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[Nuke Soda]

I like to go hard when I can......hehehehehe.

I like the challenge most of the time, the exception is open world games like The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4, don't want to get 50 hours in and then somehow end up in a no win situation without a fallback save via incompetence on my part.

 

[DealWithIt]

31 here, play most stuff on hard, but if it becomes pointless I will switch down. Most of the time I prefer to feel like I'm mastering some elements of the game and hard is more taxing.

 

[Sword Of Doom]

Play whatever feels right. If it's boring, turn the difficulty up. If it's too hard, turn it down. Seems pretty logical

I guess some people make themselves play on hard. I've never been that way

 

[Artanisix]

definitely depends on the game, i want enough challenge for the playthrough not to be boring but i don't want to restart repeatedly to get things right

 

[JBwB]

I almost always play on normal on first playthroughs.

When it comes to harder difficulties I usually only play them for the trophies & achievements.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

Really depends on the game. Some game's normal mode is harder than another game's hard mode. They're all just relative terms. I do like games that allow you to adjust the difficulty on the fly though so you can find your sweet spot.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Hard mode almost always. And I'm about the same age as you OP. I enjoy the feeling of every fight being on to the death instead of leveling up beyond the games difficulty.

 

[IgotElbows]

I always play on normal because I feel like that's what it was meant to be played on.
Hitman 2 lowest difficulty was normal, and I wasn't sure what difficulty to set because normal was the easiest. lol

I prefer when games don't have difficulty settings. Like Dark Souls.

 

[13ruce]

I play on hard atleast and very hard i rpgs and action games unless it's 1 hit ko lol.

But i do play a few games on normal otherwise they would frustrate me to death.

 

[Choppymushroom]

I usually play in easy or normal these days after years of playing so many unbalanced and unfun games on hard difficulties for achievements and trophies.
I'm glad I stopped caring about that junk because now I'm having a lot more fun. Still play some more difficult and skill based games occasionally but I enjoy the easier difficulties and the stories of most games which I appreciate more now.

 

[7DollarHagane]

In most well designed games hard modes expose the gameplay mechanics and require you to experience more of hwo the game was designed and make it a better experience.

Some games just make the enemies take more damage and that's boring.

But playing Halo 1 on normal you would never have to think about needler super combines, taking cover, the power of the plasma pistol, or planning your weapons for specific encounters.

On legendary you better be making the most of every situation.

 

[SciencePilot]

I'm hard for life. When I can breeze through a game it's boring to me. I want to face resistance. I want to fail, learn, think about how to improve, and eventually triumph. That's the fun part for me!

 

[Juraash]

I've never been one to play FPS games on hard, at least on console. But I find that I pick the hardest difficulty for pretty much everything else and I've become more devoted to the hard difficulties as I've gotten older.

I like to think it keeps me sharp as a gamer I guess.

 

[kiaaa]

Depends on the game. Harder modes can range from incredibly satisfying to straight up unfair.

 

[Tohsaka]

I pretty much always play on normal unless I really like the game and there's a trophy for hard mode.

 

[jett]

I never play games on hard the first time. Lawd knows how frustrating the devs made that shit. I'd rather get used to the game first.

 

[Eusis]

I rarely play on Hard the first time around, and usually if I do it's with difficulty settings you can change mid-game. Don't like being "trapped" if a game is too hard for me to play.

EDIT: Oh, and usually if I DO play on Hard it's also because it's recommended and gameplay is king for the game, IE Metal Gear Rising was worth it, whereas I won't bother with Trails games because I mainly want to experience the story (but would like SOME bite so I stick with Normal.)

 

[Gandysampras]

This year is the year I hit 30 and it's also the year I've tried the hardest to do hard. Peace out! Medium all the way. 3 sexy 5 me. Good luck!

 

[WillySJ3]

Always Normal, I don't like to get too complicated with games. Hard only for Souls-like games, 'cause that the default mode.

 

[Van Bur3n]

Sounds like some pansy shit to me, breh.

 

[Plague Doctor]

So I am torn. I like a challenge but feel like normal is what the develop envision was the default play unless otherwise stated in the description. Hard sometimes implies they used cheesed methods to up the difficult and it breaks the intended flow of the game.

Typically, if I know or hear the game is easy on normal, I usually start there.

