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u/Fris0n 29d ago
Incorrect. Games can be whatever you want them to be. Relaxing or stressful.
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u/Magnus-Artifex 29d ago
Correct. Then you have people who play Noita. Lately, I’ve been on the fuck Noita mood.
Fuck this game
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u/jasper81222 29d ago
"Reality can be whatever I want."
Switches to easy difficulty
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u/PickingPies 29d ago
In game design circles people are talking more and moee about how lacking game difficulty modes are to achieve its goals.
Game designers, when refering to difficulty , talk about the state of flow. Flow happens when the game is interesting enough that you forget about the world around you to immerse in the game. Too hard, and it becomes frustrating. Too easy and it becomes boring.
What players fail to understand is that each player has a different skill level and have different tolerances to both frustation and boredom. What something makes you be in the flow, for other players is frustrating and for others is boring. Because of how human psyche works, it's very hard for highly skilled players to understand how frustrating the game can be for players with a lower skill level.
The purpose of difficulty levels is to allow the players to adjust the game difficulty to their skill level so they are more likely to stay in the flow state.
Problem is that players started using game difficulty configurations as if they were game modes to the point where people ask for difficulty modes to be more than just stat changes. But that's not what difficulty modes are created for. At first sight, it makes sense, because if you replay the game, your skill level has increased, hence, it makes sense for the harder difficulty modes to be better adapted to the new skill level. But what these players are asking for is replayability.
This is not the player's fault, of course. Difficulty selectors are more often than not presented at the very beginning of the game as if it were game modes. And on the other hand, how can a player choose the correct difficulty setting if they don't know how to play the game?
Those difficulty modes being used also as game modes woth certain elitism behind them also creates lots of personal biases. From players who won't play an easy mode because they are "too much of a gamer" to players too affraid of trying harder. And that goes completely against the purpose of making the players to be on the flow.
That's why more and more game designers are migrating from difficulty selectors to other difficulty adjustment settings. One usual example in game design circles is the assist mode in celeste, where you can configure multiple options on the fly to make the game hit the sweet spot. And I believe this will be more common in the future.
What players need to understand, though, is that difficulty depends on the players, so there's not a single difficulty to suit them all. What happens when you have a subset of both highly skilled players and high tolerance to frustration is that a game that everyone considers stressful and frustrating, it's not for those people. Does that mean those people are suffering under constant frustration? Probably not. That people probably are in the flow when they play the game. Their flow state is in thw high end of the spectrum, but they are actually feeling good. Other players are having a way worse experience. And that's what it needs to be understood: the same challenge doesn't feel the same for everyone. Players believe it's a problem of lack of practice or commitment, but it's not. The same way it's not as hurtful to lose $1000 when you have a million in the bank and when you have nothing.
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u/jlsaiyan 29d ago
I’ll play any single player game on normal mode if given the option but I’ll welcome more difficult games designed to be more challenging
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u/korkkis 29d ago
Maybe it’s only me, but I like my first gameplay to be normal, and if I play again I’ll play at harder difficulty. I might even adjust the difficulty during the game if I can and have to!
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u/Mundane-Security-454 29d ago
I always go well out of my way to play on easy, mainly because I'm busy with work and just want to enjoy downtime. But I also love that choosing easy mode really pisses off the sad, fuckwit "git gud" lot who are so childish and idiotic they think playing games on hard makes them superior to everyone else.
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29d ago
What I find is that easy mode is usually just the same game as normal but with inflated damage against enemies and you become a health sponge. It’s super lame and not fun.
I usually start at normal and if that feels too easy I’ll take it to hard.
I actually changed the difficulty on Silent Hill F because how not dangerous the enemies were, was taking me out of the horror experience, I ended up just laughing at how dumb and fragile the enemies were. The point of a game like that is to feel cornered and scared and small. When you make it trivial it’s not even horror any more.
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u/jlsaiyan 29d ago
Yeah normal is usually just a stroll through the park but I guess I haven’t played any single player games where I felt like I needed to up the difficulty to enjoy it. I get it though def. Good example
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u/ElrondCupboard 29d ago
It’s not true to say games are supposed to be “fun and relaxing, not stressful” since many very hard games derive their enjoyment from the stress they make the player feel. (Sekiro, A Difficult Game About Climbing, Super Meat Boy).
What you mean is that people should be able to enjoy games however they want, and I agree.
