Support NeoGAF

[momshotdad]

People should enjoy content whichever way they want to enjoy it.

For me, I enjoy a decent challenge that I need to prepare for to overcome. Cuphead is the latest example of this. I have to memorize boss patterns to overcome them and it's incredibly rewarding to do so because of the time I've invested in the fight.

 

[Norwegian_Imposter]

Challenge is fine but I have no thirst from coming home from a day at work where it's stressful and make zero progress on a game.

 

[Tajaz2426]

Depends on the game, as I enjoy Bloodborne and Dark souls games. However, I put story above all else. I see video games as a medium that books cannot compare to. With a book and I am a avid book reader, especially on deployments to the sandbox, I have to imagine what the author is trying to convey. With video games, they can tell a story and use their imagination to show me what they wanted to get across in their story.

I don't enjoy games that are brutal, except the aforementioned games, I like to be able to get through a level or city without dying to many times. I have enough stress everyday with my PTSD and physical ailments, that I want to see a good story payout before my eyes. When I was still in the military, I was to tired by the time I got home and had to be up at zero dark 30 to PT my Marines,that I just wanted to be able to relax and have fun with a game. Not get tortured.

I know a lot of folks who put game play above all else, but without a good story and a tough normal setting, I'll never get to said game play. Just how I approach my games, my 22 year old enjoys games that make you play like a God to get through them.

 

[chirt]

I play various competitive multi-player games (Street Figher, LoL, CSGO, etc..) and shoot for top ranks in all of them. I research when I'm not playing, do actual practice (not just play the game and hope something clicks), watch replays and all that good stuff. I prefer overcoming challenges that involve other people.

When I play single-player games I want to relax and enjoy. Sometimes I put it on easy if the actual mechanics hinder my enjoyment, but most of the time I just play on normal. I don't get any sense of satisfaction from overcoming bullet sponges or a programmed encounter.

 

[Doombear]

I think overall I prefer high challenge games and that sense of accomplishment that comes from doing well in those types of games. My favorite games and series align with that. Monster Hunter, Souls games, SRPGs of old. I like having to learn how the game wants me to play, then doing just that. Obviously when a game poorly instructs you or is poorly built, albeit it with the best of intentions, things get harder when they shouldn't be.

That said, I also have limited time (work, child, life) and can also appreciate lowering difficulty on a game so that I can see it through to the end when I know, in a game by game basis, that that is where my enjoyment will come from. Playing though a game I've long since finished on Normal/Hard when it has been remastered (TLOU for example) on Easy... I have no issues with. Likewise there are times when I have Gamefly'd something and just want to see it through, see all of it, not get hung up in the roadblocks set up by harder difficulties so Easy is what I choose. Genre plays a heavy factor in it too. I am not that interested in competitive games online. I love FIFA and PES but stick to Offline or Co-Op modes. Horror games... scare the shit out of me, but I love the challenge of getting through them, but only in the games that don't force that sense of helplessness on you. I need to feel like I can defend myself rather than constantly run and hide. I can do Dead Space, Evil Within, and loved the Silent Hills games. I am crawling through RE7, but I can't do Alien or Outlast or Amnesia. Even Easy mode wouldn't get me through those.

It really all depends and I think that maybe a lot of us are like this. What I generally don't understand is the frustration some people have for not being able to force a game to play how you want it to play/prefer to play and then calling it "too hard" or "poorly made". Not being able to zerg through something because you have given zero attention to the skill/class system in a game, or are trying to play a stealth game without being stealthy. That mentality, I don't understand.

 

[randomscribbles]

There are several discrete emotional targets a game can shoot for the player to feel. The thrill of overcoming a challenge is one. Creative outlet is another. Immersion into a world or story too. There are amazing games in all of those categories. Dark Souls, Minecraft, The Walking Dead, and Skyrim are all about as different as games get when it comes to answering why they are fun. But they definitely all are.

 

[clarknova156]

Life may be challenging enough.

This. Oh god THIS!

I get why people love to push themselves in games. I really do. But after a long day I just want something fun. I want to feel in control and dominating my situation. When I was younger bashing my head again a game's difficulty was fun but I had far less responsibility.

 

[King Gilga]

I legitimately feel bad for people who play on easy mode in games.

I feel bad that your life is so empty that you care.

 

[pablito]

I legitimately feel bad for people who play on easy mode in games.

I feel bad that game difficulties is something in your life to be proud of

 

[Roshin]

I overcome challenges pretty much every day. Let me relax now and then.

I legitimately feel bad for people who play on easy mode in games.

If this really matters to you, then you have some stuff to work out.

 

[Timu]

Does anyone like hardest difficulty modes that only give you one life or else death results in restarting the game from the beginning?

Like Doom 2016's Ultra Nightmare and Call of Duty Infinite Warfare's YOLO modes for examples.

