leave the service...

 

[dabbling]

No one I know personally who has gamepass paid full price. Everyone is on a deal where they converted from Xbox live or got many months at a reduced price. I paid £61 for two years. If I play one AAA game for 400 hrs and one indie for 5 in the next two years, I have achieved value.

Even for people who aren't on a discount, it doesn't take many games to be saving vs buying them. Not to mention the main appeal of a large library to choose from.

 

[timerhyme]

I see where youre coming from OP, but even with small gaming sessions I have (like an hour after work if im feeling it), I get to dip in and out of games from so many genres. And when I do have a long gaming session on the weekend, I can jump into a more cosy long rpg. Thats my plan with DQ11 when it drops next week

 

[Dphex]

To each their own but for me Gamepass doesn´t make sense because games are getting larger/longer anyways, it is not like movies where you choose 5-10 and binge watch them over the weekend.

in the end you are hopping between games, not really playing anything to completion or a game has left the service when you come back to it.

it is like a menu card where there is too much on offer and i am like "nah i am good" and drink a coffee.
when used as some kind of "paid demo service" it is alright though. i can understand why people like it but i still don´t think games are well suited for such a service.

 

[Starlatine]

I have little time to game as well and yet finished wasteland 3 on go. Good thing games have at least on the worst case scenario three months on the service so even if I gamed just two hours per week I could have still finished it

Service isn't for everyone and that's fine. No need to twist yourselves into pretzels to justify why it's useless and how buying games is the smart big brain thing to do.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

I had gamepass for a while on PC during the beta and was tantalized by some of the CRPGs, but thinking about it, staying away from long games seemed like a much better idea.

Any long games you play on gamepass, you might end up paying more for by playing them on gamepass than outright buying if you have limited gaming time.
Let's take a hypothetical 40 hour long game that cost $40 retail, but is available on gamepass.
If I only have 40 hours to play games over the course of say 2 months, and have been playing primarily this long game, I have essentially paid $30 just to rent it, when I could have paid $40 to outright buy it. This of course gets worse with longer games you could end up sinking 100+hrs into where you could end up paying well over the value of the game if you had outright bought it.

If instead I played four ten hour games in that same period I have paid $30 for potentially >$100 of game purchases.

You end up putting yourself on a timer of sorts, where the longer you spend on a game over multiple months the more you're spending on it. In this model it makes more sense to rush through long games in a single month, instead of stretching it out like you normally would.

It looks like Gamepass is setting up to have some REALLY long games in its future with Bethesda, Halo Infinite, Destiny, and Obsidian. This sort of long game tentpoles are going to keep people on gamepass longer, but you just might end up paying for them twice over if you aren't playing other Gamepass games.

HOWEVER, THAT SAID. Gamepass is great for TRYING long games. Seeing if you like them then going out to buy them.

I know this seems obvious, but I am guessing you are going to see more and more of these sort of living games or long RPGs as THE REASON to get gamepass, when really you should be spending the time going through the rest of the catalogue instead.

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I don't know. Personally, I don't do that math at all. I paid for Game Pass for the next three years and, the way I see it, I have a huge library full of different kinds of games at my disposal. I don't have to pay for anything else (unless I want DLCs), and I can just enjoy without having to worry about my budget.