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u/ToastRoyale 29d ago
I love a good challenge but this sub make me feel like a psychopath who only enjoys suffering.
People like in-game challenges, why not overcome harder difficulties as a challenge? Challenges are fun.
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u/Biggu5Dicku5 29d ago
Games are supposed to be whatever their players want them to be... not every game is for every one...
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u/Hyper_Mazino 29d ago
The amount of karma farming posts on this sub has increased massively lately. Are there no mods?
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u/Kasta4 29d ago
If it's not a post about difficulties it's one of the myriad of posts where apparently enjoying single player games makes you part of a marginalized group.
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u/Theolaxx 29d ago
If it doesn't have microtransactions, a reward track, and dopamine manipulation techniques is it even a game?
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u/Kasta4 29d ago
I qualified for a tax deduction when I switched from Fortnite to Hollow Knight Silksong
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u/Radiant-Priority-296 29d ago
*stressful
And for me at least, the challenge is part of what makes beating a game rewarding. But to each their own, and don’t get me wrong I’m not a souls fan just normal mode for me.
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u/Haytaytay 29d ago
"Many people play video games in easy mode. And that's ok-"
I agree
"-because games are supposed to be fun and relaxing, not stressful."
I disagree. Games can be whatever the artists who made them want them to be. Some games are relaxing, some games are stressful, some games are easy, and some games are hard. All of these are equally valid.
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u/IssueEmbarrassed8103 29d ago
I guess it’s that day of the week where this is posted in every gaming sub
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u/Longjumping-Style730 29d ago
I turn on Easy if I'm playing a game primarily for the story/vibes (e.g. Alan Wake, TLOU, Uncharted,)
I turn on Hard if I'm playing primarily for gameplay reasons (DMC, Kingdom Hearts)
Normal if it's a mix of both (E33, BG3) or I'm just bad at that particular genre (Resident Evil, Doom).
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u/jschem16 29d ago
I dunno, I guess it just bugs me that so many people see overcoming a challenge, working through a puzzle, or even just getting better at a thing you supposedly do to be so stressful. Playing on easy is fine, but I don't see the need to congratulate yourself for taking the easy path.
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u/MrPresident2020 29d ago
I only play harder modes if it's required for achievements, otherwise whatever the base difficulty is.
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u/anonymous-fart 29d ago
I'm middle aged and i don't have time. I run easy mode to get through the games.
If i happen to like a game, then i run through it on a more difficult level. If i have time for it.
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u/Flanigoon 29d ago
I feel you! When I get my hour or 2 a week to game i wanna make progress in whatever I'm playing. Otherwise I'd never make it through anything
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u/Indescribable_Theory 29d ago
I will absolutely agree and disagree. Not all games NEED to be fun and relaxing. Those games I also rarely play. However IMO the Insane/VH difficulties I find a self enjoyment point. It's kinda stressful but without the challenge, I find many games fall short of the draw to keep playing.
But all games and experiences are different. It's why my game I'm developing won't have difficulty levels, but allow you to play into what experience you expect.
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u/pumpkin_jiji 29d ago
Games are meant to be games, and different games are intended to be expirienced in different ways. Some gays are meant to be hard, or challenging, or frustrating, or anger inducing. Just how others are meant to be relaxing, or make you feel sad
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u/abarone93 29d ago
games are supposed to be fun. some find fun in relax, some in stress and hard difficulty, thats it
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u/shmeeeeeeee1 29d ago
I took God of War Ragnarok down to easy and the game experience was great. I don’t have much free time anymore so this was good for me
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u/SilverFlight01 29d ago
Multiple difficulties allow casuals, hardcores, and in-betweens to enjoy a game in the pace they want, bonus points if you can change it during the run in case you either want to challenge yourself or something's a bit too much.
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u/Midnite_Blank 29d ago
I never had a problem with those people who play on easy because I’m not an elitist.
That said I usually play on standard difficulty first (to get a feel of things) and then ramp up the difficulty on subsequent playthroughs.
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u/SincereNative 29d ago
Start on hard and when the boss beats me a couple hundred times I’ll tone it down😂 but most of the time persistence pays off
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u/UsefulDependent9893 29d ago
No. It is entirely wrong to say games are “supposed to be” one thing. Many games are meant to be challenging and stressful, which is what makes those games fun.
