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Is there/should there be any shame in playing games on the easiest difficulty?
- Thread starter The Artisan
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John Kowalski
Banned
Not if you're an elementary kid.
That1BlackGuy
Member
Absolutely not, it's your money you play it how you please and by developers offering the option more often than not, I'd like to think that they agree.
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BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Most of my life, I would have said yes. "If you were a REAL gamer", "The creator's original intent.." blah blah.
But these days I'd say "whatever difficulty best creates a flow state for the user".
If the difficulty is too difficult to be enjoyable for the player, that isn't fun. And vice versa, if the difficulty is too easy that it's boring for the player, that isn't fun.
Normal difficulty is only what the designer believes will help the largest portion of the audience get into that most enjoyable flow state.
But these days I'd say "whatever difficulty best creates a flow state for the user".
If the difficulty is too difficult to be enjoyable for the player, that isn't fun. And vice versa, if the difficulty is too easy that it's boring for the player, that isn't fun.
Normal difficulty is only what the designer believes will help the largest portion of the audience get into that most enjoyable flow state.
Zambayoshi
Member
Feeling shame or not is up to each individual.
That being said, people should not attempt to invoke this feeling in others for something as trivial as the difficulty of a digital experience. Scamming an old lady out of her pension money? Yes. Playing on easy difficulty instead of normal in a video game? No.
Mind you, some people will stop at nothing to either cause discomfort in others or feel good about themselves, so there's that.
That being said, people should not attempt to invoke this feeling in others for something as trivial as the difficulty of a digital experience. Scamming an old lady out of her pension money? Yes. Playing on easy difficulty instead of normal in a video game? No.
Mind you, some people will stop at nothing to either cause discomfort in others or feel good about themselves, so there's that.
Bare Grills
Member
I only play easy or normal mode when I'm looking for collectibles and trying to platinum a game. Other than that, I usually play on hard mode.
I do think a little challenge can do wonders to anyone.
I am teaching my brother how to play games and I pick the difficult which I think it will be best suited for him.
Wonderful 101, I picked the easy because it is a complex game.
In Mario 3D World, I didn't allowed him to use the gold tanooki suit because it is a lazy way out and I did not wanted him to think this attitude is correct. I pass the level once showing him how to do it and then he does it. Eventually, he got much better. The same goes for Splatoon.
I think you can pick any difficulty option you like, but it's important to keep improving yourself and, maybe, someday raise that bar. Just jumping to easy as a way out, I do not concur.
I am teaching my brother how to play games and I pick the difficult which I think it will be best suited for him.
Wonderful 101, I picked the easy because it is a complex game.
In Mario 3D World, I didn't allowed him to use the gold tanooki suit because it is a lazy way out and I did not wanted him to think this attitude is correct. I pass the level once showing him how to do it and then he does it. Eventually, he got much better. The same goes for Splatoon.
I think you can pick any difficulty option you like, but it's important to keep improving yourself and, maybe, someday raise that bar. Just jumping to easy as a way out, I do not concur.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
There sure isn't; there is only shame in whining if if it doesn't exist or you can't toggle it on mid-game.
The only thing that really matters is personal enjoyment IMO. If an easier difficulty makes a game more fun for a person, then cool. A lot of people get enjoyment from a challenge, also cool. I let my niece play 3D World and she frankly had a ball with that invincibility suit. I find that the suit to be something of an insult, tells me I died too much lol, but I had zero incentive to stop her from using it and having fun. Whatever personally makes the game funner is honestly the only thing that matters to me.
Hero Prinny
Member
nah man, you play the game at the difficulty where the game is enjoyable to you. for example, i was playing Evil Within and in chapter 3 you fight this chainsaw boss, when i got up to him i had like no health so 1 hit would kill me and i had to try a bunch of times, needless to say i wasn't having fun. As soon as i finally beat that bitch (i planted 8 mines straight ahead of me, overkill? maybe, but i jsut wanted to be done with him) i turned that difficulty down to casual yo. Now I'm actually having fun with the game since enemies aren't like killing me in 3 hits tops.
christ. shooting games suffer from this way to often
When 'difficult' basically means bullet sponge, I don't consider it a "difficulty' setting. It's just asking you how much you like to reload, duck and cover between races to the next checkpoint.
christ. shooting games suffer from this way to often
Coffee Dog
Banned
No, there should only be shame in picking a difficulty too hard for you and getting mad.
When 'difficult' basically means bullet sponge, I don't consider it a "difficulty' setting. It's just asking you how much you like to reload, duck and cover between races to the next checkpoint.
I imagine shooting games are very hard to balance since guns aren't really made to encourage the type of interplay that people associate with good game balance.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
No. Games are meant to be fun, and not everyone finds fun in challenge.
All that matters is playing the types of games you have the most fun with the way that is the most fun for you.
All that matters is playing the types of games you have the most fun with the way that is the most fun for you.
bobawesome
Member
I judge you if you play on anything less than normal your first time through.
PopcornMegaphone
Banned
You are a horrible person.
I recently played Alien Isolation on novice. I found the game too nerve-racking to be fun on hard and it is almost impossible to explore, plus I hated the manual save stations. Novice mode basically makes the alien short-sighted and less likely to come down from vents. It was still a really intense and scary game even on novice but not a frustrating one.