As for the question, well, it depends on the person probably.

 

[highrider]

I like a challenge that will have a real benefit to something, as opposed to a challenge for the sake of it. I’ve played some difficult games, but ultimately I’m not entertained by high level difficulty in games.

 

[Chessr]

Does anyone like hardest difficulty modes that only give you one life or else death results in restarting the game from the beginning?

Like Doom 2016's Ultra Nightmare and Call of Duty Infinite Warfare's YOLO modes for examples.

As for the question, well, it depends on the person probably.

And Diablos Hardcore mode.

 

[Breqesk]

I just... Don't really care about challenging myself when it comes to games? I honestly don't get much satisfaction from beating really difficult bosses or anything--generally speaking, what sticks in my mind after those sorts of experiences is the frustration of working towards the goal, rather than the brief thrill of reaching/besting it.

(The one notable exception to this is probably grinding lap times in Forza and such--I love running laps over and over, trying to get a better time. No idea why it's that, specifically, that works for me.)

Now, I generally play on medium rather than easy - occasionally going up to hard, but only when a game really lends itself to that difficulty; I found that Horizon was balanced a little better on hard than medium, for example - but I have no trouble dropping things down to easy if medium's overly frustrating for me.

I've always been drawn to games by things other than difficulty. First game I ever really got into was KotOR, back when I was super young, and that's kinda defined my taste in games going forwards--I like story-driven experiences, ideally with lots of choice and dialogue systems and so on, more than anything else.

 

[Skyr]

Personally I don't see the point in playing games on easy mode.

If I want just to relax and enjoy a good story I watch a movie or read a book.
These mediums are way superior to games in that aspect.

But hey, enjoy whatever you enjoy.

 

[Timu]

And Diablos Hardcore mode.

Oh wow, a game like that having a one life mode? Insane!

 

[More_Badass]

Well, for one, a sense of challenge is only one reason to want to play or enjoy a game.

Whether I want challenge depends on so many factors and variables. The game, the genre, my expectations and experience with the genre, the mechanics and atmosphere of a game, my mood at the time, what I'm currently interested and what's on my mind then, and so on.

Sometimes you just want to relax, or just enjoy a story, or just have some mindless fun, or want something that's not too hard while still being satisfying, or want to really bang your head against a challenge until you master it, or really test your brain or skills with some tricky puzzles or strategy games, and so on

The best thing is that the medium is broad and diverse enough to allow that. You feel like people might be missing some integral element, while in all honestly, the integral element is that you can avoid challenge and difficulty if you want, depending on the game

 

[Glass Shark]

.

 

[Aiustis]

People play games for different reasons.

While I like a good challenge most of the time, sometimes I just want to chill.
Personally the difference for me is the type of game. Like puzzle games have to be hard, but RPGs don't.

Though I normally just play on normal difficultly I have noticed that normal difficulty has gotten easier.

 

[Nev]

Challenge is the main reason games exist.

I'm going to pass on any pushover non-challenge "experience" timewaster bastardization of the medium and read a book/comic or watch a movie instead.

That said I'm not necessarily against "easy" modes. Some people are not very good at playing and might have a rough time completing a game. Look no further than many reviewers. That's fine.

When easy (or downright braindead) is the default difficulty then yeah, no thanks.

 

[Onivulk]

I usually just do normal or hard.

Insane/Hardcore difficulties are usually overly punishing and seem to want you to be extremely patient or cheese every encounter to win.

I want the game to ask me to be smarter rather than it ask me to hit every enemy more times.

 

[Ruud_Luiten]

I just use games as escapism and for peace.

Life is full of hard things which are fun but tiring. I like my games fun and fast.

 

[Three]

When I was a kid I thrived on that challenge no matter how frustrating that game was. As I got older and my backlog got bigger I stopped caring, that's when I decided that not doing everything in a game is Ok. Not beating it on the highest difficulty is Ok. I played to just enjoy myself and experience the game rather than get frustrated by completing it. That's not to say I don't still challenge myself I just care less about it. I play on normal difficulty and just enjoy the game. If someone finds normal difficult I can fully understand why they would play on easy. They experience the game and games are now more than just beating a level they are more experiences.

 

[Zophar]

Some games I just enjoy for the sensation of flow. I almost always drop Bethesda RPGs to easy because there is no trophy/unlockable penalty for doing so and just enjoy gallivanting around nuking everything.

 

[More_Badass]

Challenge is the main reason games exist.

I'm going to pass on any pushover non-challenge "experience" timewaster bastardization of the medium and read a book/comic or watch a movie instead.

You got it all wrong. That isn't a "bastardization", but a maturation. That the medium can offer such a wide spectrum of experiences and everything in between, that a game like Gone Home can be just as enjoyable and compelling as Doom, each succeeding in their own ways, is what makes the medium great.

