Why Short Games Win On Mobile

Somewhere along the way we got convinced that bigger means better, even on a device we mostly use in five-minute gaps. I'd argue the opposite — the phone is the natural home of the short, complete game.

Hollow Lantern is my go-to example. It's maybe four hours long, has no combat, and I think about it more than games five times its size. It knew exactly what it wanted to be and ended before it wore out its welcome.

Short games also let you actually finish things. There's a real satisfaction in rolling credits on a mobile game instead of abandoning it in a save file forever. Completion is its own reward.

None of this means long games are bad. It means length should serve the game, not the store metrics. Some of the finest things I've played this year fit in an afternoon and left me full.