 

[KillLaCam]

Naw ill be a sweaty tryhard forever. Idk why though lol

 

[Krappadizzle]

How old we talking here OP?

 

[Usobuko]

Recently I just opt for one level higher than normal.

Ain't got much time to replay things.

 

[Goliath]

I prefer normal now that I am older not because my skills have deteriorated but because I have a lot less free time. When I was younger I wanted a game to last forever but now I want to enjoy the game, story and move on to the next one in my backlog. Young Goliath never had a backlog.

 

[family_guy]

Depends on how the modes are presented. If hard mode is just "Enemy does more damage. Player does less damage", I'll probably not bother with it. The games that actually increase A.I. difficulty by either making the enemies more skilled or putting more powerful enemy arrangements in the same location, then I'm all for it.

 

[IronicSonic]

Some games get better on hard. Platinun Games's titles for instance.

I cant stand Soulsbornes though

 

[Dark Link]

Depends on the game.

Definitely this.
I like a challenge in my games so I opt to play Hard Mode in my first playthrough most of the time, but if Hard Mode makes the game frustrating and not fun then I'll go with Normal.

 

[Rumblebones]

Sad!

 

[Syncytia]

I pretty much always play on easy, just don't have time to deal with annoying ways games are sometimes made to be hard. If easy feels too much like cheating and I'm really liking the game I'll increase the difficulty. I just want to relax and enjoy the game rather than fight the game mechanics. e.g. Halo 4 and 5 I will never play on Legendary. Even Heroic is annoying in those games. I'll play Legendary all day on any other Halo game though, but I suppose that's because I've played them so much.

 

[LAM09]

I always stick to Normal on most games expect for multiplayer titles.

 

[*Splinter]

Maybe it's just late but I really struggled to process that thread title.

I usually go normal, depends on the genre a bit.

 

[Jams775]

Funny, as I kid I always played easiest, or even cheated just to dick around until I got bored. Never beat a game. Did that all the way up to high school. At that point though I was playing MMORPG's and games like Counter-Strike where you couldn't set difficulty. So I guess at some point I got used to the challenge and then when the 360 came out in my 20's, I started playing on normal. Then around 2009 I had a stint with playing everything on hard or hardest. I think the last game I did that with way Max Payne 3 (that's the bald one right?). It just felt so unfair that it soured me to ever play on hardest difficulty again.

Now I just play on normal. I feel like that's what the developers intended so everything in game is set up best for that level.

 

[BarringGaffner]

Currently playing Xcom 2 on easiest setting and feel fine about it. Reloading can take 2+ min even if you want to just go back 1 min... still feels challenging and unfair on easy.

 

[PingPongvonLaserstein]

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

It's still doable though, right up until the pure, unadulterated bullshit which is the goddamn ship graveyard chapter.

 

[Bishop89]

i dont see any benefit to play on hard.

Increasing enemy HP
Dealing less damage to them
Being able to take less damage

is NOT fun for me, and I dont consider that true difficult increase.

Normal for life.

 

[Van Bur3n]

How old we talking here OP?

Probably in his 20s. You know how GAF is.

 

[xxracerxx]

It's still doable though, right up until the pure, unadulterated bullshit which is the goddamn ship graveyard chapter.

That part definitely took a lot of tries for me (on Crushing).

 

[Godcannon]

Depends on the game.

That's a good response, but normal is the new easy.

 

[Trojan X]

Developers take note: go backwards to go forward, give people more reasons to play Hard mode and above difficulty setting.

The best thing to do, depending on the game, is to communicate that to complete the game properly including going onto the true final level and boss, and to unlock a very special mode or even a new sub story level, or even to receive discount on a new DLC level, the player have to complete the game on Hard mode. That will force players to LEARN the game and be an awesome player. Again, it depends on the game, some games are balanced poorly by changing the entire game mechanics which is wrong. Let the skill of the player determine the reward. Coasties players that plays the game on easy mode, completes it, post everything they see on youtube or claim they are great at the game then to sell that same game the next day be damned. People didn't do that back in the 90s but you got to do something about it by providing more reasons/incentive for the player to get good at the game for many people are lazy and self rationales is no longer a common thing.