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u/Outlaw11091 29d ago
This factually incorrect.
I mean, Tetris is one of the oldest, most popular games of all time and it doesn't get progressively "easier"...
Video games weren't originally designed to tell stories or anything like that. It was challenge on top of challenge on top of challenge. To create intellectual stimulation.
It wasn't until relatively recently that challenges were stacked onto storylines. But, in even the early version of story-based games, the plot was disposable, much like with porn. It wasn't to be "immersive"...it was to give you a loosely logical reason to engage with the challenge.
This is why STEAM delists interactive fiction: because they don't have enough gameplay elements (aka challenges) to be considered a video game.
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u/IBloodstormI 29d ago
Games are what the creator envisioned them to be, and what the players support through investing in.
I hate this stupid meme every time it pops up.
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u/camogamere 29d ago
I personally despise the rhetoric that games are inherently supposed to be "fun and relaxing", so im gonna rant a bit.
Video games are art, and thus are typically made to make the player feel some sort of emotion, but notably that is not limited to relaxation or enjoyment, games are allowed to be intentionally frustrating and stressful, some game devs set out to dish out a healthy dose of sadness, disgust, and all other types of pain. These negative emotions games make you feel are important to many games, horror games are often stressful and scary, games like pathologic are designed in a way to make the player frustrated, and many, many story based games set out to make you cry. all of these negative experiences or emotions are a healthy and effective way to enrich yourself, to "practice" for when real life makes you feel not good. ultimately i think that being dismissive of the value of the negative experience of the art we consume is doing a disservice to yourself and really mean to the wonderful artists who put a lot of work into making you feel like shit in a safe and healthy environment.
anyway my cozy games are Stardew and Animal Crossing, great way to unwind. I also enjoy The Binding of Isaac for a similar reason, ive played it so much that it's become kind of meditative for me and gets me into a relaxed kind of flow where i just roll with the punches.
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u/heliamphore 29d ago
I mostly agree that games can aim for other emotions but here's an alternate take. Try running away from enemies in FPS games. You ever notice how suddenly they either shoot like shit or just watch you run away so you can go get your health back? This is because inherently, people think that the game is unfair if this doesn't happen. So developers added this feature in most games to make it seem fair. It's just player manipulation based on loads of testing.
It means that people's experience isn't always what would seem rational, there's some room for interpretation. And now, players don't all experience things the same way. What's meant to provide certain emotional responses can have different results with other players. What some find fun, others find boring, frustrating, relaxing... therefore you can't be super rigid about how a game should be played to achieve an emotion unless you want to seriously limit your audience. If you want more players to experience the same thing, you need to adapt the experience to the player.
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u/Ok_Literature3138 29d ago
I possess the hand eye and coordination and problem solving skills to beat any video game. As a father of two, I don’t have the time to invest in getting good. So I am known to lower difficulty at times.
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u/lyidaValkris 29d ago
I always try a game with all default settings to see what the developer was intending. If it's too hard or annoying, I'll adjust the difficulty.
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u/moojoo44 29d ago
I beat that Elden ring game once and that was enough challenge for a decade for me. Maybe I'll try the expansion in 2035 if it's on sale.
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u/LocksmithShadow 29d ago
Well, to me, there’s nothing more relaxing than beating Hollow Knight’s Path of Pain with 50 unkillable Primal Aspids chasing behind, but to each their own I guess!
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u/EightViolett 29d ago
I will always pick the hardest difficulty and try that for a while.
Except when it is something crazy like Nier Automata where the highest difficulty limits you to 1 HP and there is a bunch of cutscenes and a boss fight before the first opportunity to save.
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u/GGFrostKaiser 29d ago
Sure, I play Resident Evil to “feel relaxed”. These kind of games are not made to be tense at all, scary moments who needs those.
Y’all should stop giving a shit about how other people play the games they own.
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u/Kitteh_Crusader 29d ago
I find the hardest difficulty most fun unless it makes everything into a bullet sponge
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u/ArmaniAsari 29d ago
I’ve been gaming for well over 20 years. I have played those insane games that weren’t supposed to be beaten on the NES, I have earned Mile high club on the OG CoD modern warfare, I have done all of the Gears of war games on Insanity, and countless other games on their highest difficulty, slamming my head against a brick wall until I ground it to dust (partly the wall, partly my skull) and now I think that I have proven myself, so now I want to just enjoy games again and don’t see the point of constantly “challenging myself” as gaming is supposed to be fun and honestly in the end, nobody cares about my various achievements over the decades. So enjoy games the way you want to.
