How long do you think is enough time to get a feel of a game to determine if you like or not?

It depends on the game surely? I'll know with certain types of game (e.g. your COD style FPS games) almost straight away if i like the handling, but then say for something like the Binding of Isaac or Spelunky, I had been been playing those games for 20 + hours before I realised that I actually loved them!

There are some exceptions, but I usually know if I want to keep playing a game within an hour or less. If a game is incapable of charming me in any way during that period, it's highly unlikely it will suddenly gain that quality at some later point.

10% of the game's intended run time or 3 hours, whichever comes first.

To be fair, it depends on the type of game, as well as the individual game itself. While it would take at least a few hours to gauge RPGs and MMOs, you shouldn't have any trouble quickly qualifying a modern FPS like Call of Duty.

It's the same with movies. You wouldn't judge Das Boot by the first 15 minutes, would you?

I would say it's usually between 1.5-2 hours for me. The first hour is spent trying to understand the systems and get used to any gameplay nuances so the fun factor isn't there. Once you get past that hurdle, then you'll see if it's enjoyable enough to keep you playing.

Different games vary, of course, depending on their complexity. Sunset Overdrive was one that took me a little longer than usual, but I was so happy I stuck with it.

Probably 3-4 hours, i've played a lot of games that didn't really pick up until then, mostly because of tutorializing and trickling out mechanics.

Though in reference to the Steam Refund system, I think 2 hours is fine - on PC, the value I put in refunding is whether its just flat out broken - Arkham Knight PC offers a good example of why the system is great. If I am really worried if a game is good or not, i'll just wait for reviews or streaming folks to get their hands on it.

i would say about 2 hours or so.however,i usually know if a games good or not without having to play it at all.i just watch a stream or gameplay video and within 5 minutes i know if its any good or not.

The first impression matters a lot indeed. However, I am not quick to judge, I'd rather take my time with it and even give it another chances. I would have to say that 3-4 hours is more than enough. If the game however is straight shit from the start I see no need to force myself to play it.

As others have said, it depends on the game. There are some games that I know immediately within the first 10 minutes that I don't like them. Usually the controls are completely terrible or the game is completely broken right from the start. There are a lot of indie games that I've gotten through Humble Bundles that I've launched, knew nothing about but as soon as I started playing I was like "uhh no." *uninstalls*

Most games I will give about 1-2 hours and I'll know how I feel about them. The one thing that usually gives me the final decision is if I'm playing a game that I'm still on the fence about but reach a point where I keep dying or failing something. I'll give it a few shots, but after a while if I don't make any progress, it's just not worth my time anymore. I don't want to waste what little time I already have on a game that I'm not even that crazy about.

Watching gameplay videos or streams isn't always the best. I do that also but I have come across situations where I thought a game was crap based on the videos but then played it at a friend's house and ended up liking it. The Telltale Walking Dead game is an example of this.

About 3 hours for a longer game, like an RPG or something. For a short game? I'd say an hour? Two tops.

You'll probably know within about 10 mins of actual gameplay (excluding cutscenes and tutorials). There are obviously games that will grow on you; but if it's something that's plain terrible / really isn't your thing, then you'll know pretty quickly.

It generally takes me two hours just to get through character set-up and the tutorial, so I give a game three to four hours before deciding. There are some pet peeves of mine that can put me off right from the get go like no Inverse-Y Axis and tank controls. Also, I sour on not being able to save anywhere or at least have a very healthy number of save points.

Same, don't know if that is considered short or not, but I really tend to know in less or near an hour if a game is going to be worth my time. Most games let you know what the 'hook' of the game is by that point, if it's a story thing or a certain mechanic or what, so if I get to the hook and go "I don't like this" then I don't let the game have any more chances, why bother? I have so many games already I'll let one of the others win me over instead.

Bout 1 or 2 hours. I can determine pretty quickly how the story will be within the first 20 minutes based on the tone and quality of everything around the storyline and it tends to take about an hour to feel out mechanics. Sometimes there might be something random in there that I need more time with to see how it is. But that's it.

Certain games it CAN take longer though. Like Mass Effect 1. The story was amazing right off the bat and the gameplay while clunky was still alright. Then you get to the Mako after the whole deal on the Citadel and I kinda just sat there going, "FUUUUUUUUUUCK. This doesn't feel good." It wasn't terrible, but considering it was such a major thing it certainly wasn't good.

Depends on the game.

I am a completionist and a critic so I usually play the game all the way through before I try to judge it unless it is pain painstakingly awful or just tedious and boring.

Depends on the game, and specifically what you dislike about it.

I don't have a set time, but the average is probably between 3-4 hours. I have pushed through a game if I thought it was going to get better, but oftentimes that is just not the case. I think the only game I had to push through more that 3-4 hours of was Dark Souls, and that was because I was blaming my own ability versus the actual game itself. If I feel like I will lock into what the game is trying to do, I will play longer, but if I can tell the game isn't much more than what is in the first few hours, I'll call it a day.

Depends on the game. There are many examples where the gameplay isn't particularly good or just a slow burn but the world can still draw you in later on, like some JRPGs, Deadly Premonition, Nier, Escape from Bug Island (I'm not joking, that game gets WEIRD) etc.

A shooter you can tell fairly early on if it's something you want to play. Does the shooting feel good? Were the scenarios I've seen so far varied and/or interesting?

But 3 hours usually gives you a fairly solid understanding of what a game's about.

If something about a game doesn't grab me within the first hour or two then I see no point in bothering with the rest.

Seconds.

No, really. I recognize that's not at all fair, but it usually takes me about thirty seconds to realize whether I'm going to love, hate, be indifferent towards, or have a mixture of feelings about, a game. I usually then give it about seven hours to see if that changes. In rare cases I will become so convinced that there has to be something just around the corner that will change my opinion, that I play for a ridiculously extended period of time, well beyond the game's nominal completion period.

It depends on the length of the game, but usually around 5 hours I know if I want to continue playing a game or not. Generally because games more than 8 hours tend to be a drag and I prefer games to be short so if they're going to be long they have to continue to hold my interest or it's goodbye.

Because of the varying lengths of games,I think it would have been better to use percentages instead of hours for the voting options.

I think it just takes around 5%-10% through the game for me to know if I likeit or if I will struggle through it.

It's different from being able to say that I truly love or hate the game. That usually takes me having to finish the game, which I do for 99% of the games I play anyway.

I usually know within two hours, even if it's an RPG. That's about enough to have gotten through much of the tutorializing and have gotten a sense of the battle system and whether I will enjoy it. Anything else, like whether there is crappy motion blur or a shaky camera that would give me motion sickness and prevent me from even playing much of the game, I can determine before that.

Depends on the game.

I spent 100 hours figuring out that I didn't like vanilla Civilization V.

Zen Bound 2 took me about 10 minutes.

I think thats fair. I mean, it really depends on the game (you could argue that most RPGs don't really get started until a few hours in, for example), but I agree that if the game isn't catching me a few hours in, it probably isn't going to at all. Like, these people who play the recent Final Fantasy games or Monsterhunter that are like "well, it takes about 20 hours to get into it, but after that it's awesome" and I just shake my head....where do those people find the time? Is that all they do?!

Depends on the person and the game. I know my tastes and priorities incredibly well at this point, so it usually doesn't take long to figure out if I'll like something. Though there are always oddballs here and there that get better as they go along, and that's very hard to judge. But honestly at this point who has the time to give everything a fair chance.

@viking_funeral: Heh I spent 33 hours in DA:I only to realize I don't like it.