It's snowing steadily, and while it's not snowing heavily (yet), it appears that winter has arrived. Granted, it could all clear up by tomorrow, and the temperatures may yet rise, but we're fooling no one.

Yesterday, I returned to a game that's been sitting on my shelf for quite a while, unfinished: Final Fantasy X. If nothing else, I wanted to at least get a little further before digging into X-2...and now I'm hooked. I was never too happy with the game, mainly because of the whiny pretty-boy protagonist - a teenager with the emotional maturity of a four-year old - but it does have some pretty intense battles, some great scenery, and beautiful visuals. The story is as nonsensical as they come, but hey, that's part of the appeal.

I have to admit that I rarely have the time or the patience to finish games, and I don't think FFX will be the exception (it's a very time-consuming experience). Most games are too long, too complex, and too difficult. Maybe I'm just getting old, but as games start reaching a broader - and older - audience, it's a genuine concern. People with jobs and families don't have the time or the opportunity to play for hours and hours. Games that can offer entertainment in bit-sized chunks, therefore, or a limited, linear experience lasting anywhere from five to fifteen hours will eventually become the norm. Yes, there will still be epic RPGs like Final Fantasy offering fifty-plus hours of gameplay - and there will still be MMORPGs where some people invest thousands of hours - but the mainstream audience will want to buy games that cost less, both in terms of time and money.

To pay $20 for five or six hours, or $30 for ten to fifteen, would be ideal - and compares favourably with movies. People would play more games, we would sell more games, and production times would be shorter - which means that the generational evolution of games would proceed at a faster pace. Good news for everyone.

This won't happen overnight, of course. There will be a gradual change from today's "my game is bigger than yours, nah-nah" philosophy to a more mature, entertainment-focused approach, in which games are no longer considered a lifestyle or a hobbyist's pursuit, but rather a mainstream alternative to seeing a movie, watching TV, reading a book, or listening to music. We're competing for humanity's free time, and, dammit, we're gonna win.  ¶ 12:06