 

[lord_of_flood]

I generally like fairly challenging games, but if a game is less gameplay-focused and more focused on story and world-building, I'd rather not deal with challenge and just play the game.

 

[Coricus]

I tend to play games on easy whenever possible even without a time restraint, and I can definitely say that the sense of frustration has put me off of really caring.

I mean, of course there's a sense of accomplishment, but there's just something about the sense of rage that bubbles up from trying to defeat the same enemy or level or multiplayer rank over and over and over and only getting worse at it the longer I try it that just feels like I'm burning to ash inside. I can still get plenty of enjoyment playing a game as an interactive fiction, is the sense of accomplishment really worth forcing myself to do something that's making me feel miserable if I don't actually have to?

I mean, I have access to a copy of Battletoads, but what would be the point of forcing myself to neglect everything else I could do with my time to beat it? Just to impress some people on the internet with an anecdote? Is it really worth endlessly slamming into that same wall the instant I jump into the first vehicle section?

If I really love the game enough to replay it I might try to play it on a harder difficulty level. The results of that vary pretty wildly, but it's not like I'm incapable of dipping my toes into something bigger if I think I'll actually enjoy it. I just know the sensation of playing a 16-bit game and hitting a point in the game where it stops being a fun and refreshing challenge and starts being a brick wall and I'm not particularly keen on deliberately replicating that.

 

[rawd]

I honestly fall asleep when I'm playing a game thats too easy. With 2 kids, I game in the evenings so a challenge keeps my attention. Playing on easy is like zoning out watching TV , both of which I end up passing out on the couch. Old man problems.

 

[katsubento]

Does it matter? My friend plays on the easiest settings possible in games and if it has any kind of auto anything he will take advantage of it. Bayonetta, Marvel vs Capcom with auto combos or easy modes that just let you button mash...he's a fan.

He won't get the same experience ( I equate it to a manual transmission on cars compared to peeps that drive automatics only or can't drive stick.) as I would, but who cares...he likes it.

 

[Berserking Guts]

I don't see the point in easy mode. Even now 33 years into my life, married, 2 daughters, and a job, I would rather not play video games at all then sacrifice, what I believe to be the core principle of playing video games: overcoming challenge. Maybe it's because I grew up playing games in the arcade where losing and repetition wasn't considered cancer to the experience.

I don't judge people who play they want to play though, you do you.

 

[NahaNago]

I've always simply enjoyed like the story,atmosphere, and the characters of the game but never the challenge. Probably the reason why i liked jrpgs. I would over level my character till the area becomes easy then move on to the next area.

 

[Tajaz2426]

I don't see the point in easy mode. Even now 33 years into my life, married, 2 daughters, and a job, I would rather not play video games at all then sacrifice, what I believe to be the core principle of playing video games: overcoming challenge. Maybe it's because I grew up playing games in the arcade where losing and repetition wasn't considered cancer to the experience.

I don't judge people who play they want to play though, you do you.

Video games for some folks like me, as I stated above, games are a medium that that books cannot reach. Instead of having to imagine what the author is trying to convey, video games use the imagination of the developer and I can see what their vision is.

I can understand wanting a challenge, but playing a great RPG with an outstanding story, is something that I can’t get when I read books and I read a lot.

 

[RalchAC]

Everybody likes different stuff in games. For example, what I appreciate the most in Souls games is exploring new areas, unlocking shortcuts and finding secrets. Exploration would be much more boring if there wasn't some sense of danger out there so I'm fine with their bullish enemy locations.

But, once I get to a boss in Bloodborne, for example, I feel like some may have too much health. I would enjoy them more if bullets and blood vessels were restored in the Hunter's Dream.

 

[Timu]

I legitimately feel bad for people who play on easy mode in games.

Let people enjoy the game however they want. I say this as I'm someone who prefers normal, hard and hardest difficulties as well!

 

[lethial]

Surprisingly not everyone uses videogames as a dick measuring tool. They're just games.

 

[ReduxMachine]

With two young children I rarely get much time to play games, so I play it normal or easy as I either normally have a little time to play so don’t want to keep dying and end up getting nowhere in what time I have or I’m too tired to concentrate enough to play well.
I don’t mind about missing the challenge as there are so many games I don’t have time to experience currently, maybe when the kids are older I will have time play more challenging games.

 

[Skyr]

Video games for some folks like me, as I stated above, games are a medium that that books cannot reach. Instead of having to imagine what the author is trying to convey, video games use the imagination of the developer and I can see what their vision is.

I can understand wanting a challenge, but playing a great RPG with an outstanding story, is something that I can’t get when I read books and I read a lot.

Immersing yourself in a world as a creator intended is an experience no other medium can give you like games. I absolutely see that point.

The thing is that the even tho it improved over the last decade, game stories and even RPG stories are still very superficial and simple in general. They have nothing on stories a good book can achieve.