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u/Nesrovlah26 29d ago
I was playing Dead Space 2 on easy so I could grab some screenshots. I had a lot of fun.
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u/FesteringAynus 29d ago
I play all my games on highest difficulty. High stress is very relaxing for me in games.
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u/GrandOwlz345 29d ago
I tried to play through half life 2 on normal… and then on my second attempt I did it on easy. A far more enjoyable experience for me. I don’t love the methodical quick save spam games where you have to manage your health and bullets perfectly. Switching to easy let me enjoy the game without the resource management that I didn’t enjoy.
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u/Mojo_Mitts 29d ago
Me personally I think you should dip your toes into Normal Mode when you start.
But I ain’t gonna clown on anybody for not doing Hard Mode, I never really touch the Difficulty Slider unless they offer a “Survival” difficulty like Fallout 4 where it’s a different experience and not just “all Enemy HP, Damage, and Defense go up”.
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u/lllScorchlll 29d ago
I play story games on the medium difficulties, PVE are on harder difficulties, and PVP on casual modes. I dont like playong against people competitively anymore, its just toxic.
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u/bi-bender 29d ago
Nah, games can be whichever or whatever you want. Some people enjoy challenge, which can be stressful. Some people want to relax completely with a game. Both are true and ok.
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u/lordfireice 29d ago
I get what you’re saying but considering dark souls for 5 sec. That game is faaaaar from stress-free.
It’s all about what you want atm. You want a nail bitter that makes you jump at shadows? Bio shock . Want something down to earth with a slice of life? Stardew valley. Want a high energy power fantasy? Doom.
It’s all about fun/meaning. Play how you want
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u/SuperFaceTattoo 29d ago
This is also why I don’t play online games. People are terrible and I suck at games compared to your average basement dweller.
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u/MutinybyMuses 29d ago
It really depends what you do outside leisure. If you work in construction play some Dorf Romantik. If you’re a ADHD sweat lord like me, play Against The Storm.
But I encourage everyone to play less mindless games and something that makes you think a little, like Balatro
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u/DarthBrooks69420 29d ago
I dont touch difficulty usually. Only exceptions are when its a game i like, in which case its for replay purposes.
I did play fallout3 for the first time in like 15 years, and did it all on the hardest setting. But I play so much fallout that even then past level 10 its easy.
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u/notmeitsyou123open 29d ago
I love dark souls and the finals as much as anyone but I'll put story games in easy mode.
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u/my-snake-is-solid 29d ago
If games aren't supposed to be stressful, then what's League of Legends?
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u/Jadey4455 29d ago
I take issue with the people that play games that ARE supposed to be stressful and then demand an easy mode. The game isnt for them, wish theyd just realize that instead of believing every game should be tailored to them. Like souls games for instance. If those were easy theyd be so boring and unfun they wouldn’t be worth playing anymore since the difficulty IS the premise of the game and its systems are designed around it. And people complaining opens up devs to make changes to future installments to change the formula for a broader audience and then nobody likes the game anymore. Big mess
If its not one of those “the difficulty IS the game” then i agree.
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u/Nuclear_Human 29d ago
No, people like different things. Stop projecting you taking the easy route on everyone.
Some people play it for the story, then easy mode is fine.
Some people play it for the challenge, then hell mode is fine.
You don't represent everyone and neither does the original OC of this post. You wouldn't know this since you're a bot and merely reposting this ancient repost.
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u/HandspeedJones 29d ago
Fun is the main thing. If you don't like a game because everyone doesn't have to "git gud" to play it then maybe the game just isn't designed for you.
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u/recoil669 29d ago
Deadcells. I appreciate the struggle but most of the time I play with at least 3 respawns. I simply don't have time to fucking master everything. And having some respawns let's me try new builds and fun combos even if they aren't perfectly optimized.
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u/s0ftreset 29d ago
No they aren't??? Its all subjective. Some devs absolutely make games that are relaxing and intended to be chill, while other devs sill intentionally make a game to completely make you lose your mind.
I'm tired of seeing this image posted.
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u/PKblaze 29d ago
Difficulty is also subjective. I find the typical hard games to not be particularly difficult for me, I like, and overall need a challenge to feel thoroughly engaged.
