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[MartyStu]

I still go balls out hard. I also play a lot fewer games, so it it less of a problem than it could be.

 

[J-Tier]

I'm at Very Easy. Too good for Hard.



Seriously though, I don't have time for anything but the easiest mode to try and play as many games as we get nowadays and balancing that with life and work.

 

[L.O.R.D]

Play the way you want man,there is no shame.
in fact i also started to play as normal because hard difficulty take too much time for me to finish the game.

 

[Ferrio]

Am I the only one who has become like 2-3 times better at video games as I've grown older? It was a running joke with my friends how bad I was at games in general but about 4 years ago I started playing old hard classics and doing games on hard mode and I've gotten a lot, and I mean a LOT better at games since then. My '8-10h gaming/day' kid self has nothing on the 28 year old me when it comes to competency and reflexes in games.

Overall I've gotten better too. Just having a lot of past game knowledge really carries over into any game. Reaction times have decreased, but nothing terribly noticeable. Time and patience are the real killers. Fighting games which are one of my favorite genres require a vast amount of time dedication, and I'm not sure I have it in me anymore.

 

[Comandr]

I started playing P5 on normal. Ended up getting CRUSHED multiple times in one of the dungeons. Finally threw my hands up and turned it down to easy. Exp and gold coming in finally felt like it was at a level that it should be. Kept it on easy. Regret nothing.

I don't want one bad move or mistake or just sheer bad freaking luck to cost me hours of my time. I'm too old for that shit. I said in another thread regarding difficulty, games that just arbitrarily ratchet up damage or health values to add "difficulty" are shit. I'll just play on normal or easy, thanks.

Games that are challenging from a design perspective, on the other hand, like NiDarkBloodSoulsBorneOh, that I can fully embrace.

 

[ViciousDS]

Shit, I play all games on easy unless I truly love them enough to play on harder difficulties.

Witcher 3 and infamous second Sony both were done on the hardest difficulties.

Second son was pretty simple just play an asshole and you have no issues

Death March......yes, um I really wasted too much time on death march. Did a replay completely on just the story! To get all the other stuff that I literally said fuck it to.

 

[Namegoes_Here]

I can relate with you. Between work and kids, my time's to precious to waste on higher difficulty for the sake of it. Of course there are some exceptions, but games like Uncharted and other narrative driven titles don't need to be played on hard to feel like I got the full experience. While the thill of overcoming the challenge was exhilarating, these days an hour of uninterrupted gameplay is enough of a victory for me.

 

[Glass Shark]

.

 

[maximum360]

Wait til you come to the land of easy, my friend.

As I get older I just have as much time or patience so i do normal or easy. The experience is the key.

 

[apieceofstrange]

Depends on the game, but I will say I've been going with Normal more often in recent years when I previously would always would default to the hardest. Repeating segments over and over can be a buzzkill when your free time is limited. That being said, sometimes Normal can be too easy. I usually try to scan the early pages of the OT to see what the consensus is.

 

[Vanadium]

Steady progression is the name of the game with my work schedule and limited home time. I'll say Persona 5 I did Hard, then shifted to Normal in the last two dungeons. I ran my NG+ on easiest setting because I just wanted to grab trophies.

 

[kamineko]

I usually start at normal, only will switch to hard if bored.

Games I love enough to play through again, I kick it up a notch. Unless it is mostly a collectibles run, in which easy might make more sense.

I just do whatever feels right

 

[SmokedMeat]

I don't have a lot of time for gaming, so I'm just looking to have a fun time. It's been normal for me.

 

[DizzyCaffeine]

I wish there was a difficulty setting for online games, lol. I guess competitive in Overwatch is the equivalent of hard, and quick play is normal?

 

[Shredderi]

Overall I've gotten better too. Just having a lot of past game knowledge really carries over into any game. Reaction times have decreased, but nothing terribly noticeable. Time and patience are the real killers. Fighting games which are one of my favorite genres require a vast amount of time dedication, and I'm not sure I have it in me anymore.