NoblesseOblige
Banned
I play games on hard with cheats and trainers just so I don't feel the shame of playing on easy.
Nah, he's just older, grew up with the NES, and appreciates difficulty. There's nothing wrong with that.
markofhavoc
Member
Sure, when I was in high school and worried about gamer score. Now I have a busy life, so if I want a game, I want to enjoy it. Playing world at War on the hardest difficulty for the achievement made me vow never to care about difficulty again, it just wasn't fun
FlowersisBritish
fleurs n'est pas britannique
No shame, but I think challenge should be a part of games. I just have more fun if I barely get thought a fight.
Krappadizzle
Member
Yup
The sole exception being when I hear someone play a game on easy and then complain about it being too easy. Otherwise, there is no shame/emerassment to be had from playing a game on Easy if you just want to see what happens or avoid frustrations.
Games in general are way too easy on most Normal difficulties.
You should play games how you like them to have fun! Shame is a weird response here. Unless you are shaming yourself, I guess maybe that makes sense, I dunno?
However, the difficulty other people play on does affect my games in the long run so while shame is a bad word to use, I do think criticism is okay.
However, the difficulty other people play on does affect my games in the long run so while shame is a bad word to use, I do think criticism is okay.
jailbird20022
Banned
nah, plus it'll give you something to do later when you're bored or when your internet is out.
Can't count how many games I've replayed by steadily increasing the difficulty on each run through.
Find starting point > become proficient > Increase difficulty.
Can't count how many games I've replayed by steadily increasing the difficulty on each run through.
Find starting point > become proficient > Increase difficulty.
You and he both seem more concerned with playing games the way you decide is "right" rather than letting anyone have any fun.
I said there's nothing wrong with playing on easy. Of course save states are wrong because that's just cheating.
How about you play games the way you want and mind your own goddamn business otherwise.
My answer is a big "no" to that.
Oh, you were the guy that called Battletoads a crap game because it gave you a challenge. You don't even get why people would like challenging games. Of course you won't understand why someone would want others to have a challenge.
Zombegoast
Member
The EZ Gun from MGS3
There's certainly no shame in it, of course - you should be enjoying your time with the game and that's that.
I would definitely advise anyone that only plays super easy mode to maybe try normal or hard sometimes, though. In certain games really fun mechanics can pass you by if the game is too easy, which can be boring.
I would definitely advise anyone that only plays super easy mode to maybe try normal or hard sometimes, though. In certain games really fun mechanics can pass you by if the game is too easy, which can be boring.
There shouldn't be any shame but depending on the game you might be missing a lot by playing on the difficulty.
For example, quite a few action games go in automatic mode on the easiest difficulties: you simply mash random buttons and the game will do the combos for you - this kinda defeats half the purpose of playing the game to start with IMO. You are actually doing yourself a disservice by playing those games on the easiest settings. But hey, that's completely up to you. Some people prefer to play that way, otherwise the mode wouldn't even exist.
But I'm definitely a proponent of playing on higher difficulties, because a significant number of games just become more interesting on higher difficulties. A good example would be Crysis: the game becomes more realistic on the highest difficulty: enemies speak Korean instead of English, you need to physically pick up weapons and ammo, you can't drive and fire a jeep's machine gun at the same time, you have less indications on the HUD saying stuff like "Warning! There's an enemy/grenade over there" etc... This all adds to the experience and makes you more attentive to what's going on around you.
Adding to that, I noticed that when playing some games on their easier difficulties (that sometimes include normal mode actually), some people will just brute force their way through (because they're not punished for it) and will miss out on some really cool mechanics because of it.
So yeah, there are definitely benefits to avoiding playing things on easy but at the end of the day just choose the mode you'll have the most fun with. As long as you don't go and tell people "that game sucks it's was too easy when I played it on easy mode" there shouldn't be any issues.
For example, quite a few action games go in automatic mode on the easiest difficulties: you simply mash random buttons and the game will do the combos for you - this kinda defeats half the purpose of playing the game to start with IMO. You are actually doing yourself a disservice by playing those games on the easiest settings. But hey, that's completely up to you. Some people prefer to play that way, otherwise the mode wouldn't even exist.
But I'm definitely a proponent of playing on higher difficulties, because a significant number of games just become more interesting on higher difficulties. A good example would be Crysis: the game becomes more realistic on the highest difficulty: enemies speak Korean instead of English, you need to physically pick up weapons and ammo, you can't drive and fire a jeep's machine gun at the same time, you have less indications on the HUD saying stuff like "Warning! There's an enemy/grenade over there" etc... This all adds to the experience and makes you more attentive to what's going on around you.
Adding to that, I noticed that when playing some games on their easier difficulties (that sometimes include normal mode actually), some people will just brute force their way through (because they're not punished for it) and will miss out on some really cool mechanics because of it.
So yeah, there are definitely benefits to avoiding playing things on easy but at the end of the day just choose the mode you'll have the most fun with. As long as you don't go and tell people "that game sucks it's was too easy when I played it on easy mode" there shouldn't be any issues.
Nostremitus
Member
No, sometimes I just want to play through a story and wind down...
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