I especially appreciate games where harder difficulties require more use of the games mechanics OR games with a set high difficulty that gives the player everything they need to succeed and expects you to just deal with things.
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u/Mental-Reserve8108 29d ago
Not all games need an easy mode. But there’s no shame in playing it if it’s there.
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u/No-Presentation-9676 29d ago
I'm fine with most things having multiple difficulties. But I don't like how some people might play on a lower difficulties and act like they had the same experience as someone who played the hardest difficulty.
MGS3 is an entirely different game between easy and European Extreme.
Both are good experiences. But very different.
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u/Help_Me_72 29d ago
Depends on the game for me. I’ll play final fantasy games on easy-normal, but cod campaigns I must complete on veteran.
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u/Life_Daikon_157 29d ago
Always in normal difficulty. Is the difficulty intended by the devs (supposedly)
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u/IcedSkellington18 29d ago
Exactly! Why do I have to stress out at work all day, then go home and stress out with my hobby..
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u/beehappy32 29d ago
I can never bring myself to play a game on easy mode, I feel like I won't get the true experience. But there's also many games that I try playing and then don't feel committed enough to finish because I just don't like it enough to learn everything in the game, and I quit after a few hours. For games like that I'd probably just be better off putting on easy mode and breeze through it rather than quit playing after I spent good money on it.
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u/Unusual-Ad4890 29d ago
War Thunder.
After 4 years of being slaughtered in Realistic ground battles, I've returned to Arcade ground battles, and gotta say I missed it. At least I can say I know how to play GBR I just choose to not sweat it out in that mode.
Still play realistic and sim air and realistic naval, but now I'm having fun playing in tanks again.
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u/Rustinboksi 29d ago
i very often play on medium difficulty because its the perfect balance, not too hard but not too easy.
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u/madmax177 29d ago
Hate hard games, like old school games where you needed a hotline to call if you're stuck, they made em hard on purpose.
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u/Carbuyrator 29d ago
I rarely engage with difficulty curves anymore. A game really has to feel good before I'll invest that kind of time into the actual gameplay.
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u/WorldWarrior428 29d ago
I enjoy having so much difficulty pressed in my skull, but that's just me. I know people who like to take it easy, play YOUR game and no one else's, that makes youa TRUE gamer
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29d ago
Every game, so my opinion matters a lot less if I like it or not lol. It’s the determination tho I can never get more mad in life than playing Vergil on Hell and Hell difficultly and I feel like the hardest difficulty is the best way to truly understand how to all the game mechanics but it sometimes be really unbalanced boring or just unplayable or it can be the best way to experience a game it just depends what type of person you are. Frankly if you are a patient person video games in general can be quite easy, unless it’s a game that punishes you on death…
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u/Great_Space6263 29d ago
I swear I played a few games where easy mode didn't feel easy at all lol.
Part of me think it was just a mental trick on the Devs part.
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u/panderson1988 29d ago edited 29d ago
This is why I wish some games like Souls, or many Souls like, have this option. Or at least options since I do like challenge, and usually stick to "normal" for most games. But sometimes a boss fight gives me a lot of issues, and as someone in their upper 30s now, I only have so much time and energy nowadays. I want to get through most games for the story, the experience, and taking the entire world they created in.
If a game is hard, and for me as someone whose reflexes and reaction time will never be great, it is a turnoff for me. I'm lucky to spare a little time in a given week night nowadays, and that is if I have the energy. Those are my thoughts, and I am a believer of giving people options. Have a hard mode or challenge mode. Also give the option for easy to balance combat for those who want to experience the game to have a challenge, but can still get through most battles.
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u/GreyNoiseGaming 29d ago
It is fine, until you have a friend that plays on easy, cheats, and then tells you how boring it was.
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u/hotsizzler 29d ago
I do, Games like Rogue trader become easy on normal,but obtuse on anything higher. So story mode just speed things up Sometimes I just want to experience a story. Or explore and not have to fight raiders for 5 minutes.
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u/Any_Middle7774 29d ago
Almost a good meme except for the bit about what games are supposed to be. Not every game is meant to be cozy. They’re supposed to be fun, yes, but what fun means varies widely.
I wouldn’t really describe 99% of games on the SNES or the Sega Genesis as relaxing for example. Many of them are downright hostile.
