Nuts and Bolts senior animator prefers to 'get lost' in games than play them from start to finish.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts screenshot

Speaking to VideoGamer.com at a recent Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts press day at Microsoft's Reading HQ, Rare's senior animator Elissa Miller said that the time it takes gamers to play through a modern video game is pretty much "irrelevant".

Asked about the apparent move away from linear gaming to much more free experiences - LittleBigPlanet, Spore, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts - Miller said this is the kind of gaming she enjoys most.

"For some people, that's the most interesting part. I know it's what I enjoy the most. Rather than play a game through from start to finish, I like to get lost in it," said Miller.

She added: "The amount of time it takes to actually complete a game is almost irrelevant, nowadays."

In the same interview, due to be published later today, Rare lead technical artist Neill Harrison said that linear games suffer from reduced replayability in comparison.

He said: "I think that it does give you increased replayability and longevity, in terms of wanting to actually play a game. There's only so many times you can play a level if it has to be done just one way."

What do you think? Is the amount of time it takes you to finish games irrelevant? Let us know in the comments section below.