I'm actually a lot better at Counter Strike etc. now as well. My god did I suck as a teen. I think I just got smarter about how I play and practice. Now there is actual thought put into it instead of just playing and relying on teenage reaction times.

 

[Memnoch]

It depends on the game. I'm 41 and play the BF1 campaign on hard because it's similar to multiplayer in difficulty with the amount of damage you can take before dying, but something like Prey, I play on normal. Prey for some reason bothers me too much on hard. The uncharted series on the other hand I played on hard or higher. I feel my skills have gotten better as I've aged actually as I game more now than I ever have in my life. Good times.

 

[Lexad]

I have always done normal in my 20 years of gaming. I don't have time for that shit and I get frustrated easily

 

[1upsuper]

I default to playing on hard unless the game was so clearly balanced around normal that hard doesn't feel right. But I usually find that games feel balanced for hard and then made way too simple and easy on normal. I want games to force me to make the most out of the systems and mechanics they develop. I have a lot of patience and I don't mind dying a lot, so I welcome a challenge.

 

[AlexBasch]

If I'm not playing in the hardest difficulty I feel I'm playing an incomplete game, so that's why I pick it.

Being frustrated and angry is part of the experience for me. RPGs are an exception, I'm way too dumb to play Dragon Age Origins in anything above hard and Persona (at least P3P limits how much money you get, so I can't play around with the compendium, which I love).

So yeah, I'll die in the "hard" hill most of the time.

 

[Mashin Haters]

The worst game to play on hard is Uncharted 4. Completely takes you out of the experience of being in a badass action movie running and gunning cause you have to take cover every 2 secs.

 

[cosmicspooks]

Normal is the way to be! Quality life choice, OP.
Personally I like, get why people go for hard, but I very rarely feel that fabled satisfaction after seriously struggling to beat something. Just a "thank god that's over with" vibe. And I don't really care about improving my skills if it's single player so...the casual life it is

Except for shmups. That genre can abuse me all it wants and I'll keep coming back.

 

[Indelible]

Some games are far more rewarding on hard like Horizon, Tomb Raider and Far Cry, just to name a few.

 

[enkaisu]

I have always played Normal mode first in every game. To me it is what the developer considers the true experience and that's how I want to play the game.

Unless you play one of those games that makes Hard "the way it was meant to be played" which just makes me wonder why isn't THAT the normal mode in the first place?

 

[AudioEppa]

It really depends on how I'm feeling when I start a new game. I do hard difficulty only because I want to get a specific trophy. I don't give a fuck about doing it for the "challenge" or whatever bullshit the hardcore crowd goes on about. This is why I love Telltale games. No difficulties, easy platinum. And some of the most fun I have gaming.

 

[Tecnniqe]

I'm always going hard but I don't mind something easy every now and then.

 

[InsaneTiger]

I'm playing on the one below the hardest difficulty in Doom and I fight boringly easy.

 

[Hippopuncher12]

Mid 30s and I still usually play on hard. I'm a trophy whore though so usually it's required anyway.

 

[Corpsepyre]

I mostly play on easy. Fuck normal and hard.

 

[BocoDragon]

Hard always seems like a pro mode, balanced towards being unfair for added challenge.

Normal is the one I trust.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Easy has been my jam since difficulty options were a thing.

Achievements and trophies were the only thing forcing me higher. Fuck hard. I want to have fun.

 

[MoonFrog]

I usually play hard where there is a choice. Sometimes I don't.

It usually is the right choice, sometimes it could be it was the wrong choice.

 

[TwEE-N-Toast]

Live with a man 40 years. Share his house, his meals. Speak on every subject. Then tie him up, and hold him over the volcano's edge. And on that day, you will finally meet the man.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

The worst game to play on hard is Uncharted 4. Completely takes you out of the experience of being in a badass action movie running and gunning cause you have to take cover every 2 secs.

You my friend are yet to experience Gears 4 on insane.

I've done them all.

All CoDs on Veteran, all Uncharteds on Crushing, all Halos on Legendary, all Gears on Insane.

Absolutely NOTHING, comes close to Gears 4 on Insane. Nothing.

