ActionTrip are running an article called Time is on Our Side, Yes it is, which takes a look at the concept of time in videogames:

    Time keeps ticking, ticking, ticking into the future and He was in the right place at the right time - are probably two of the best suited expressions to plainly explain the largely abstract concept of time. In reality, time is continuously marching on and every major event in a person's lifetime will happen in due time (That means that one day, VADAR will get laid. Keep hope alive! - Six). Everything happens when it happens, and if you happen to be in the right place at the right time, or, in the wrong place at the wrong time; you will either reap the benefits, or suffer the consequences of fate. Time is probably the most important concept of human existence - an unbeatable adversary; you cannot bend it, ignore it, embrace it or cheat it. So why has it been explored so little in single player video games?

    Before I delve into the matter at hand, let me just say that MMORPGs and certain other multiplayer titles, which meant to emulate a persistent world similar to an actual reality, will not be the subject of my discussion in this article. Why? Because 'the events' that happen in an MMORPG world that are dependent on time - while important to the concept of human communication and interaction in a persistent virtual world - don't play any significant role in single player games. Secondly, multiplayer games, which are another perfect example of time dependent games, are not really the main focus of our discussion, as they too don't have much bearing on how we play single player games...