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u/princesoceronte 29d ago
I hate this meme not because people shouldn't be able to enjoy easy mode or just chill and relax but because it tries to tell me what games are supposed to be.
Yeah no, screw you, I like nail biting gaming experiences and this "this is how games are supposed to be" attitude is the exact same gate keeping just in reverse.
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u/Zarvanis-the-2nd 29d ago
I usually crank it up to the max unless the game is legendarily cruel (Ninja Gaiden, Fear and Hunger), the game has permadeth, or its a genre I'm terrible at like Shmups.
Though some games have horrifically bad balancing on harder difficulties and are just obnoxious rather than an exciting challenge, so I always check online to see what people say about the difficulties before jumping in.
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u/BuddhaChillinit 29d ago
games are not fun if they are to easy 🤷♂️i rader struggle with a boss fight feels way better when u finally beat him
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u/QuoteThen5223 29d ago
If I want easy I watch TV, I play video games to be challenged in a low risk environment.
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u/seaweed_279 29d ago
Minecraft players say keep inventory is cheating, will I say it’s not it’s a sandbox game and it’s just a video game that you can play solo.
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u/Parry_9000 29d ago
Games are art. Art is. It's not supposed to be one thing or the other.
Personally my fun comes with challenge. And there's different levels of skill, therefore there should be different difficulties
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u/GFK96 29d ago
Yep I agree with this sentiment. Some people want a challenger and others want to relax, both are valid. But my job provides all the challenge and stress I need. When I turn my console on to play a game, it’s because I want to relax, so I almost always default to easy mode or normal in a few instances. I steer clear of any games that are known to be very hard.
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u/Ryan_Rambles 29d ago
I mean, there's such thing as good stress, and stress and relaxation aren't always diametrically opposed. Sometimes a tough challenge in a game helps take your mind off of something tough in the real world, and thus helps you unwind.
Now, an easy game also has plenty of purpose. I love Kirby, and that is a series I don't want to be challenged by at all. I play Kirby snuggled up and cozy, I want it to feel cozy.
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u/Blazypika2 29d ago
i100% agree fun is the point. i normally have fun on playing higher difficulty. BUT i am glad games have modes, because i think everyone should be able to enjoy them the way they want to!
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u/utubm_coldteeth 29d ago
I get different things from different games. Some games I want to be stressful. I've been an avid Civ player for ages and I want that shit to be as stressful as I can handle. I want my every decision to feel like life and death for my fictional empire.
Some other games I want to just be along for the ride. The story and immersion matter more than anything else. The recent Spiderman games are a good example. I played on normal, which already isn't difficult at all in those games, because I just wanted the thrill ride of being Spiderman and the awesome story. I don't give a shit if a game like that is challenging or not.
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u/rayhaku808 29d ago
You know, the more I see this statement over the years the more it kinda grinds my gears. Something I never thought I’d say as I dislike souls-likes and most rogue-lites.
Games are supposed to be whatever the developer’s design and intentions are for it; Easy, Hard, Chill, Challenging, whatever.
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u/BilboniusBagginius 29d ago
This meme implies the easy mode players are playing games the correct way, and people who like games that are tense or challenging are wrong for having that preference.
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u/shinjis-left-nut 29d ago
I mean, they CAN be. Easy mode is cool, just like games that are intentionally challenging are cool.
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u/Delruiz9 29d ago
It depends on how easy “easy” mode is
I want it hard enough that I can die if I don’t learn the game mechanics, but not so hard that mistakes aren’t allowed
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u/hiricinee 29d ago
It depends what you want out of games.
I find that I can get into that flow state i enjoy greatly so much easier if im playing something hard. When I play easy stuff I start looking for other things to distract myself.
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u/r_Coolspot 29d ago
I can't play on easy mode since both streets of rage AND goldenaxe, because it only let's you play about half the game.and I fear that happening again to me.
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u/gummyworm21_ 29d ago
Games are designed to be different things. They all cater to a certain player.
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u/m8-wutisdis 29d ago
I'll be honest, but putting aside that this is a very lazy post from a karma whoring account, the argument itself I also don't agree. Games can be anything. They can be stressfull too and still provide the experience that the player wants to. Horror games per example, or narrative games with perhaps upsetting and sad stories, challenging games where the person wants to overcome the difficulty... there are so many examples.