I'm sure it will further improve over the years but right now immersion alone without the challenge is not enough to keep my attention in a game.

 

[dtcm83]

This is a great topic. I generally enjoy games with a challenge, and usually find satisfaction in overcoming those challenges even if it can take many multiple attempts. That was basically my entire playthrough of Dark Souls in a nutshell. But, I also don't mind playing a game on easy every now and then, as sometimes you just want to kick back and enjoy the story, or you are too mentally or physically drained to put the energy into the "challenges" the game poses, or maybe you simply don't like the gameplay loop enough to endure it time and time again in a harder difficulty mode. Or, the reward at the end of overcoming the challenge is not seen as valuable/worth the time, hence why I have no desire to go back and beat many of the old Nintendo-hard classics when your reward is a "thank you for playing!" message before being taken back to the title screen.

So for me, it depends on the game, but generally I am up for a challenge. On the other hand, you have my brother and, to a lesser degree my wife, who will often quickly set a game down and not return to it if it requires any amount of trial and error or the learning of complex systems. Hell, my brother won't even play 3d first-person games because he can't be bothered to learn how to use dual analog sticks to control the character. It's simply too much effort and the payoff isn't worth it for him.

 

[Duxxy3]

I like to have fun. I don't have tons of time. I do have a little money here and there.

If I want to play it on a harder difficulty I'll typically do it on the second or third playthrough.

 

[Sentenza]

I don't enjoy games too easy precisely because I value my free time.

To be clear, that doesn't mean I'm necessarily looking for some hardcore challenges, but if a game fails to challenge me at least a bare minimum to keep me engaged with the experience, then I feel like I'm wasting my time with it.

Solving puzzles is meaningful and entertaining if they aren't insultingly easy. Winning a fight feels rewarding if I actually had to try and just spamming buttons wasn't enough. And so on.

 

[tiebreaker]

eh, people play games for various reasons.

 

[Ryuuga]

This thread is bait for the next Commentocracy.

 

[Yohane]

Yes, when I'm tired and play games to unwind.

 

[Rumblebones]

Enjoyment trumps challenge.

Doubly so with very limited time.

 

[robosllim]

The latest game I've been working on is Horizon Zero Dawn. The story is good on its own, but I have to admit that the challenge helps pull me in. I have to watch my surroundings because getting tag-teamed by a couple of strong machines could send me back to the last campfire. And the boss enemies actually take a few tries sometimes, so when I do beat them there's a personal aspect beyond the admittedly epic explosions and collapse of a giant metal monster.

It's fine if that's how you want to play, sure. But I'd personally feel like something was missing if there wasn't a real threat of failure. This obviously doesn't apply to all games, as there are plenty of enjoyable walking simulators and such out these days.

 

[Tajaz2426]

Immersing yourself in a world as a creator intended is an experience no other medium can give you like games. I absolutely see that point.

The thing is that the even tho it improved over the last decade, game stories and even RPG stories are still very superficial and simple in general. They have nothing on stories a good book can achieve.

I'm sure it will further improve over the years but right now immersion alone without the challenge is not enough to keep my attention in a game.

That's a great point and hopefully we will get there. Like I said above I enjoy Bloodborne and Dark Souls, but other games that are as hard or setting it on a higher setting, just isn't for me. As I suffer from PTSD, I try to not to get to ramp up, as I have a bad habit of buying a controller every couple months.

When I play Dark Souls, if I die more than a handful of times, it is time to turn the Pro, Xbox, or PC off and relax with the wife and children.

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

I only play a few games at really hard difficulties. I want to relax most of the time and not stress out. Too many real life stressors already.

 

[GamerJM]

Enjoying games in a way that don't involve you overcoming a challenge is just as valid a way as enjoying games that do. The problem is when people who only enjoy one type of game (either one, it happens with both) don't realize when a game they're playing isn't designed for players like them in mind.

 

[JinjoUnchained]

Personally, I don't find most video game stories to be good enough to where I would enjoy passively "enjoying the story" on Easy. You have your odd TLOU or BioShock here and there, but they're the exception for me.

In the end, it depends on how the game is balanced. I played Rise of the Tomb Raider on the second highest difficulty because the hardest setting was BS fake difficulty. I played Witcher 3 on the highest difficulty because anything less would be mindless in that particular game. Samus Returns felt well balanced on Normal.

 

[Necron]

Most of the time I'm just not up for a challenge. That's why I'm playing through Nier: Automata on easy at the moment.

Not every game I want to play needs to be Souls/Bloodborne. However, sometimes it does warrant to play games that offer such a challenge. Most games I feel don't get the balancing right or are just not worth it to be played on "Super Hard" difficulty. So it really depends on what game I'm playing but most of the time I just want to relax and see/experience it without the fear of not being good enough.

It helps get through more games as well...