Lastly, and this is very important - communicate from the very title screen or before even the damn 1st game level starts what the player be rewarded if they play the game on a higher difficulty setting. Being cryptic or not communicating a all will do you no favour. For example (not the best example but still a worthy one) , Streets of Rage. If you play the game on Easy mode you cannot play the gane's final level. The gane will tell you well done you are great, but to fight Mr X, please now play the game on a higher difficulty setting to fight and receieve the true ending. Another example is Panzer Dragoon Saga, you must get a 95% completion to get the true ending. Sure, the game should have told people this feom the very start to give them a reason to invest the time in the game but the chance is there.

Rewards those that put the time and effort in your game, and give incentive to players to GET GOOD at said game. Gaming Excellences 101.

 

[Tyraniboah]

Depends on the game. I play the Mass Effect Trilogy on insane, Metroid Prime Trilogy on veteran, and Halo on heroic because I replay those games every now and then. Most games I play on normal the first time around. I tend to go up a difficulty level if normal is just too easy though. The whole point is to have fun, so if I'm enjoying myself then I leave it as is. I've even lowered it before. Fuck all this "pride" shit.

 

[RalchAC]

Normal for me, I always just assumed that that's how the devs intended it to be played.

Yeah. I mostly play games on Normal. That should basically be the difficulty the devs intended. If it's too easy then it's their fault not mine.

If I really like the gameplay then I do a NG in the next difficulty setting. If after that I still really like the gameplay I do a new one on a harder one and so on.

 

[Zushin]

Depends. I like a challenge but I still need a chance. For example on Forza Horizon 3 my difficulty setting for the driveatars is highly skilled iirc which is a few notches below max. I tried putting it higher but then the Ai thrashed me. The current level is competitive, not too hard or too easy. Just right.

That's what I love about Souls aswell. Everything is challenging but not ridiculously unfair where it feels like I have no chance.

 

[Hendrick's]

Difficulty and games is such a case by case thing. Some devs actually put some effort into making the harder difficulties meaningful (i.e. AI), but those that just nerf or buff PC or enemy health/damage are poor and really don't represent the game as it was designed to be played.

 

[morpix]

Doom felt way too easy on the Normal mode. Finished it on PC and PS4 on Ultra-Violence and loved every second. Feels just perfectly balanced (for me)

 

[Rhaknar]

Normal 4 life

 

[Trojan X]

Depends on the game. I play the Mass Effect Trilogy on insane, Metroid Prime Trilogy on veteran, and Halo on heroic because I replay those games every now and then. Most games I play on normal the first time around. I tend to go up a difficulty level if normal is just too easy though. The whole point is to have fun, so if I'm enjoying myself then I leave it as is. I've even lowered it before. Fuck all this "pride" shit.

Having fun should be a given but remember it is about the challenge. A good hard game is one that let the player realise that the issue lies with themselves and not the game cheating by breaking its own rules. The player must get good at the game and the game must communicate and reward the player when they are good. No reward, no incentive and breaking their own mechanics just to make the game more difficult makes the game pointless for the player to venture on a higher difficulty especially if the game ends uo giving the player stress due to mechanics changes. E.g. of mechanics change: playing chess is ok on normal setting but the computer's knight can now move like a queen and you have restrictions with your bishop on Hard setting and onwards. Or you play an action game where enemies have sound signpost on nirmal setting then have all the sound sign post removed on hard. That is stupid and not fair.

 

[K.N.W.]

I'm almost 26 and I spent the last six years playing games for about 4-8 hours a day. I used to play on the hardest difficulty from 2012 till the of 2015, then I had to totally quit gaming because I felt bored. Now I'm back, and I play just for fun without the usual commitment, so normal difficulty feels more relaxing and enjoyable to me.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

I used to look down on using faqs. But I'm with you OP. I don't have as much time to mess around so I'm quick to google​ the solution.

My mentality is that a good movie is still a good movie even when you have seen it and know what's coming. Is the climax to The matrix bad because I've seen it 50 million times? Naw. So why is Resident Evil 4 still great the 50th time with a hand cannon? Because some mechanics are fun.

Some people hate Nintendo's hand holding. I love it. I get more fun out of it because i see more of the game instead of a 'guess what I'm thinking' bs. I work and have 3 kids. Fuck the bullshit.

 

[Weltall Zero]

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

Not only is this my own experience, I turned 40 two weeks ago.