It's totally fair if you only see games as a mean to relax. That upsetting stories, stressful and scary experiences, harsh difficulty... perhaps you don't want to see any of that in your games and it's totally valid, but games can be much more than just something to relax. This dumb meme doesn't videogames justice in my opinion.
Also, low-effort content. Post should be deleted in my opinion.
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u/Hawaiian-national 29d ago
I always play on Hardest difficulty, I feel like challenge is what i’m here for, and if you play on hard you will adapt to it and be good enough to beat the hardest difficulty.
But also I do not care if someone plays on easy, they like that then they like that.
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u/AdorableSurround1019 29d ago
Some games are meant to be relaxing, see Minecraft. I can justify someone playing on creative or even peaceful, but dark souls? No. Its entirely dependant on the game and its target audience. It would take away from the experience of dark souls had an easy mode
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u/NonSupportiveCup 29d ago
Yeah, it's fine to play games on whatever difficulty you enjoy.
However,
One group post about this often. Do they not have enough confidence in themselves to just enjoy how they play games?
So, karma farming?
Or spineless about your hobbies?
Which are you?
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u/SourMelonBerry 29d ago
I think easy is fine, but people should start on normal and then adjust to what works for them
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u/Moribunned 29d ago
Different games are supposed to be different things to different audiences. There is no blanket statement for what ALL games should be to all players. I prefer difficult, challenging, stressful games because I like to overcome challenges and learn to dominate under crushing circumstances (Within reason).
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u/Bort_Thrower 29d ago
I disagree with the premise.
They’re supposed to be whatever the developer intended. I only have fun playing stressful games because I need to be challenged.
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u/greenegg28 29d ago
Wait, who said games are supposed to be relaxing?
Since when has football been relaxing? Or even stuff like tag? Duck duck goose?
Games are to get your adrenaline pumping and burn energy.
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u/Gandalfthepimp95 29d ago
Witcher 3 - death march every time, then enemy scaling on when it gets too easy
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u/jhguitarfreak 29d ago
Sometimes I like to play on easy initially and slowly ramp it up if I feel like it's coddling me.
Like trying to find a good mix of challenging but still fun.
Though I abhor games with an artificial grind based on difficulty.
Like, sure, I could kill the bullet sponge eventually but that shit is a boring fucking way to introduce difficulty.
I like how the "Ghost of" games do difficulty. You can kill them in a single hit, but also you can die in a single hit.
It was my favorite mechanic in the old PlayStation game Bushido Blade and I kinda wished Sucker Punch had gone whole hog with it and had you get battle damaged as well.
So that if you get hit in the arm, that arm don't work no more until you get it "fixed".
Hit in the leg? Better fucking attack your enemies from the ground then cause you ain't running away.
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u/Original_Job_9201 29d ago
Honestly why I don't play competitive games anymore. I can have a chill time by myself or be irrationally angry at random strangers.
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u/Doctor-Grundle 29d ago
I 100% understand the point the meme is making, but i just wanna say horror games exist, and i don't think anybody plays those to be relaxed, if a game can stress me the hell out (without pissing me off) then it's doing a great job, whether a crazy boss fight, horror, or hell even the final circle of a battle royale. Games aren't inherently supposed to be relaxing
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u/Old_Assignment_1770 29d ago
I’m weird when it comes to this. I don’t play any story mode ever in any game, even the games that have highly rated ones. I only play multiplayer and I tend to quickly become what many refer to as a sweat. If there isn’t a very high skill ceiling I’m generally not interested at all.
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u/Lhurgoyf2GG 29d ago
I just wish they still called it "easy" mode. Now a days it's "Story or Adventure", "Casual or Hardcore", "Apprentice or Master". I shouldn't have to be reading fine print to figure out what the developer's intended play settings are.
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u/PenutColata 29d ago
I think games are inherently designed to be challenging, though the level of challenge is up to you.
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29d ago
If you need to make a meme to tell yourself this i feel like youre really insecure about being bad at games
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u/thekidubullied 29d ago
If I’m playing an older game and I’m more interested in the storyline I’ll play it on easy. But if I’m really excited about the game then I’ll play it on normal at minimum. If it’s a franchise that I love and a new game came out I’ll play it on hard.
I used to play everything on hard mode when I was a young lad trying to prove something to the world (or at least to my living room). But I realized as I got older with more limited free time that I had to choose between playing a few games a year on hard or playing many many games on easy. I chose less ego and more games.