 

[Riposte]

Hard always seems like a pro mode, balanced towards being unfair for added challenge.

Normal is the one I trust.

Normal seems more like "easy" most of the time, where it isn't doing much balancing to begin with and using advanced mechanics ends up optional.

 

[Azriell]

Normal is what most games are balanced around, and how most games are intended to be played. I never understood the point of playing every game on hard. If it's a game I love to death and want to get more time out of, or if I'm playing hard to unlock something, then sure. Otherwise, I'd rather play it on normal and enjoy it for what it is.

 

[Unaha-Closp]

I play games on Normal. Only exceptions I can think of is I heard The Last of Us was best played on Hard and um I think that is it. I don't play games to prove anything or be super challenged. I like story and nice gameplay mechanics. If pushing a button or tilting a stick is nice to do it's nice to do on Normal baby.

 

[ZugZug123]

Same here. And as I get even older I'm starting to tend towards Easy on games that have it \o/

 

[MattyGrovesOrMe]

Welcome to true adulthood OP.

 

[forrest]

At 40 years old, I'm the complete opposite. I need games to feel challenging and rewarding or I quickly lose interest.

 

[xxracerxx]

The worst game to play on hard is Uncharted 4. Completely takes you out of the experience of being in a badass action movie running and gunning cause you have to take cover every 2 secs.

Hard was fine, Crushing is where you live in cover.

 

[disappeared]

Motion In the Ocean Simulator™ 2017

 

[Hydrus]

Same here OP. It depends on the game, but for most, I just cant do hard anymore. Having less time as an adult and living a more stressful life just makes me lose interest in a game if it becomes too much. I don't like a cake walk, but at the same time I wanna kickback and relax a bit and enjoy the story or world.

 

[iceblade997]

As I get older I just have as much time or patience so i do normal or easy. The experience is the key.

This pretty much. Combine that with more and more games that I haven't played but want to, and being more concerned with the story of games than the gameplay in quite a few cases, and playing on Easy works fine.

 

[brickarts295]

Easy/Normal for me, got no time to be dying and redoing stuff, specially when games have ridiculous loading times after everytime you die.

Back on my trophy whoring days I use to go hardest setting on first try to get done with trophies asap.

 

[Renekton]

Is your personal time that precious and tightly-managed? 😗

 

[Yopis]

Nah hard is still for me. Really enjoy that for anything that gives the option.

 

[GamerJM]

I play on normal equivalent unless it's a rhythm game (I'll go to the hardest possible difficulty) or a shooter (I play on easy because I suck)

Am I the only one who has become like 2-3 times better at video games as I've grown older? It was a running joke with my friends how bad I was at games in general but about 4 years ago I started playing old hard classics and doing games on hard mode and I've gotten a lot, and I mean a LOT better at games since then. My '8-10h gaming/day' kid self has nothing on the 28 year old me when it comes to competency and reflexes in games.

Maybe it's because as people get older they get other priorities in their lives which leaves them less time to play and thus they're not keeping their skills in top form? But then again I play a lot less now than I did as a kid.

I think I've probably gotten better over the years as well? It's tough to say. I think I'm better at platformers and retro-style games, but I think I'm worse at racing games now. Anything with more nuanced mechanics I'm obviously going to be worse at now if I pick up today, or something I was really into several years ago but no longer am, but on average I might be better.

 

[MightyKAC]

Depends on the game.

This.

Not all Hards are created equal.

 

[uceenk]

i don't remember if i ever played game on Hard or Easy, always normal

that being said, Bloodborne kicked my ass, in early game i wanna lower difficulty on that game so bad (if any)

when i almost quit, fortunately i read article somewhere that advise me to never give up, leveling up a lot, basically just do it over and over eventually you can learn about boss move

finally i managed to finish it, 100-ish hours... i swear that Bloodborne game has nightmare difficulty by default, that's probably the only game that i played other than normal

 

[KorrZ]

I pretty much always play on normal, and will only go to hard if I really enjoy a games mechanics.

For me the vast majority of AAA games aren't successfully challenging while being fun at the same time. They tend to lean toward frustration, with exceptions like Souls.