While it is easy, in an industry driven by huge budgets, photorealistic graphics, and hundreds of hours of content, to assume that bigger games are better games, some of the most fulfilling experiences I have had with video games have been short, tightly focused titles that last only a few hours. These games prove that scale is not what gives a game its impact.

The smaller scale of these experiences allows developers to take risks in ways that larger productions often cannot. Independent developers are not beholden to tens of millions of players or the financial pressures of multi-million-dollar budgets, which gives them the freedom to explore personal stories, unconventional gameplay, and unsettling themes. Games such as Journey, Firewatch, and Inside rely more on atmosphere and emotion than on action or progression systems, and as a result, they tend to stay with players long after the credits roll.

What holds these games together is intention. Every mechanic, visual element, and line of dialogue exists for a specific reason, with very little filler. This focus allows players to engage directly with the game’s themes rather than being distracted by systems that add little to the experience. In many ways, small games resemble short stories more than epic novels. Despite their length, they often have more to say.

These quiet, smaller-scale games represent a growing maturity in video games as an art form. They remind us that games do not need to be massive to be meaningful, and that some of the most powerful stories are delivered in the quietest ways.