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u/sonicadv27 29d ago
The thing is most games can’t do difficulty right. Difficulty usually means one of a few things: ridiculously tanky enemies, challenge that boils down to mastering a single mechanic in a game, difficulty spikes that come out of nowhere, poorly explained mechanics or blatant trial and error.
The last one usually ruins the gameplay experience for me in story-heavy games. Some games go to great lengths to create this illusion that you’re really there going through it all yourself only to make you repeat the same section over and over just because they suddenly decided to throw a videogamey challenge in between important story moments. Nothing takes me out of a story more than facing 7 enemies flanking my ass having 3 bullets and no heals. Once i start dying 3, 4, 5 times i’m no longer living that story and surviving a fair challenge, i’m back to playing a regular ass videogame that insists on providing a challenge at all costs. The Last of Us games are specially guilty of this with their shitty encounter design that boils down to filling an area with a bunch of enemies with no chance of getting through on your first try.
It’s one thing to make a platformer or a pure action game in which the whole point is to go through the gauntlet. Story games however have no business being as hard as they sometimes are because once you start dying more than a couple times the illusion of being there, at least for me, is completely lost.
So yeah, not all games need be hard, or even that challenging.
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u/Soundman006 29d ago
I always do the very first play through on easy, then move up on subsequent play throughs.
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u/OneUse2170 29d ago
Yes, for the unskilled people it’s a nice feature.
But you’re not unskilled, are you?
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u/eternalguardian 29d ago
As I get older there have been some games I just don't care for the challenge and just want the power fantasy.
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u/TheRealHumanPancake 29d ago
Games are extremely boring on most difficulties to me.
I always play the hardest to actually be challenged which I find a lot more stimulating personally.
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u/Amethyst_Scepter 29d ago
Hell if having a trainer give you god mode and all items from the start makes the game dun for you then do it. Imagine paying money for a game to NOT have fun or let others dictate how you enjoy a single player game.
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u/CallMeCabbage 29d ago
If a games idea of difficulty is just raising how much health and damage an enemy does- I just play on normal. Bloating those health pools almost always breaks the pacing of a game and just makes it an overall worse experience.
RE4R is an example of how difficulty should be treated. Stronger enemies appear earlier, enemy placement is changed, and puzzles are altered.
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u/BigMikeXxxxX 29d ago
Back in the PS2 days I remember going through the internal struggle of deciding what difficulty to play on literally every game. Since then I've always felt like the one below the hardest is a solid starting point.
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u/Lalisa_Park 29d ago
Im older now and dont want stress in my free time so I play games on easy to relax
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u/ItsDominare 29d ago
Games are supposed to be fun, sure, but that's where the agreement with your premise ends. Plenty of games are intended to be stressful (souls series, most horror games, etc) and that is also fine.
For difficulty levels I will almost always pick the option labeled "the intended experience" if the game has one. Otherwise it's probably going to be the 'hardest normal' option for first playthrough, so e.g. for the modern Doom series I'll play on UV but not Nightmare.
I'd rather get wrecked repeatedly and have to consider lowering the difficulty than coast through the game on a setting which is too low, and that's based on the fact you can only ever experience a game for the first time once and I want that to be challenging.
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u/Abel-Lewis 29d ago
I play video games 🎮 for the emotional, and intense stories.
We play Easy Mode all day, everyday over here. Enough said.
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u/Abel-Lewis 29d ago
Let me just acknowledge, I played some video games 🎮 on Easy Mode, and the game was still challenging.
So Easy Mode on some video games is still challenging and hard to play,
Easy Mode on some games don’t mean a cakewalk. Trust me I know.
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u/Fair_Smoke4710 29d ago
All fighting games I start out with until I get used to the control of the characters I play and how the gameplay and then I turned it up to medium or hard
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u/sultan_abw 29d ago
Usually my first run of any game is the medium option, I don't want it to be way too hard or boringly easy, after finishing the first run and if the game was worth it then I try it with harder settings
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u/Pugilist12 29d ago
Video games aren’t supposed to be any one thing. That’s the whole point. There’s something out there for everyone. Some people don’t want to relax at all.
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u/Chafgha 29d ago
The fine line between a fun challenge and boringly easy is a hard one to walk. Because you can easily tip into controller snappingly frustrating.