Evaluating Time in Play and Temporal Satisfaction: Time-Centric Language in Video Game User Reviews on Steam

Abstract

User reviews provide a means for players to communicate experiential value and evaluate video game quality, yet the role of time in these evaluations remains underexplored. Through thematic analysis of time-centric language found in 5,423 user reviews from 100 popular video games on Steam, we identify six themes that communicate Temporal Priorities - users' key concerns and values regarding time in play - to evaluate video game quality, personal engagement, and developer practices. This study furthers existing HCI examinations of temporality and situates Temporal Satisfaction - a user's evaluation of whether their time spent in play feels worthwhile - as a novel metric to guide system design..